Background

23 Years of Railroad/Transit Engineering

Metrolink/ACE/UPRR/BNSF/CPUC

Former Metrolink Public Projects Engineer Former ACE Technical Advisor Over 320 Grade Separations/Crossings/Stations Strong relationships with local agencies & railroads
Began JMD as Expert Engineer t UPRR (C lif i ) B E tE i to (California) Railroad Advisor to Local Agencies

Call for Projects/CPUC Funding Applications

Unique analysis design and construction of: analysis,

Mainlines Grade Separations Grade Crossings Commuter Rail Stations Quiet Zones and Soundwalls

Overview
Why railroads built?
Economic Reasons Profit through Freight Military Reasons To move soldiers to strategic destinations Development UPRR wilderness west of the Mississippi River Freight To F i ht - T make available stores of raw materials k il bl t f t i l Migration To move people to new land

Nature of Railroad Traffic

Freight Passenger

World Railway History

The history of the railroad begins in 1825 in England First steam train carried passengers from Stockton to Darlington Cost: one shilling

Source: Brewster Railroad History

Source: American-Rails.com

The First Railroads

The First Steam locomotives came smoking out of E l d i ki t f England in the 1820s. In the early 1800s, the United States was a new country with lots of land, and pioneers were just beginning to explore the western frontier. Early U.S. rail cars were pulled y p along tracks by horses. When people traveled, they walked, rode horses, or traveled in stagecoaches and horse-drawn g wagons. Most heavy loads were sent by boat or rivers or canals. First successful U.S. venture carried goods from Quincy, Massachusetts to Boston in 1827

Source: Rough and Ready Railroaders

The First Railroads (cont.)

Horatio Allen
fired up the Stourbridge Lion in Pennsylvania looked like a giant mechanical grasshopper drove the Lion safely over six miles of track for the first locomotive ride in the United States States.

August 1829: the first passenger railroad built by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company. 1830: 1830 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the So th Carolina South Railroad opened for service Soon thereafter, the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad connected the upstate New York cities of Albany and Schenectady. Americans were discovering that locomotives were cheaper and faster than other means of transportation transportation. By 1840, 5,000 miles of railroad track in the U.S.

History of American Railroad

John Thomson
1809: Drew the earliest survey map in the United States Entitled "Draft Exhibiting . . . the Railroad as Contemplated by Thomas Leiper Esq. From His Stone Saw-Mill and Quarries on Crum Creek to His Landing on Ridley Creek. Creek." Helped Reading Howell, the project engineer and a wellknown mapmaker, construct the first practical wooden tracks for a tramroad

Source: American Memory Railroad maps

History of American Railroad

John Edgar Thomson
Son of John Thomson 1873: donated father's 1809 map to the Delaware County Institute of Science Substantiated the claim that the map and Leiper's railroad were the first such work in North America. America

Source: American Memory Railroad maps

American Railroad (cont)

John Stevens
Considered to be the father of American railroads 1826: demonstrated feasibility of steam locomotion on a circular experimental track 1815: the first railroad charter in North America granted to Stevens

Gridley Bryant
1826: a commercial tramroad surveyed and constructed at Quincy, Massachusetts Machinery for it developed by Solomon Willard Used horsepower to haul granite needed for building the Bunker Hill Monument from the quarries at Quincy

American Railroad (cont)

1787: John Fitch adapted James Watt's improvements in the steam engine to propel a ship on the Delaware River, and James Rumsey in the same year on the Potomac River. Fitch published his "Map of the Northwest" two years earlier to finance the building of a commercial steamboat. Use of steam power for vessels became firmly established

US History of Railroads
Railroads brought together the young United States and allowed f unprecedented growth and d ll d for d t d th d prosperity The "Golden Age" of railroading lasted from 1880s to the 1920s Earliest beginnings dating back to 1815 when Colonel John Stevens gained the first railroad charter in North America to build the New Jersey Railroad Company
Not actually constructed until 1832 Eventually became p of the Pennsylvania Railroad y part y 1826: Tested the first steam locomotive in the country Showcased "Steam Wagon" design

Early Railroads, 1830s

Railroading in this country g y kicked off in 1829
August: Delaware & Hudson Canal Company tested a British Britishbuilt steam locomotive called the Stourbridge Lion

Railroads began to pop up all along cities up and down the east coast. Railroads began to sprawl westward.

Source: American-Rails.com

Railroads in the 1850s, 60s,70s

Railroading set the stage for what would transpire during the Civil War The North would hold a commanding advantage in the war
Most of the country's industrial base was centered in the Northeast Most of the railroads with most of the trackage centered in the Northeast and Midwest Much of the war was fought in the South, i ifi S th significant i f t t t infrastructure was damaged or destroyed

Differing track gauges were g g affecting traffic interchange and the number of bridges crossing major waterways.
Source: American-Rails.com

Railroads in the 1850s, 60s,70s

1873: financial panic
The industry was building fast leading l di up to the panic h i Averaging almost 6,000 miles a year or 17,000 miles between 1871 and 1873 1873. Northern Pacific Railway went bankrupt Railroads far too overextended into western regions Empty lines had no means to earn a profit Filled with angry Indians
Not happy about the encroachment of the White Man onto their lands Promptly destroyed track and infrastructure when possible.
Source: American-Rails.com

Working on the Railroad

1860s: railroaders began laying tracks that would stretch across the U.S. from Boston to San Francisco. Each worker belonged to a crew, and each crew had its own job.
Surveyors Explored the land ahead of the building crews Decided which parts would be easiest to build through Made maps for the builder to follow Grading crew made a sturdy roadbed on which to d d db d hi h build tracks Evened out bumps and dips Tracklayers y Put down ties on the roadbed Each rail was 30 feet long and weighed 600 pounds.

Source: Rough and Ready Railroaders

Working on the Railroad (cont.)

A piece of iron called a fishplate was used to bolt the ends of the rails together and keep them straight
Spikes kept the rails connected to the wooden ties

Workers had to be sure that the two rails were exactly the same distance apart so that the train s wheels would site directly on top of trains them.
Distance between the rails were called gauge

1886: all tracks were built to a standard gauge of 4 feet 8 inches

Allowed locomotives from one railroad to run on the tracks of any other railroad.

Work Trains: As soon as one section of track was finished, work trains took supplies to the builders at the end of the line Pulled up to 12 cars filled with rails, spikes, tools, and food.

Better Trains and More Track

Baltimore & Ohio first tried using ties made of stone but realized wood ties rode more smoothly The first rails were made of wood with flat iron bands strapped to the top. By the 1860s, stronger steel rails replaced the iron ones Train passengers rode in stagecoaches attached to train wheels, or in boxcars, or even on train car roofs

Source: Historical Travels

Better Trains and More Track (cont).

By 1840s, locomotives were speeding along tracks y , p g g at 60 mph pulling as many as thirty cars Train crews learned to use whistles, signal poles, flags, and lanterns t communicate b t fl dl t to i t between stations By 1850s, electric telegraph signals were being used to direct traffic

Trains in the Civil War

1862, the President Lincoln and Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act
Promised to pay the railroads in money and land for each mile of cross-country track built

The Civil War was worlds first railroad war ar

Both armies used trains to bring troops and supplies far into enemy territory

In 1862, the Union Army formed the U.S. Military Railway USMR

Source: Historical Travels

Trains in the Civil War (cont.)

Source: Historical Travels

Source: Historical Travels

Both armies tried to stop the enemy by ruining their railroads. railroads In the end it worked The Union Army won end, worked. the war by destroying the Souths railway.

Native Americans and the Railroad

During the 1600s and 1700s, European settlers conquered Native American peoples in the East and took most of their land 1830, 1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which forced eastern tribes to move west of the Mississippi to territories known as Indian country Tens of millions of acres were claimed by the government, and the tribes were pushed west into Nebraska and Kansas
Source: Rough and Ready Railroaders

July 1, 1862Union Pacific Railroad

Creation of the Pacific Railway Bill
Designated the new Union Pacific Railroad (westward from the Missouri River) Central Pacific Railroad (eastward from Sacramento) Theodore Judah (Engineer) special interest in Transcontinental RR
23 trips to Sierra Nevada (hardest segment to build the Trans RR)

Completed the transcontinental railroad May 10, 1869: line completed at Promontory Point, Utah

Industry exploded in terms of mileage and by the 1890s there was over 163,000 miles in operation Many other advances
Agreement on the standard track of 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches in the 1880s Development of the automatic coupler and air brake, which revolutionized efficiencies railroads could provide along with allowing for much safer operations

Tracks across the Prairie

Over the next 15 months, crews graded roadbeds and laid track across 250 miles of prairie As the year ended tracks reached 300 miles west of Omaha Through 1867, crews 1867 worked to cover 245 miles of Indian country with railroad track

Source: Rough and Ready Railroaders

Native Americans and the Railroad

In 1867 Indian war parties attacked workers on the p Union pacific and Kansas Pacific lines
Government sent out soldiers on horses to guard railroad workers. workers Railroads tried to starve the Indians out of the region by destroying the huge buffalo herds they depended on for survival

Indians could not succeed against thousands of U.S. soldiers with bigger weapons As the railroad pushed into Colorado and Wyoming, tribes were forced to move farther west and north

Blasting through the Sierras

January 1863: owners of the Central Pacific led groundbreaking ceremonies at Sacramento, CA for the railroad they hoped would cross th th h d ld the country
Would run east from Sacramento Climb 7,000 f into the Sierra C ft S Nevada mountains Decline down to the Nevada desert. desert

In 1885, the Southern Pacific leased the Central Pacific Railroad until eventually merging with it in 1959.

Source: Rough and Ready Railroaders

Blasting through the Sierras (cont d) (contd)

By February 1864, only 18 miles of track had been laid east of Sacramento Hired Chinese immigrants to become railroad workers, who worked for lower wages and were more orderly and reliable By N B November 1866 covered 94 miles and climbed 6 000 ft t Ci b 1866, d il d li b d 6,000 to Cisco on the western slop of the Sierras Tunnels Varied in length, from the 271-foot Emigrant Gap to the 1,650 1 650 foot Summit Tunnel By August 1867
Last of the Sierra tunnels were finished Crews began laying track down the eastern slop of the Sierras

June 1868 : Tracks reached Reno, NV 1869: Tracks crossed the Nevada desert to Utah

Sacramento to Ogden - CPR

Source: UPRR

Original Construction dates of the Central Pacific Railroad Route

Race to the Finish

The Pacific Railroad Act
Did not state where the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific rails would meet Both companies rushed to lay more track and collect more in g government p y payments

Source: Union Pacific Train

Race to the Finish (cont.)

May 10, 1869: Celebrating the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Promontory, Utah The final spike linking the two lines was made of solid gold g with the following inscription: May God continue the unity of our Country as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world.
Source: Rough and Ready Railroaders

History of Transcontinental Railroad

Source: Reflections California: A Changing State

History of Transcontinental Railroad

Big Four: Leland Stanford Collis P. Huntington Mark Hopkins Charles Crocker

Facts: F t
Coast to Coast = one week ride Fancy Ride = $100 ($1,340*) Hard Bench = $40 (=$536*)
* Todays dollars

Source: Reflections California: A Changing State

History of Transcontinental Railroad

A large-scale grant map g g p dated 1893, showing the alternate sections of public land granted to the Little Rock & Fort Smith Railway Used by land speculators to advertise railroad lands for sale to the public public.

Source: American Memory Railroad maps

Railroading in the 1890s 1890 s

Continued to see slow expansion. Knuckle couplers and air brakes federally mandated on all trains drastically improving safety and efficiency. Dizzying web of trackage would come back to haunt railroads due to drain on profits.

Source: American-Rails.com

Knuckle (AAR Type "E") couplers in use Source: Wikipedia

Railroading in the 1920s

Began switching to steel rails i t d of i il instead f iron Much stronger Longer lifespan In the end it meant a better bottom line Introduction of the electric locomotive, first used by the B&O 1960s: branches were highly profitable in agricultural traffic since railroads were the only viable means to move goods to market

Source: American-Rails.com

Railroad Mileage throughout the years

It was during this time through roughly the 1920s g g g y that railroads enjoyed their greatest dominance and profitability. The year 1916 saw peak mileage at over 254 000 and railroads held virtually 100% 254,000 of all interstate traffic, both passenger and freight. Below is a timeline of railroad mileage through the years:
1840: 2,808 Miles 1850: 9,021 Miles , 1860: 30,000+ Miles 1870: 52,922 Miles 1880: 93 267 Miles 93,267 1890: 163,597 Miles 1900: 193,346 Miles 1916: 254,037 Miles , 1945: 226,696 Miles 1963: 214,387 Miles 1995: 170 000+ Miles 170,000+ Today: 160,000+ Miles

Railroading in WWII
Phenomenally more efficient than in WWI
Moved more tons of material and goods Did so with fewer locomotives locomotives, cars, and overall rail mileage Had improved technology to move freight in the 1940s such as heavier freight cars and locomotives and the new diesel-electric locomotive
Year Avg. Freight Car Capacity Tons Daily Mileage Per freight Car Daily Ton-Mileage per freight car Avg. size of Freight train, by car Avg. net tonnage per train Avg. Train Speed Net Ton Mileage Per Train Hour
Source: American-Rails.com

1921 42.5 25.8

1940 50.0 38.7

448 37.4

661 49.7

651 11.5 7,506

849 16.7 14,027

Railroading in WWII
Centralized Traffic Control (CTC)
Gave a dispatcher complete control over a section of track, known as a block, to set , switches and watch over signals Allowed for a single track main line to achieve 75% capacity of a fully doubletracked line Originally implemented in 1927 Allowed for much more efficient railroad operations
Year Avg. Freight Car Capacity Tons Daily Mileage Per freight Car Daily Ton-Mileage per freight car Avg. size of Freight train, by car Avg. net tonnage per train Avg. Train Speed Net Ton Mileage Per Train Hour
Source: American-Rails.com

1921 42.5 25.8

1940 50.0 38.7

448 37.4

661 49.7

651 11.5 7,506

849 16.7 14,027

Railroading after the 1980s

Rail freight ton-miles have steadily increased f i d from 932 billi i 1980 t over billion in to 1.5 trillion in 2006. Market analysts and experts expect this number to continue to rise as shippers look for more efficient and faster means of transporting their products with highways steadily becoming more clogged Between 1990 and 2000, famous railroads , disappear into merger, most notably the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
1994: the Santa Fe agreed to merge with northwestern giant, Burlington Northern, to form the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Recently changed its name to simply BNSF Railway Ended one of the most famous railroads to ever operate worldwide although its legend will forever live on in the products bearing its name and famous "Warbonnet" livery

Source: American-Rails.com

Union Pacific
UPRR merged with the Southern Pacific Transportation Company (better k T t ti C (b tt known as the Southern Pacific) in 1996 making it one of the largest railroad in the nation.
Source: JMD

Source: UPRR

Source: UPRR

Past

Present

Union Pacific (Facts)

Source: UPRR

Source: UPRR

Source: UPRR

BNSF Railway

Source: JMD

Source: American-Rails.com

BNSF - Present
Today's BNSF Railway is the product of some 390 different railroad lines that merged or were acquired during more than 150 years.

Source: JMD

Source: BNSF

Railroading Today
Resources Miles of Road Operated less Trackage Rights Miles of Track Operated Less Trackage Rights Miles of High-Density A Track maintained Locomotives in Service Freight Cars in Service
Source: Association of American Railroads

2006 94,440 161,114 70,323 24,143 460,172 460 172

2007 94,209 160,734 69,749 24,003 450,297 450 297

U.S. Freight Railroad Statistics

U.S. Revenue Ton-Miles 2006

Operating Statistics Miles of Road Operated less Trackage Rights Miles of Track Operated in the U.S. Freight Cars in Service, U.S. Railroad Owned Freight Cars in Service, All U.S. Owners

2006 140,490 171,077 596,103 1,361,250

2007 140,695 171,513 580,635 1,385,709

Source: Association of American Railroads

Railroad Class Types

Three Types of Railroads: Class I, Class II, and yp Class III (Regional/Shortline Railroads)
Class I railroads operating above $250 million in revenues. There are five in the United States: CSX, Norfolk Southern, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific. Class II railroads are smaller, with revenues between $20 and $250 million. Only 12 exist in the United States million States. The most prevalent type of railroad are class III railroads, also known as shortline or regional railroads. They are under $20 million in revenue.