Neil Mackenzie’s Post

The Real Story Behind the Standard (Stephenson) Rail Gauge Did you know the standard railway gauge of 4 feet 8.5 inches wasn't determined by ancient Roman chariots or the width of horse-drawn wagons? It's a popular idea, but an urban myth. The true origin of this seemingly odd measurement traces back to early 19th-century England. Pioneering engineer George Stephenson standardized this gauge during the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway and later the famous Liverpool and Manchester Railway. His choice was influenced by the gauge used in the coal mines of northern England, specifically the Killingworth Colliery, where he worked on steam locomotives. Stephenson found that a gauge of 4 feet 8 inches allowed for optimal stability and performance of his locomotives. Later, he added an extra half-inch to reduce friction on curves, finalizing the gauge at 4 feet 8.5 inches. This standard was later adopted by the majority of railways in the UK and eventually became the global standard. Did you know all of the freight and passenger rail infrastructure in North America is built on this standard? _____ As the leading Proposal Management specialists in the civil infrastructure market, Mission Critical is the pivotal force behind companies winning their first CMGC, D-B, PD-B, P3, Federal, and JOC pursuits. With a strong focus on transit and freight rail infrastructure, we're the strategic partner for Top 400 companies and Joint Venture teams aiming to expand their Alternative Delivery project backlog. (Photo above from Mission Critical's latest project in Anchorage, AK) #CivilInfrastructure #Transportation #EngineeringHistory #Transit #FreightRail #MissionCritical #TheInfrastructureMinute #thinkmissioncritical #ProposalQuarterback

Network Rail will channel £2.8bn of its total spend over the next five years into helping the railways better cope with extreme weather and climate change. The weather resilience programme will see Network Rail recruit almost 400 extra drainage engineers to increase the care and maintenance of its drainage assets to handle heavier rainfall. The infrastructure operator set out its plans to better cope with climate change as it entered its £43bn CP7 spending period yesterday. Network Rail will also ramp up investment in looking after thousands of miles of drains, cuttings and embankments promising a work boom for piling and groundworks firms. More than 20,000 cuttings and embankment will receive attention with over 300 miles being strengthened through renewal and refurbishment and over 900 miles seeing planned maintenance. More than 600,000 metres of drains will be built or rebuilt. Network Rail aims to improve remote digital monitoring, fitting more ‘smart’ movement sensors to cuttings and embankments to raise the alarm before a full landslip. The CP7 plan (at 2022/23 prices) for England, Wales and Scotland amounts to £42.8bn compared to £43bn in CP6. Network Rail said the spending plan would amount a 6% increase in regions’ expenditure between CP6 and CP7. Andrew Haines, chief executive, said: “Climate change is the biggest challenge our railway faces. The extreme weather of the past year that has seen an unprecedented 14 named storms, has taken its toll on our railway – with experts predicting more of the same to come. We are responding to that challenge with a huge investment in making our railway more resilient and better performing for rail users during such events. “We can never completely ‘weatherproof’ our railway, but we can be better prepared and mitigate the worst that Mother Nature throws at us, now, and into the future, to keep passengers and services safe and moving.” [Construction Enquirer] #networkrail #engineering #drainage #climatechange

HOT TOPIC: Gateway Board Takes Last Step to Secure $3.8B for Hudson Rail Tunnel Project Read the full article, here: https://lnkd.in/ekvXQAB3 #HotTopic

Join Mark Trim and Sarah Wilson for their presentation on Construction Phase Services for Australian and North American SEM Tunneling on Monday, June 24 at 10:05 a.m. at next week’s North American Tunneling Conference. Over the last decade, more than 62 miles (100 km) of civil transport tunnels were constructed in Sydney, Australia, using the sequential excavation method (SEM). The #WestConnex motorway tunnels, each stage of which used over 20 roadheaders to excavate up to 40 tunnel headings, had numerous caverns up to 100 feet (30 m) wide and 82 feet (25 m) high. SEM #tunnels in North America typically have far fewer active headings. This presentation examines the differences in scope and risk allocation for construction phase services, including comparison of the Permit to Tunnel (PTT) process in Australia and the Required Excavation and Support process in North America. https://lnkd.in/gcuXxqEP   #delveunderground #NAT2024 #NATunneling2024

Grange-over-Sands derailment proved over-complicated Engineers from Network Rail, the British infrastructure agency, have had their work cut out. They have been flat out in their recovery and repair efforts following the train derailment that occurred in #Grange-over-Sands on Friday 22 March 2024. The incident, involving a Northern-operated train, initially garnered minimal media attention. However, it has since proven to… https://lnkd.in/eJnkVn_R #railindustry #rail #railtech

Good to see that proactive monitoring and maintenance work is planned for cuttings and embankments to assess and remediate the increasing risk of landslips .

We anticipate an increase in railroad maintenance projects, considering the condition of our nation’s tracks. The U.S. government awarded $1.4 billion in federal grants to 70 rail bridges and track repair projects last fall. What tracks do you think should be a priority? https://lnkd.in/g2UDUiq3

In Malaysia, many of our major structures, such as highway bridges and rail systems, are now over 25 years old, it is crucial to perform thorough structural health monitoring to ensure their continued safety for public use. Traditional visual inspection and material testing methods fall short in assessing the current capacity of these aging structures. Consequently, effective rehabilitation is not possible without precise and detailed information. The vibration-based damage detection method, which identifies damage through changes in vibration characteristics, presents an alternative approach. It delivers accurate insights into the current capacity of the structure, enabling the implementation of suitable rehabilitation measures to effectively restore its capacity. VRG@IKG-UTM

Corridor VIII Railway Project

Railway Age recently quoted me in an article about the California High Speed Rail Authority's application for a Federal CRISI grant. You may wish to read it -- it is a good article: https://lnkd.in/gmkwyXV8. #railway #railways #railroad