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September 2025
Compiled by Michael Popke
Loram offers both gauge face and top-of-rail (TOR) consumables in biodegradable, synthetic and water-based versions.
A wide range of all-season gauge-face lubricants are designed for different environments, from heavy haul to transit to extreme hi-rail temperatures. They include EcoCurve Heavy Haul, which is readily biodegradable and contains more than 70% renewable content and low-temperature pumpability (-40 F).
Loram also offers the biodegradable and all-season Rail King HL curve lubricant, which is designed to provide on-track performance equal to Heavy Haul but at a lower cost per application; EcoCurve Trackside, which is used extensively in the transit market due to a combination of high biodegradability, clean visuals and effectiveness as either a curve, check-rail or switch-plate lubricant; and ClareShield Extreme, which offers extreme high-temperature resistance to protect rail in heavy axle-load environments.
In addition, Loram offers several rail friction modifiers, which are all-season, biodegradable and specifically designed for wayside applications to help reduce noise, improve steering, reduce rail wear and contribute to fuel savings. Products include TOR-Xtend, a clean synthetic friction modifier that has a low evaporation rate, uses less material per application versus competitive products and has a carry distance greater than six miles in most applications, and ClareShield TOR-WS, a premium, all-season, water-based friction modifier. The ClareShield modifier offers positive friction characteristics, extended carry distance and a wide pumpability temperature range (-30 F to 80 F).
Loram also has expanded the tank sizes of its modular wayside systems, which now range from 25 gallons/200 pounds to 200 gallons/1,600 pounds (TOR/gauge face).
The larger tank sizes are most popular for Class I mainline applications, reducing the maintenance requirements to refill units while reducing on-track time and creating a safer friction management program, company officials said. The smaller tank sizes are ideal for low traffic areas, such as switching yards and industrial spurs.
L.B. Foster offers a range of solutions designed to optimize wheel/rail interaction in both freight and passenger systems, including high-performance consumables engineered for durability, all-season reliability and specific rail-environment demands. Using the right products on both the gauge face and TOR can ensure asset life extension and deliver significant savings for railroads, company officials said.
For freight rail, combining SYNCURVE gauge face grease with KELTRACK ER Plus TOR friction modifier creates a complete wheel/rail interface solution: SYNCURVE is a synthetic, all-season, high-performance rail curve grease can reduce rail wear at 50% lower application rates than traditional greases, cutting labor and material costs, company officials said.
KELTRACK ER Plus is a water-based TOR friction modifier formulated to eliminate seasonal product changes while delivering superior low-temperature pumpability and stable, reliable performance.
For passenger rail, combining SYNCURVE Transit gauge face grease with KELTRACK Transit EX TOR friction modifier can provide full wheel/rail interface management, delivering noise reduction, wear protection and cost savings for passenger networks, company officials said.
SYNCURVE Transit is an all-season, high-performance gauge face grease with coverage at low application rates and is ultimately biodegradable, while KELTRACK Transit EX is a premium, water-based, all-season TOR friction modifier that offers extended carry-down and year-round performance while targeting key passenger rail challenges such as noise and corrugation mitigation.
Together, the two consumables form the foundation of L.B. Foster’s Total Friction Management program.
Since 2012, Railmark Track Works has offered a line of environmentally friendly switch plate, rail curve and TOR lubricants under the ECORail® brand. The bio-based rail lubricants are designed with a lubricity that reduces friction, which helps minimize heat generation and component wear.
The ECORail product line includes switch-plate lubricants, curve greases and top-of-rail friction modifiers suitable for all wayside lubricators, company officials said. Railmark also offers a full line of friction management services to railroads and transit agencies.
ECORail lubricants are the only rail lubricants currently approved under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Preferable Purchasing program, according to the company. They are also designated as USDA “BioPreferred” products. Manufactured in the United States, the lubricants are derived from renewable, crop-based oils grown by U.S. farmers and formulated with a lithium-based thickener.
The lubricants also offer strong performance characteristics, with base oils two times higher (200) than petroleum-based oils (95), which provides more stable viscosity at different temperatures and a wider range of operations, company officials said.
Due to their polarity, biobased molecules bond and adhere to metal surfaces better than petroleum-based oils, they added. ECORail lubricants also maintain consistent performance across a wide range of operating temperatures.
RBL Inc./Robolube Industries’ products include the new R2K no-contact wayside lubricator, the SWPL automatic switch-plate lubricator and Robolube hi-rail lubricators.
With wayside lubricating as a stationery application, Robolube hi-rail lubricators provide precise gauge face lubricating to assure 100% grease consumption by trains, company officials said.
Invented in 1990, the Robolube Hi Rail lubricator enables railroads to lubricate anywhere on their circuits with hands-on monitoring by the operator. With both left and right application nozzles, the operator can lubricate any curve moving on the track at 20 mph to 25 mph.
Robolube also allows for TOR lubricating. Robolube hi-rail lubricators are fully heated systems with provisions to heat the unit when the vehicle is parked overnight, ensuring optimal grease temperatures for application, company officials said.
The newly redesigned Model 1000 and transfer pump system (hydraulically driven with onboard power take-off) now allows operators to fill wayside lubricators with gauge face grease, plus the option to fill TOR wayside lubricators. The Model 1000 has the capacity to carry over 1,100 pounds of grease, and an option for hi-rail grease.
SKF/Lincoln provides railroads with solutions to reduce rail wear, mitigate noise and lower energy consumption by reducing friction at the wheel/rail interface.
The SKF/Lincoln Wayside railroad lubrication system portfolio includes gauge face (GF), TOR and restraining rail solutions. The systems can be configured with a protective control cabinet and a reservoir capacity of 35, 200 or 800 pounds. The smaller capacities are stainless steel and used primarily for transit applications, while the 800-pound polyethylene unit is used for freight applications.
GF systems are used by both freight and transit railroads to lubricate curves. The GF Applicator dispenses grease precisely and evenly onto the rail GF surface, while pump pressure forces the grease upward through 12 outlets, positioning the grease beads to be picked up by the wheels, company officials said.
Once picked up, the grease is carried into the curves to reduce rail/wheel friction. For transits, a reduction in friction helps mitigate noise; for freight railroads, the goal is to reduce the rate of rail wear in curves.
SKF/Lincoln’s TOR system can be configured with two types of applicator bars to accommodate a range of friction modifiers. The foam-top applicator is for lower viscosity; the five-port steel bar is designed for higher viscosity friction modifiers.
SKF/Lincoln also can customize lubrication systems to fit the needs of specific applications.
Lubricheq® RLI 100-AW is made with high-quality oils, metallic soaps, extreme-pressure additives and oil-soluble surfactants, providing better lubrication and longer periods between applications compared with graphite options, Cadillac Oil officials said. The product bonds itself to steel surfaces to reduce friction and wear between the base of the switch points and the switch-side plates.
Lubricheq RLI 100-AW provides high-performance lubrication, water washout protection and resistance to buildup, company officials said.
Quality-tested to ensure proper viscosity under all temperature conditions, it can be used on all types of railroad switches, as well as other equipment where metal-to-metal friction needs to be reduced.
It also can be dispensed by pouring, brushing or spraying, and it will resist wear and tear under the elements. Key product features include friction reduction to promote smooth switching operations in all weather conditions, low viscosity for easy application and pumping, water wash-off resistance for extended service life, and additive packages for low-wear and high-load carrying, company officials said.
Michael Popke is a Madison, Wisconsin-based freelance writer. Email comments or questions to prograil@tradepress.com.
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