By Walter Weart

One of the most significant track structure improvements of the past 50-plus years is continuous-welded rail (CWR), which has helped railroads eliminate countless joints along their lines. Fewer joints means stronger rail, a smoother ride and less track maintenance.

At 2008's end, railroads managed 107,337 track miles of CWR, according to the Association of American Railroads. However, transporting CWR to a job site and handling the quarter-mile-long rail — which can weigh 37 tons or more — presents various challenges. For example, CWR can buckle if loaded improperly on conventional rail equipment and workers face an injury risk when unloading the long "ribbon" rail off a train.

To handle CWR safely and efficiently, railroads continue to turn to suppliers and service providers to develop equipment that improves the distribution and loading/unloading processes.

Progress Rail Services has offered CWR trains to railroads since 1997, when the company acquired Chemetron Railway Products Inc. The trains support the company's primary business of distributing welded rail strings, says Patrick Jansen, Progress Rail Services' vice president of sales.

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