FRA F 6180.136 Track Inspector Background Survey

OMB No. xxxx-xxxx
ID Number: xxxxxxx
Track Inspector Survey
Please return this survey by February 1, 2010 in the enclosed envelope.
If you have questions, please contact:
Amanda DiFiore
781.684.3978
[email protected]
Judy Gertler
781.684.4270
[email protected]

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is conducting a study of track inspection time. The purpose of
the study is to develop an understanding of the current industry practices as required by the Rail Safety
Improvement Act of 2008. The study results will inform possible future FRA policy and regulatory actions,
and, in general, will contribute to overall railroad operational safety.
The data collected from this study will be used primarily for statistical purposes, and is authorized by law
(49 U.S.C. 20901). Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. Your personal information will
be kept private to the extent permitted by law, and will not be disclosed to anyone other than employees
and contractors who work on this study.
Public reporting burden for this information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response,
including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the
data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Please note that an agency
may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless
it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this information collection is OMB
No. 2130-XXXX and the expiration date is YYYY.

Instructions
Fill in the bubbles to indicate your answer.
Use black or blue ballpoint pen or a Number 2 pencil.
Please fill in marks like this:
Not like this:
Form FRA F6180.136 (07/09)

Your Job
How long have you worked as a track inspector?

years

How long have you worked on your assigned territory?

years

How were you initially trained to perform track inspections? (mark all that apply)
company training program
on-the-job training
other

N
ev
er
Ev
er
y
Ev oth
er
er
ye
y
M yea ar
or
r
e
f re
qu
en
tly

What types of subsequent training have you had for your current position? Indicate how often
you have had the training.

on-the-job training
FRA track standards training
FRA safety standards training (e.g., roadway worker
protection)
other track inspection related training (please specify
below)
Specify other track inspection related training if applicable

Do you have job briefings?

Yes

No (Skip to Your Work Day)

If you have job briefings, please answer the following:
How are your job briefings conducted?
in-person

on the phone

How often do you have job briefings?
daily
other (Please specify):

more than once a day

Which of the following are included in your job briefings?
slow orders on territory
recent derailments
results of special inspections
spot maintenance
specialized equipment movement
(e.g., rail flaw detection car)
other (Please specify):

recent accidents
results of track geometry
inspections
rough ride reports
mechanized maintenance

1

Your Work Day
hours

Scheduled length of your work day:

In the past month, how many days have you worked longer than the scheduled length of your
workday?
none

1-5

6 - 10

11 - 15

>15

In the past month, how many times did you work on a rest day?
none

1

2

3

4

5

>5

On a typical day in the past month, how much time did you spend doing each of the following:

0

>1
2

5
512

-1
0

>1
0

8

-9
0

>9
0

7

-7
5

>7
5

-6
0

>6
0

-4
5

>4
5

-3
0

>3
0

>1
5

01

5

0

Time (minutes)

Travel (from reporting point to start of
inspection)
Non-inspection duties
Job briefings
Waiting for track time
Reporting inspection results
Lunch and breaks

10

9

6

5

4

3

2

1

Time (hours)

Inspection
Repair
On a typical day, how many miles of track do you inspect?

miles

(If you inspect 10 miles of double track, write 20; if 10 miles of triple track, write 30, etc.)
Which conditions cause you to adjust the speed of your inspection?
time pressure to complete work
weather
interlocks
other (Please specify):

inadequate track time
highway crossings
dispatcher decisions

2

Your Territory
Number of Track Miles - Mainline
Number of Track Miles - Siding
Number of Sites - Industry Track
Number of Sites - Yard Track
Class of main track (check all that apply):
Exempt
1
2
3

4
5
6 and above

Territory characteristics (check all that apply):
single track
double track
more than double track
CWR
other (Please specify):

desert terrain
mountainous terrain
concrete ties
urban area

tunnels
bridges
highway crossings

My territory consists of:
Not
Mostly Some much

Maximum curvature

Curved Track

O

Using the following scale, rate how often you use the
following methods to inspect your territory:

nl
y

Inspection Procedure

by high-rail
on foot
inspect by other method (please specify below)
Specify other inspection method if used:

3

m
e
U
se tho
d
m
os I u
U
t o se
se
so f th
e
m
R
tim
e
ar
o
el
e
ft
y
us he
N
tim
ev
e
er
e
us
e

n/a

Tangent Track

If by hi-rail, at what speed do you inspect:
Track Characteristic

Speed (mph)

straight CWR
straight jointed track
control points
curves
I conduct inspections (check one)
alone
mostly alone

with another inspector
mostly with another inspector

In the past year, how frequently did your roadmaster/track supervisor go
over your territory with you?
monthly

quarterly

less frequently

What prompts you to conduct a special inspection?
weather/climate
report of dragging equipment
signal malfunction
report from automated inspection
other (Please specify):

short-term change in traffic pattern
train going into emergency
derailment
locomotive engineers' feedback

How many times in the last month did you conduct a special inspection?
never

1-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

In the past month, how many hours did you spend on special inspections?
Which of the following do you have with you when inspecting?
calipers
clip inserter/remover
elastic clips
tape measure
stringline
spikes
set of joint bars
other (Please specify):

PTLF
gage bar
bolts
spike maul
level board
rail thermometer

I do not have the following with me when inspecting, but would find it useful:

4

>20

hours

Vi
su
al
-O
Vi
su
n
F
al
- H oot
R
es
i
ul -rai
l
ts
N
ot from
re
ad au
N
to
ily
ot
m
at
ap de
ed
te
pl
ct
ic
in
a
ab
sp
le ble
ec
in
tio
m
n
y
te
rri
to
ry

How do you commonly detect each
condition? (Fill in all that apply.)

Track Condition
Geometry
Gage dimension less than/greater than
allowable
Alinement deviation exceeds allowable
Maximum crosslevel exceeds allowable
Runoff at end of raise exceeds allowable
Deviation from uniform profile on either rail
exceeds allowable
Difference in crosslevel (warp) exceeds
allowable
Reverse elevation on curve exceeds
allowable
Ballast
Insufficient ballast
Fouled ballast
Ties
Ineffective/defective ties
Rail seat abrasion
Track constructed without crossties does not
effectively support track structure
Rail/joints
Broken rail
Worn rail
Rail-end mismatch
Cracked or broken joint bar
Insuffient number of joint bolts
Loose/worn joint bolts
Torch-cut or burned-bolt hole in rail

5

Vi
su
al
-O
Vi
su
n
F
al
- H oot
R
es
i
ul -rai
l
ts
N
ot from
re
ad au
N
to
ily
ot
m
at
ap de
ed
te
pl
ct
ic
in
a
ab
sp
le ble
ec
in
tio
m
n
y
te
rri
to
ry

How do you commonly detect each
condition? (Fill in all that apply.)

Track Condition
Switches
Stock rail/switch point not seated or
functioning as intended
Loose, worn, or missing switch components
Fasteners/anchors
Insufficient/ineffective fasteners
Insufficient anchors to restrain rail movement
at turnouts or CWR
Frogs
Insufficient flangeway depth/width
Worn or defective frog/frog components
Miscellaneous
Heat kinks
Right-of-way obstructions
Object between base of rail and the bearing
surface of the tie plate causing concentrated
load
Insufficient/defective tie plates
Missing or damaged signage
Track washouts
Poor drainage/pumping ties
Excessive vegetation
Defective derail condition(s)

6

es
is
si
n
M gF
is
as
si
ng ten
Br
Bo ers
ok
en lts
J
G
au oin
tB
ge
Sp Ad ars
ju
ot
Su stm
en
rfa
t
ci
ng

Pl
at

M

Ti
e

Which of the following repairs do you make while
inspecting?
alone?

tly
So
m
et
im
N
es
ev
er

os

Al
w

How do you report the results of your inspection?

M

ay
s

w/another inspector?

paper reporting
electronic reporting
What type of reporting do you prefer?

paper

electronic

What other types of inspections are done on your territory?
track geometry measurements
vehicle track interaction

Rate the usefulness of the following technologies:

D
on
't
kn
N
o t ow
us
So efu
la
m
ew t a
ll
h
U
se at
us
fu
l
ef
Ve
ul
ry
U
Es sef
ul
se
nt
ia
l

ultrasonic rail flaw detection
gage restraint measurements
none
other (Please specify):

ultrasonic rail flaw detection
track geometry measurements
gage restraint measurements
vehicle track interaction
Please comment on any other aspect of the inspection process that you would like the FRA to
consider in preparing its Report to Congress.

7