Cranemasters Aquires Track Inspection Technology
- Winter 2024
- Mark Coressel
Cranemasters is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Hi-Rail TLV (Track Loading Vehicle), now part of its lineup of innovative equipment purpose-built to help keep your tracks operating at their best.
The TLV has been inspecting railroad tracks for over twenty years. You may know it as the ‘Puckett Truck.’ Its custom programming can monitor cross-level, static, and loaded gauges in real time as it travels your track.
The Cranemasters Hi-Rail TLV allows real-time track geometry inspections without extensive manpower or equipment shutdowns. Its hydraulically loaded axle simulates actual train loads without distorting the track gauge, while its algorithms efficiently identify track defects, reducing human error and speeding up the inspection process.
The TLV measures static gauge and loaded gauge in one pass and can adjust testing parameters for loaded gauge tolerance as needed.
What sets our TLV apart from other testing vehicles and equipment is that it marks gauge defects with paint for verification and repair, provides GPS coordinates of discovered defects, and prints readouts of your track—all in real time.
The optimal operating speed of the Cranemasters TLV for jointed track is typically 7-10 mph while inspecting for static/loaded gauge and cross elevation.
The Cranemasters TLV is ideal for Yard Tracks, Industrial Tracks, Short Lines, and Class 1 Railroads.
Key Benefits:
Eliminates human error from inspections, cuts inspection time, and improves the quality of track reports
- Avoid risks of cargo delay or loss
- Real-time read-outs of your tracks
- Immediate return on investment (ROI)
Predictive maintenance capabilities mitigate downtime, demurrage, and the risk of preventable incidents reducing costs and giving you a better return on your cost of ownership. With Cranemasters TLV, you can conduct safety inspections more frequently, detect more flaws more reliably, and respond more quickly.
As with all of Cranemasters’ services, the TLV can be deployed the next day for critical situations or scheduled at your convenience for routine needs.
Contact us at 1-800-624-0543 to review your track inspection plans with one of our FRA 49 CFR Part 213-qualified experts, who can help you determine if the Cranemasters TLV or one of our other rail inspection and maintenance services makes sense for you.
