CXT® Concrete Ties

CXT® Technology

Today’s standard for construction of new or replacement railroad track is the concrete tie. The finest prestressed concrete ties are manufactured by CXT Inc. CXT Concrete Ties have many advantages over wood or steel ties and are the preferred choice of railroads and railroad contractors. Our ties provide superior load capacity and stability. The concrete ties are spaced up to 30 inches apart offering reduced material, installation and maintenance costs resulting from an average of 500 fewer ties per mile of track. 

CXT Concrete Ties are manufactured with the fastening system integrated into the concrete creating a preset gauge that prevents time consuming measurements and adjustments during installation. A track using CXT Concrete Ties has greater vertical and lateral stiffness. In concert with the consistent, non-shifting gauge, this drastically reduces maintenance for loose rails and fasteners and track related derailments are virtually eliminated.

Unlike wood and steel, concrete ties do not deteriorate or corrode from exposure to weather. Since they are not coated with creosote like wood ties or have sharp edges like steel ties, they are safer for your employees and the environment. They are also noncombustible and lessen the chance of track fire.

CXT Inc. is the only North American concrete tie producer that is both PCI and ISO 9001:2015 certified.
 

CXT Transit / Commuter Profiles

100-06  - PDF
100S-09 - PDF
100S-20 - PDF
129S-22 - PDF
429-20 - PDF
419-22 - PDF

CXT Mainline Products

Mainline (Low Density)(Profiles):

100-06 - PDF
100S-09 - PDF
429-20 - PDF
419-22 - PDF
200S-13 - PDF
200S-50 - PDF
CT6S-66 - PDF
200S-67 - PDF

Mainline (Heavy Haul)(Profiles):

200S-13 - PDF
200S-50 - PDF
CT6S-66 - PDF
200S-67 - PDF

Industrial / Port Profiles

100-06 - PDF
100S-09 - PDF
100S-20 - PDF
129S-22 - PDF
429-20 - PDF
419-22 - PDF
200S-13 - PDF
CT6S-66 - PDF
200S-67 - PDF
399-21 - PDF

CXT Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tracker

L.B. Foster is casting an integrated circuit chip into a specialized CXT Concrete Tie to provide Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) of their product for remote monitoring applications. All associated component attributes are easily retrievable in real time, enabling more efficient supply chain and product life cycle management. This remote system tracks a tie’s location from manufacturing through customer inventory to track installation.

A remote search by product type, serial number or specification will return a geographic location of each tie with GPS coordinates. The search can determine tie type, reinforcement characteristics, customer and internal specifications, fastening components, material composition and part drawings.

The CXT RFID Tracker is a passive transponder and chip cast into the top surface of the concrete tie under approximately one-eighth inch of grout cover. The chip is embedded in a polymer laminate that is waterproof, shock and impact resistant, and UV protected. It has memory retention of 50 years and features an optical barcode and human-readable backup. The RFID Tracker has an operating temperature range of -50 C to +85 C.

Each time the RFID tie is scanned, information such as, date, time, user ID, and GPS coordinates are uploaded to a database via a wireless network or Wi-Fi internet connection and associated to the tie’s unique serial number. Online map indicators present GPS coordinates of a product search query and provide detailed product information for the user.

Data capture in the plant is via mobile handheld devices, such as Apple iPads. Personnel can easily retrieve relevant drawings and specification documentation from the engineering database. In track, automated RFID readers are attached to rail mounted equipment. CXT’s RFID Tracker will increase the railroads’ productivity by improving communication between all the players in the product life cycle.

Product Benefits

• Accessible product data

• Efficient inventory control

• Improved maintenance

• Optimal life cycle management

• Online map location

CXT® Concrete Ties Add Sustainability and Lessen Cost for Industrial and Port Projects

For more than two decades L.B. Foster has worked closely with owners and engineering firms to standardize CXT Concrete Tie design that is environmentally-sound, economically-effective and provides proven life cycle cost benefits.

Our CXT industrial ties offer solutions that save time and money while providing a better track structure compared to that of wood or steel ties. CXT Concrete Ties also have the flexibility to be customized to meet our customers specific requirements.

CXT Concrete Ties can provide an estimated cost savings of 10% to 15% when compared to timber ties using conventional track construction methods. When mechanized track laying systems are used, the CXT expense can be as much a 20% to 30% lower than wood ties. Life cycle maintenance expenses for concrete ties are also lower than wood tires.

Our concrete ties are more environmentally-friendly than wood ties. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacture and life cycle of concrete ties appear to be less than those produced by timber ties. CXT Concrete Ties also require no toxic preservatives and avoid the disposal issue associated with treated timber ties removed from service.

CXT fully pre-stressed concrete ties have a minimum length of 8’3’’, weigh 600 pounds or less and can be spaced up to 28” centers provided there is a minimum ballast section of 8” below the tie. CXT Concrete Ties have been used on major West Coast and Columbia River port projects, food processing plants, oil refineries, cement plants, landfills, wood processing plants, intermodal facilities, coal fire generation plants, ethanol plants, and coal and ore mines.

Installation

Once the roadbed is ready, the concrete ties are set into place. There are several methods for setting and spacing the ties. Most contractors will use either the CXT hydraulic clamp or a spreader bar with chains. When using the hydraulic clamp, ties are unloaded, positioned and spaced six at a time by a single operator. Up to 1200 ties can be placed per day using the hydraulic clamp.

Minor adjustments in position and spacing are accomplished by a single person with an aligning bar. Using a spreader bar, they can quickly position and attach up to eight ties. After the ties are positioned, a rubber pad is placed on the tie where the rail will sit. This pad absorbs impact and provides an electrical insulation between the rail and the concrete.

Next, the rail is set on the ties. Installing the rails is simplified when using CXT Concrete Ties because the gauge is pre-set. The rail is placed on the pad in between the two pieces of the shoulder and there is no need to measure the gauge. If using jointed rails, the joint bars are then staggered and attached. If continuous welded rail is installed, the rail should be de-stressed as soon as possible.

With the rails in position, the insulators and spring clips are installed. There are specialized hand and mechanized tools available for installing the clips and insulator, but an aligning bar and sledge hammer can also make quick work of the task.

The next step is to flood the track with ballast as you would for wood ties while taking care to ensure that the ties are not center bound. This can occur if you are using a ballast car or driving loaders over the skeleton track. Tamp each layer of ballast to the owner’s specifications with either a tamping machine or an approved manual method. Finally, the ballast should be dressed to conform with project drawings or the owner’s recommendations.

When finished, you will have created the finest track possible. A track that is not only cost effective, simple and safe for you to install, but is also highly prized by the railroad because of its superior quality. A track that not only requires less maintenance but provides a ride so smooth it actually reduces fuel consumption.