Loram Virtual Rail

Decide with Models, Data, and Subject Matter Expertise

Loram Virtual Rail suite of digital products leverage ‘what if’ life extension and economic models, track and traffic data, and Loram’s years of subject matter expertise from maintaining track.

Track life extension is calculated using the science of how the track deteriorates under different conditions, which enables the railroad to compare scenarios to choose their ideal maintenance task:

• Where are my critical problem rail segments with higher wear, metal removal, and defects and what are the most cost-effective methods to prevent their problems-grinding, friction management, rail material, ballast remediation, etc.
• Where are my ties in the most need of replacing due to condition and safety, and how do I replace these ties in the faster and most cost-effective way?
• Where are problem areas where my ballast is not draining and supporting the track, and what are the most cost-effective ways to extend ballast life at the lowest cost.

Show Me the Money

Financial savings are calculated using economic models built directly with your railroad to help visualize and evaluate the opportunity cost of one scenario versus another to a non-technical audience.

The economic tools are also free to use by any railroad to help better understand their total rail maintenance spending and the root cause of failure modes driving these costs.

Use Digital Twins for Captial Planning, Accounting, and Enterprise Asset Management

Loram Virtual Rail decisions can help reduce the budget requirements of your capital planning, state of good repair, and enterprise asset management tools by keeping more track in use longer and providing the data into your depreciation software to translate the rail life extension in operating ratio savings.

How to Get Started

To get started, find a problem area of your track with your linear analytics data or talk to your team in the field, input the snapshot of that location into Digital Twin, and start exploring the best way to solve the problem. The software has helped Class 1 freight railroads and transit agencies to manage their track, and we want to help you.

The software allows users to compare the impact of the following input on rail life:

• Grinding Strategy – grinding target profile, grinding frequency, grinding depth of cut
• Rail Material – rail material hardness modulus of elasticity
• Rail Standards – vertical wear limit, horizontal wear limit, combined wear limit
• Track Geometry – curvature, gauge, and super-elevation design
• Traffic – MGT, speed, traffic direction, and traffic type (i.e. hopper, flat, tanker, rolling stock etc.)
• Rail Profile – rail profile and rail cant
• Wheel Population – wheel profile shapes
• Track Geometry – gauge, horizontal alignment, and vertical alignment, and vertical alignment irregularities
• Friction Management – gauge face friction coefficient, top of rail friction coefficient
• Guard Rail – rail profile and guard rail spacing

LoramVR simulates the behavior of a hypothetical or actual rail segments:

• Vehicle-Track Dynamics
• Wheel-Rail Interaction
• Natural Wear (due to metal removal from wheel-rail contact)
• Artificial Wear (due to metal removal from grinding)
• Rolling Contact Fatigue Initiation Risk
• Rolling Contact Fatigue Crack Growth