Norfolk Southern Turnout Replacements

Norfolk Southern needed to replace a ladder of twelve turnouts at their terminal in Decatur, Illinois. This fairly typical bit of track maintenance was complicated by the fact that Norfolk Southern needed to minimize the amount of time that the tracks in question would be out of service. They scheduled crews to work around the clock to get all twelve turnouts replaced within a 36-hour window, but they needed to ensure that the subgrade provided consistent stability to the subballast so that any unexpected soft soils wouldn’t create construction delays.

Tensar engineers provided Norfolk Southern with a railbed stabilizing design using Tensar FG60 Filtergrid underneath 9” of subballast and 9” of ballast. FG60 combines the performance of Tensar’s TX160 Geogrid with the filtration benefits of a non-woven geotextile fabric to ensure long-lasting mechanical stabilization of aggregate in situations where drainage issues or a high water table are expected. Providing both benefits in the same roll of product reduces installation time and provided Norfolk Southern the stable foundation their tracks need while keeping them within their 36-hour construction schedule.