The same spots, inspection after inspection

Anyone who maintains track can name a few spots that never stay fixed. Nobody has the full list. Each inspection gets read on its own, and the same spot comes back under a milepost a few feet off. Then next year's maintenance program is due.

One case on our Try page: a subdivision's defect export. Yesper grouped the defects by track and milepost and listed the locations where they recur. They hold 42.5% of all defects on just 1,262 feet of track. Many sit by a grade crossing, a bridge or a culvert.

Each location goes into next year's program as its own item. Whether to repair again or go after the cause is decided before the crews go out. Same for the jobs beside it on the Try page: on-track safety planning from a defect, a work plan for a culvert.

Try it yourself →