L.B. Foster provides track and rail maintenance, friction management and lubricants, and failure detection systems for clients in the rail industry. It manufactures and distributes a wide range of products and services for global freight and transit rail systems. Manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with sales offices throughout the world.
Rails, accessories and track management
L.B. Foster is a leading, one-source supplier and manufacturer of quality railroad products for the mainline, transit, mining, port and industrial markets worldwide. We also provide professional project management services.
We supply both new and used rails, along with other track maintenance parts and accessories. L.B. Foster is the market leader in the distribution of new rail throughout North America. We offer a wide variety of rail weights and sections. We also provide continuous welded rail (CWR) delivered to the jobsite on our own trains, as well as CWR train unloading services.
The company’s Allegheny Rail Products brand provides state-of-the-art insulated rail joints and associated products for international railway applications including poly-encapsulated insulated Toughcoat joints and Endura-Joint, a new ultra-long-life aramid insulated joint, all manufactured in our plants in Pueblo, Colarado and Niles, Ohio. We also offer Toughcoat kits and bonded insulated joint kits that are designed to be installed in the field.
Our Coronet insulated joints and other track components are produced in Sheffield, UK.
Transit Products supplies heavy, commuter and light rail systems with direct fixation fasteners, contact rail, and related products. Transit Products also provides a wide range of accessories, including concrete inserts, end approaches, ballast mats and coverboards. Engineering and testing services can also be sourced. The testing facilities at our Transit Products lab in Suwanee, Georgia, are state-of-the-art and designed specifically for the transit and railroad industries.
Track components offerings include rail anchors, track spikes, retractable rail anchors and other threaded track fasteners.
Concrete sleeper ties
The company’s CXT concrete ties are produced in two of the most advanced concrete tie manufacturing facilities in North America strategically located in Spokane, Washington and Tucson, Arizona. Our product line includes concrete tie solutions for transit, commuter, mainline, heavy haul, industrial and port applications, in addition to restraining and crossing rail specialty ties with a variety of fully and semi-captive fastening systems.
Failure mode detection systems
The company’s Salient Systems are an innovation in real-time failure mode detection for the rail industry. IntelliTrack is a suite of products that are value-adding solutions, which bring cutting-edge technologies and the power of information to the rail industry. IntelliTrack solutions provide advanced track and equipment reliability, performance and safety.
Salient Systems has developed its next-generation of rail stress management system, the RailStress Monitor (RSM). This is a breakthrough technology that serves as a comprehensive track safety and maintenance tool, as well as a real-time monitoring system.
The Wheel Impact Load Detector (WILD) is a strategic device for the protection of rail infrastructure. High impacting wheels can dissipate on the order of 25 horsepower each, degrading track, ballast and bridge structures, while reducing bearing and other vehicle component lives. Over time, the repetitive load cycle of these wheels causes rail fractures.
Rail lubrication and friction technologies
Rail lubrication and friction management provides railroads and transits with enhanced wheel and rail life, increased fuel economy, reduced lateral forces, noise abatement, reduced derailment potential and minimised ground-borne vibration. We offer a wide range of proprietary solutions specifically suited to our customer needs to control friction between wheel and rail. These products are manufactured in Burnaby BC, Niles OH, Montreal Quebec and Sheffield UK.
Rail friction modification systems
This advanced state-of-the-art system offers advanced application precision of friction modifiers to the top of rail, or lubricants to the gauge face. Our patented design features include easy-to-operate solid state digital controls, non-contact ‘smart’ magnetic wheel detectors and a reliable gear type single or dual pump. All our systems can be equipped with remote performance monitoring (RPM) for uninterrupted status reporting.
Lubricants for rail transit and freight
Keltrack is a water-based suspension of active friction modifier materials that controls friction on the top of the rail. Its intermediate coefficient of friction allows the material to be used without impacting braking or traction. It is optimised for maximum retention. Equally effective in reducing lateral forces in curves, Keltrack is the perfect solution for both rail transit and freight applications as a site-specific solution method.
Wheel-mounted friction control
The Kelsan LCF and Kelsan HPF solid sticks are applied directly to the wheel treads and flanges of the rail vehicle. The material transfers creating a micron-thick film layer between the wheel and the rail, which provides superior friction control between these two surfaces. The on-board sticks are applied using a spring loaded bracket and applicator assembly specifically designed and built for each customer.
Car-based friction control
The AutoPilot car-based friction control system is installed on-board a freight car or locomotive. This intelligent GPS controlled system determines the appropriate Keltrack application rate based upon pre-programmed parameters and is designed to spray Keltrack on top of the rail, spreading the benefits throughout your entire rail system.
Rail friction management and consulting services
Our Total Friction Management (TFM) programme can provide the personnel and equipment for friction management and lubrication consulting, assessment, implementation, management; high-speed rail tribometer services; on-board lubrication system installation and maintenance; wayside site selection, installation and maintenance; bulk wayside refilling; parts stocking and rebuilding, as well as training.
