HAVRE, Mont. — BNSF Railway may expand a groundbreaking pilot program that uses drones to conduct track inspections along remote sections of its main line.
Since 2015, the railroad has been using drones to take detailed photos of the tracks along three different subdivisions that can later be analyzed by computers to find defects, such as broken rails or ballast fouling. Todd Graetz, director of BNSF’s drone program, tells Trains that the railroad will decide early in 2019 whether the program will be expanded, which he said is likely.
“We have paved a path forward not just for other railroads but for utility companies or anyone who needs to inspect large amounts of critical infrastructure,” he says.
While a number of railroads have been using drones to inspect bridges and other pieces of infrastructure, no one has embraced the technology like BNSF. In 2015, BNSF teamed up with the Federal Aviation Administration to begin researching advanced industrial applications for drones through the agency’s Pathfinder Program. As part of the research, BNSF got special approval to test drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, beyond visual line-of-sight, meaning an operator did not have to keep a constant eye on the vehicle. This has enabled the railroad to fly drones over remote pieces of railroad with pilots that are hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles away.
BNSF has been testing drone technology on three different subdivisions: The Milk River Subdivision in Montana and the Gallup and Clovis subdivisions in Arizona and New Mexico. A few times a week, employees in Havre will roll the drone out of a shelter and prepare it for flight. Graetz says the drones BNSF has been using for the long-range inspections weigh in at approximately 120 pounds are 15 feet wide. The drones then take off vertically before heading out along the line. The drone flies at about 380 feet in the air, day or night. The drones are operated by professional pilots who are either based in Havre or Fort Worth.
The drones take two photos a second as it flies above the rail looking for defects. After a 6 to 8-hour flight, the vehicle returns to its homebase and the images are reviewed by a computer program looking for various defects that are then outlined in a report given to track inspectors. Graetz says the railroad has amassed a huge amount of visual data that can show changes to the tracks overtime. The images are also connected to GPS points so that the viewer always knows exactly where it was taken.
“If we can prove this concept on these three subdivisions we will expand the program,” he says. “Right now, we’re evaluating everything to see if that makes sense.”
BNSF officials say the drones will not be used to replace human track inspectors but instead be yet another tool for track inspection. However, Graetz envisions a future where track inspectors can rely on data from the drones and not have to be in harm’s way conducting inspections at night or during inclement weather. He says, so far, the drones have been able to withstand bitter cold Montana winters.
Ross Lane, spokesperson for BNSF, says the drones could help the company achieve its ultimate safety goals.
“Our vision is to operate without injury and this suite of technology, from things like drones to geometry cars, can help us get there,” he says.
Drones have become a popular tool for railroads in recent years. BNSF has at least 60 employees trained to fly tradition line-of-sight crafts and Union Pacific has more than 80. Besides inspecting bridges, drones have been used to inspect washouts following heavy rains. In 2016, UP was able to use a drone to bring live images of flooding in northern Iowa back to headquarters in Omaha.
“When managers in the field and at headquarters can see the exact same picture, in real time, resource allocation is much more accurate,” said Bob Meder, Union Pacific’s senior manager of unmanned aerial systems.
Earlier this year, UP briefly used drones at 14 different rail yards to monitor employees and ensure they were not violating work rules, such as getting on and off moving equipment. The surveillance drones were later grounded after the practice was criticized by union officials.
“We believe such surveillance actually will reduce safety because the drones will distract crews from maintaining strict vigilance on their work tasks,” Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen National President Dennis R. Pierce told Trains earlier this year.
The Big Brother nightmare is alive and well and it’s going to get worse. Despite the fact my children are grown and in their 40s I feel sorry for them already. I’m thankful in many ways that we have no grandchildren which will grow up in a future without any freedom to enjoy as we know it today. It’s on the way Ripley, regardless if you believe it or not!
What scares me now are the ever increasing number of these dangerous flying toy machines that can be found in the hands of morons. Already there have been reports where “railfans” have used them near railroads to follow moving freight trains. Don’t be surprised when a crew member pulls out a AK47 from his grip and blows the drone to kingdom come!
Why not just have a downward facing camera on each train ?
Having just retired from the UK’s Network Rail where I operated the track geometry recording equipment on our track inspection trains, I’d be very interested to learn what inspection systems the various rail companies in the USA use.
This is a common sense application that can save injury, lives, and protect property. I would hope drone inspections would continue to increase.
Years ago from a satellite .They could read your newspaper on a cloudy day if you were on a park bench
How are drones monitoring tracks and ballast in tunnels and overpasses?
If the BLE&T is “concerned” about drones, then the satellites in space that are operated by the government (ours as well as others) should just plain frighten them to death. Some of those can count the hairs on a mosquito’s butt even from way up there. All they need to spy on you is a reason, and sometimes not even that. I have seen thru the lenses of gov’t cameras here in Spokane that can read license plate numbers from miles away. If the gov’t can do that here on earth, then you know they can do it with satellites.