RAIL INDUSTRY CASE STUDY

Bring on Your Persistent Oil Leaks and High Winds

Railroad Senior Utilities Mechanic Discovers a Longer-Lasting Way to Prevent Pollution from Locomotive Oil and Fuel Spills

RAIL INDUSTRY CASE STUDY

Bring on Your Persistent Oil Leaks and High Winds

Railroad Senior Utilities Mechanic Discovers a Longer-Lasting Way to Prevent Pollution from Locomotive Oil and Fuel Spills

  • Industry:

    Rail

  • Customer:
    Senior Utilities Mechanic Dean McLaughlin
  • Challenge:
    Protecting the environment from locomotive oil and fuel leaks, drips and slobbers

BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND

Wind, water, solar, natural gas, and even nuclear sources all play essential roles in delivering the nation’s electricity demands. But in Nebraska, which is among the top 10 states for industrial energy consumption, slightly more than half of the electrical power generated in the state is still produced from coal.

Utilities in Nebraska are tasked not only with meeting the energy needs of their customers but also with doing their part to protect the environment. For maintenance chiefs like Dean McLaughlin, that means taking care of the equipment on-site, including some old V6 diesel locomotives that transport coal to the facility.

They’ve got big motors, and they slobber like pigs – lots more oil than your little Toyota would have.

  • Industry:

    Rail

  • Customer:
    Senior Utilities Mechanic Dean McLaughlin
  • Challenge:
    Protecting the environment from locomotive oil and fuel leaks, drips and slobbers
Leaky oil and fuel quickly contaminate outdated track mat
Leaky oil and fuel quickly contaminate outdated track mat
Inferior track mat degrades in UV light
Inferior track mat degrades in UV light

THE PROBLEM

That leaking oil presents a daily challenge for Dean, especially when the locomotives leak oil onto the railroad tracks and into the ground underneath. To complicate matters even more, the facility is located in Tornado Alley, which experiences more than 20 tornadoes every year with winds up to 165 mph.

Our state has some strict environmental rules. We try to keep ahead of it, and it makes you feel good to know that you’re being a good environmental steward.

Three years ago, he began looking for a solution to capture the oil from the locomotives – no matter the weather. “We tried the stuff from (a leading absorbent manufacturer.) Then, we got wind, and it just riddled it. It would tear loose and shred to pieces. So we never had any luck with it.” The mat also disintegrated in direct sunlight in less than three months. “It wore out like an old pair of pants.”

Leaky oil and fuel quickly contaminate outdated track mat
Leaky oil and fuel quickly contaminate outdated track mat
Inferior track mat degrades in UV light
Inferior track mat degrades in UV light
Durable Husky Track Mat
Durable Spilltration® Track Mat Protects Gauge & Field Sides

OUR SOLUTION

Dean needed a long-lasting solution that prevented the oil from getting onto the tracks and into the ground. It needed to stay in place and be long-lasting because no one wants to spend a lot of time chasing and replacing mats.

Spilltration® Railroad Track Mat solved his ongoing problem. Dean liked how it fit snuggly against the insides of the rails, so he installed 100’ of the mat in November 2017. To keep it in place, he used screws and fender washers on the end, then covered those ends with gravel and placed angled rebar on the outside edges to keep the wind from picking it up.

The mat stayed in place, providing a long-term solution.

Three years ago, we had a tornado about 10 miles south of here that wiped out some of our neighbors. It scattered pieces of our barn for miles. It even unscrewed the radiator cap from the tractor. But that track mat stayed down. It was here the next day when I got here.

Durable Husky Track Mat
Durable Husky Track Mat Protects Gauge & Field Sides

How Does Spilltration® Railroad Track Mat Stand Up to the Competitors?

Dean also appreciates how the Spilltration® Railroad Track Mat helps the facility protect the environment. “It pulls the oil in and holds it really well. It’s easy to clean up. It stays in one piece and doesn’t leak oil at all. When the Spilltration® Railroad Track Mat finally gets saturated, it still holds the oil when I roll it up for disposal. The previous mat would be broken down into little pieces and drip oil when you gathered up the pieces.”

Spilltration® Railroad Track Mat also came in handy when a diesel fuel delivery man accidentally dumped some fuel inside their containment area. “Last winter, we had a spill in a containment area around the filling station. You can’t release water from the containment area if there’s a sheen. We used a piece of the track mat and it sucked all of that diesel out. It pulled enough out that I was safe to release the water from that sump.”

Solving an ongoing problem with a highly effective, low- maintenance solution is right up Dean’s alley.

  • Railroad Track Mat disintegrates in the sun

    Track mat from a leading manufacturer (foreground) disintegrated after 4 months of Nebraska sun & wind. Spilltration® Track Mat (background) remains intact.

  • Husky Track Mat after 4 months in the sun

    Closeup of section of Spilltration® Track Mat 4 months after installation, still perfectly intact. Note rival black track mat on both ends of the Spilltration® Track Mat.

  • rival mat is completely disintegrated after 4 months

    The rival mat is completely disintegrated after 4 months.

  • Spilltration Track Mat is still working after  2 years

    Spilltration® Track Mat is still working after more than 2 years.

  • polymer backing prevents oil from hitting the ground

    Spilltration® field-side track and gauge-side mats are still catching oil after 2 years. The polymer backing prevents oil from hitting the ground.

  • 2-year old Spilltration Husky Track Mat

    2-year old Spilltration® Track Mat is nearing saturation with oil.

  • polymer backing prevents the oil from breaking through

    When oil leaks “pool up,” it’s time to replace this section of Spilltration® Track Mat with a clean piece.  Remember, the durable polymer backing prevents the oil from breaking through and polluting the ground.

Track mat disintegrated after 4 months

Track mat from a leading manufacturer (foreground) disintegrated after 4 months of Nebraska sun & wind. Spilltration Husky track mat (background) remains intact.

Spilltration Husky Track Mat 4 months

Closeup of section of Spilltration Husky Track Mat 4 months after installation, still perfectly intact. Note rival black track mat on both ends of the Husky Track Mat.

rival mat disintegrates after 4 months
The rival mat is completely disintegrated after 4 months.
Husky Track Mat is still working after2 years
Spilltration Husky Track Mat is still working after more than 2 years.
polymer backing prevents oil from hitting the ground
Husky field-side track and gauge-side mats are still catching oil after 2 years. The polymer backing prevents oil from hitting the ground.
2-year old Spilltration Husky Track Mat is nearing saturation with oil.
polymer backing prevents the oil from breaking through and polluting the ground
When oil leaks “pool up,” it’s time to replace this section of Husky Track Mat with a clean piece. Remember, the durable polymer backing prevents the oil from breaking through and polluting the ground.

Spilltration® is the best track mat. Bar none. I’m tickled with it. When you look at this mat compared to others in the market, there is no comparison. It is absorbent. It’s durable. It’s second to none. It is the best there is. Fabulous stuff.

SPILLTRATION® TRACK MAT BENEFITS


Eco-friendly track mat

Eco-friendly

Made from 100% post-consumer recycled fibers

track mat stays put

Stays Put

Stays in place during extreme weather and tornados

durable track mat

Durable

Stands up to weather year after year

uv-resistant track mat

UV-Resistant

Doesn’t degrade in the sunlight

track mat is effective for capturing oil

Effective

Captures fuel and oil while allowing clean water to filter through

husky track mat is guaranteed for 2 years

Guaranteed

Guaranteed for 24 months (or until saturated)

Eco-friendly track mat

Eco-friendly

Made from 100% post-consumer recycled fibers

track mat stays put

Stays Put

Stays in place during extreme weather and tornados

durable track mat

Durable

Stands up to weather year after year

uv-resistant track mat

UV-Resistant

Doesn’t degrade in the sunlight

track mat is effective for capturing oil

Effective

Captures fuel and oil while allowing clean water to filter through

husky track mat is guaranteed for 2 years

Guaranteed

Guaranteed for 24 months (or until saturated)

Interested in learning how Spilltration® Railroad Track Mat
can save you time and money?

Interested in learning how Spilltration® Railroad Track Mat
can save you time and money?

Contact us below or call our Customer Success Team at 814-822-2004.

husky track mat

HalenHardy® © 2022, All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Terms of Use