ALBANY – The latest round of state-ordered railroad track inspections includes two legs through the Hudson Valley. The inspections have been prompted by accidents and derailments that have occurred in past months.
Track inspections were conducted on the CSX mainline track from Milton to Tappan. Department of Transportation track inspectors examined some 51 miles of track and eight switches along the line. They found one critical defect – having a less than allowable guard rail check gauge – which required a temporary speed reduction.
They also found five non-critical defects, including loose switch rod bolds, guard rail bolt and switch transition deice bolts; fouled ballast; and a missing adjustable rail brace as a switch.
The CSX mainline track from Kingston to Ravena was also inspected. The Federal Railroad Administration track inspectors examined some 30 miles of track and two switches as well as one mile of track at the Kingston railroad yard. They found eight non-critical defects, including loose switch rod bolts, switch rods, and guard rail bolts; missing cotter pins; fouled ballast; and switch position indicators that were not clearly visible.
