Page 22 - November 2020 Track N Times

FRICTION MANAGEMENT

Is there anything else you'd like to add, like where you see the market going with new products on the
horizon, et cetera?

We're always developing more reliable products. Probably the real
growing area right now on the equipment side is remote monitoring of
the equipment. Ten years ago, the only way to really know if a lubricator
was working was to literally go out and physically inspect it on track.
Now we have systems that remotely monitor the equipment, and some-
one could literally sit at their computer and look and see what lubrica-
tors are working, which ones aren't. And it goes so far as to actually
monitor individual function, like we can tell whether a lubricator is out
of product; we have level sensors in the tanks that will tell them this
tank is almost empty and you better get it filled!
We have sensors that monitor the system voltage. Most of these waysides are solar-powered. So, if we have one with
a damaged solar panel or the sunlight's not adequate to keep the system charged, it will tell the person responsible. In
the winter, snow accumulating on a solar panel prevents it from charging properly. That's always an issue in the win-
ter.
Every railroad has their own idea of how they want to utilize remote monitoring. So, we've got variations of that sys-
tem. In our product lines and offerings, we try to be as broad as we can possibly make it. Then it's just a matter of
fine-tuning what each specific customer wants.

Ron Arriola Continued

What is something about you that would surprise others? I
used to work in the film industry. I started out hosting events for
celebrities and then got into film production. I did microphone
boom, camera stills, editing, and then became a junior director.

What’s your favorite thing to do when your home on time
off? Spending time with my family and friends.

What kind of things do you like to do with your family and
friends? Anything fun where we can all enjoy and have a good
time together.

What’s your dream car and why? My dream car is a modern
Lamborghini. Maybe an Aventador or Huracan because of its
Pictured Left to right: William Clark, Jabray Gra- beauty and power.
ham, Natanael Canul, Blair Coughenour, Filfred
Tahy, Gary Wallace, Austin Johnson, Ron Arriola, What advice would you give to a new field employee at
Loram? Doing things safely is the only way to do it.

What’s the best advice you were ever given at Loram? No matter where you come from or what your back-
ground is, if you work hard and try your best it won’t go unnoticed.

VOLUMN 1 : ISSUE 6 PAGE 20