Page 2 - The Inside Track - April 2019

Volume 3 | Issue 2 | April 4, 2019
Railroad Construction Company, Inc. / Beach Electric Company / RCC Fabricators , Inc. / Power Design & Installation Group / RCC Builders & Developers, Inc.
(continued from page 1) the railroads, but also makes for with rail weighing upwards of Consistent performance has
vital safety awareness amongst 136 pounds. allowed RCC’s Track Department
10, 2019 at a contract value of crews. Harold Trackwork Part 3 to not only continue working
$23 million. While the contract and the other ESA contracts that Turtle Back Zoo features over through nearly a century of
amount may seem substantial RCC has completed are some of 1,400 animals including wolves, economic ups and downs,
as a single project, it is only the most complex, dangerous, giraffes, kangaroos and dozens of but to thrive. Projects ranging
0.2% of the projected total ESA and exciting that the company other species one would never from a few thousand dollars
Contract value. The project has performed. Nonetheless, find in the wilderness of New to multi-million have allowed
included work in three different massive junctions are not the Jersey. The railroad attraction the Department to expand its
areas: the Northeast Quadrant, only places where trackwork is that runs from the site goes horizons while grounding itself
the Southeast Quadrant, and the needed. throughout South Mountain in the roots of the company.
Westbound Bypass. Reservation, a 2,000+-acre nature
RCC was contracted to reserve that borders the zoo very As RCC continues to grow, the
The purpose of the project Track Department grows with it.
was to remove and replace ten perform trackwork at the famous different to the urban Queens
Turtle Back Zoo in late 2018. For location of Harold Interlocking.
turnouts, as well as 6,800 feet of years, Turtle Back’s “Zoo Train”
track and concrete ties weighing has taken visitors on a relaxing
over 800 pounds each. A rail ride through the 20-acre site.
turnout, or “switch,” is a portion However, when construction
of track where the rail splits in of a new parking deck began in
two directions, enabling trains 2018, the ride’s track needed to
to be guided from one track to be rerouted. That’s where RCC’s
another. Turnouts are arguably Track Department came in.
the most defining characteristic
of a rail junction, and Harold The old track was modified and
Interlocking, as the busiest relocated to accommodate a new
junction in the country, has “train house.” Differing from the ABOVE: The 2016 Ben Franklin Bridge Project replaced an entire track system including 2.5 miles
of rail. The project required a 60-day outage for each individual track. In his 16 years at RCC, Jeff
many. mass of the ESA project, Turtle McKeon described this project as the most exciting of his career.
BELOW: RCC co-workers construct new rail at Harold Interlocking in Queens.
Back Zoo’s new track required
Over 40 trains pass through
the interlocking per hour, totaling only 15-foot turnouts with rail
weighing only 20 pounds. In
nearly 800 per week. Not only contrast, the turnouts at Harold
does this make for frustrating Interlocking were 260 feet long
coordination between RCC and
Field Photo of the Month

(continued from page 1) bracing.”
Two fracture-critical, galvanized,
cantilevered sign structures with Both new contracts will
walkways are to be created for allow RCCF to utilize two new
the Connecticut DOT. pieces of equipment. As of late
February 2019, RCCF has been
A second new client, using a new beamline machine,
Schiavone Construction, has the aforementioned Ocean
been added to RCCF’s roladex. Avenger, which enables drilling,
RCCF has been contracted sawing, punching, shearing,
to fabricate and deliver coping or fabrication of almost
approximately 2-million pounds all types of structural steel
of repair and new steel for the profiles.
upgrades of several structures
along the NJ Turnpike. Further, RCCF acquired
a new Angle Line (pictured
“We will put all three of our below), the aforementioned
Project: Flood Mitigation - Resiliency at 17 Fan Plants pieces of equipment to use on Ocean Clipper, in early March
this one,” said RCCF President which allows the company to
Owner: New York City Transit Authority and co-worker Scott Vesper punch or shear angles for most
about the Schiavone contract, any job.
Photographer: Rich France “Our plasma table for the cutting
Senior Project Manager As RCCF’s work-on-hand
of parts, our Ocean Avenger for
Date Taken: March 21, 2019 the drilling of beams and plates continues to climb, the
company is ensuring that it has
and our Ocean Clipper for the
About: Placing concrete via a pump truck for flood walls fabrication of angle clips and the resources to meet clients’
inside vent building located at FDR & 63rd Street demands.