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Progressive Rail Technologies, Inc.91 N. Magneto Dr.

Pueblo West, CO 81007(719) 647-1409

On the Web at: http://www.prt-inc.net

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About Progressive Rail Technologies, Inc.

Progressive Rail Technologies has been providing innovativeproducts and technical services to the railroad industry since1995. Our primary area of specialty is railcar performancemonitoring and evaluation.

Our company has served a wide variety of freight and passengerrailroad companies, including

Ø AmtrakØ Burlington Northern Santa Fe RailwayØ Canadian Pacific RailroadØ Colorado RailcarØ CSX CorporationØ The Greenbrier Companies/Gunderson Inc.Ø St. Kitts Scenic RailwayØ Union Pacific Railroad

3.5”

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Progressive Rail Technologies’ Current Products

Ø Truck Performance Detector (p. 4)

Ø Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer (WILD+) (p. 6)

Ø Mini Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer (p. 7)

Ø Truck Hunting/Tracking Error Detector (p. 8)

Ø Brake Hose/Coupler Height Inspector (p. 10)

Ø Truck Inspector (p. 12)

Ø Low Air Hose Detector (p. 13)

Ø Wayside Testing/Monitoring Systems (p. 14)

Ø Wheel Detector/Axle Counter (p. 15)

Progressive Rail Technologies’ Services

Ø Consulting Services (p. 16)

Ø Wayside and On-Board Testing Services (p.16)

Ø Data Management/Alerting Services (p.16)

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Truck Performance Detector

Progressive Rail Technologies’ first Truck Performance Detectors(TPD’s) were installed in 2000. Since that time we have becomea leading developer of performance-based railcar evaluationsystems and methods, operating a network of 14 TPD’s for 2Class 1 railroads.

Truck Performance Detectors (TPD’s) consist of a series of straingauge sensors applied to a section of track to measure thevertical and lateral wheel forces and axle angles-of-attack (AOA)of passing cars. The TPD track section has a specific geometrysuch that the performance of the railcars can be evaluated intangent track and in left and right-hand curves of 4o – 6o.

The strain gauge sensors are monitored by an automatic datacollection system that includes an Automatic EquipmentIdentification (AEI) reader for associating the wheel forces with

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the proper cars. Our TPD data collection systems havedemonstrated reliable service records of over 5 years inchallenging railroad environments without major failure.

The TPD data collection system records the basic wheel forces,axle AOA’s, and car identification information for each passingtrain. The system then automatically analyzes the basic wheelforce data immediately after the train pass to evaluate theperformance of each car in the following areas:

Ø Gauge SpreadingØ Flange ClimbØ Truck Warp (Skew)Ø Improper Steering

Ø Improper Truck RotationØ Vertical TwistØ Unbalanced Wheel LoadsØ Overloaded Car

Alerts can be sent immediately to the railroad for any cars thatexceed preset alerting levels for any of the above performancecriteria. The basic force data and performance indices are thentransmitted to various databases as required by the railroad.

Follow-up inspections based on the TPD car performance alertshave found many different defects in the alerting cars, including:

Ø Worn Friction WedgesØ Missing Column Wear PlatesØ Broken Suspension SpringsØ Hollow Worn Wheels

Ø Twisted Car BodiesØ Dry/Binding Center BowlsØ Tight Side BearingsØ Mismatched Side Frames

We offer our clients comprehensive TPD health monitoring, alertbroadcasting and comprehensive database services for their TPDnetwork. An example of our TPD database is available at:

http://www.prt-inc.net: Click “Client Services” then “Demo”

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Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer (“WILD” Plus)

Excessive impact loads are produced by out-of-round wheels orwheels with flat spots or shelling. Over time, these excessiveimpact loads can degrade track and car components.

Our Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer detects wheel impact loads infull compliance with the Association of American Railroad FieldManual Appendix F. But it also goes beyond wheel impact loaddetection with algorithms that check for the following conditions:

Ø Excess Wheel Impact LoadØ Overloaded CarØ Fore/Aft Load Imbalance

Ø Side/Side Load ImbalanceØ Vertical Twist DefectØ Weigh-In-Motion Function

Our Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer utilizes a series of strain gaugesensors applied to both rails and oriented to accurately measurevertical wheel forces. The strain gauge sensors are calibrated atthe time of installation and then recalibrated at least once every 3years to ensure accuracy.

The strain gauge sensors are monitored by a fully-automatic datacollection system that collects the raw data, detects the peakvertical forces, computes various impact and loading parametersand then transmits alerts and reports as required. The datacollection system utilizes the same reliable, service-provenhardware and software used in our Truck Performance Detectors.

An Integral Truck Hunting Detector can also be incorporated intothe Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer to detect cars with huntingtrucks. See the section under “Truck Hunting and Tracking ErrorDetectors” for more information on these options.

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Mini Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer

There are often applications for a basic version of our VerticalWheel Load Analyzer that performs the vertical load conditionanalyses of our full-featured version but without the wheel impactload detection. Our Mini Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer utilizesfour strain gauge sensor cribs to measure vertical wheel loadsand analyze them to check for the following conditions:

Ø Overloaded CarØ Fore/Aft Load ImbalanceØ Side/Side Load Imbalance

Ø Vertical Twist DefectØ Non-Revenue Weigh-In-

Motion Function

The Mini Vertical Wheel Load Analyzer can be configured as astand-alone system or economically integrated into a TruckPerformance Detector by the addition of 4 additional vertical forcestrain gauge circuits.

Vertical Twist Defect Found WithVertical Load Analyzer

Left Wheel Loads Right Wheel Loads

Left and Right Wheel Loads From Car With Side/SideImbalance

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Truck Hunting and Tracking Error Detector

Truck hunting is characterized by rapid sustained side-to-sidemotion of the trucks in a car. It is especially problematic for emptyor lightly loaded cars and for cars with worn wheels. In addition todamaging the car, truck hunting imposes excessive lateral forceson the track structure thereby accelerating track degradation.

PRT offers two different truck hunting detection technologies.The first technology is based on measuring and analyzing thelateral wheel forces in a truck for a pattern of oscillation that ischaracteristic of truck hunting. Lateral force strain gauge circuitsare applied to the rails through a test zone and monitored by adata collection system. The data collection system analyzes thelateral force pattern and calculates a severity index if hunting isdetected. Alarm reports are generated and sent to the railroad asrequired.

The lateral force-based Truck Hunting Detector requires that thestrain gauge circuits be permanently applied to the rails andperiodically re-calibrated. This system can be set up as a standalone system but may also be more economically integrated intoa Vertical Wheel Force Analyzer.

Our Truck Hunting and Tracking Error Detector* utilizes a seriesof non-contacting proximity sensors placed on the rails tomeasure the trajectory of a wheel set through a test zone. Thesystem analyzes an axle’s lateral displacement data to determineif it exhibits an oscillating pattern consistent with truck hunting. Ifsuch a pattern is detected then a proprietary severity index iscalculated for the axle and compared to an alerting threshold. An

* Patent Applied For

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alarm report is automatically generated and transmitted asrequired.

Another function of the Truck Hunting and Tracking Error Detectoris its ability to detect trucks that track poorly through the test zone.Some trucks have suspension or wheel wear defects that causethem to skew and run with one or both axles running in flangecontact with the rail. Trucks with these “tracking errors”experience greatly increased rates of wheel flange wear. Thewear rates of the truck gibs, friction wedges and wedge pocketsmay also increase dramatically. Finally, wheels that run inconstant flange contact with the rail are much more likely to pick aswitch or climb the rail.

In addition to this additional detection capability, PRT’s TruckHunting and Tracking Error Detector is easier to install, morerobust and requires no re-calibration compared to the lateralforce-based Hunting Detector.

Diagram of Hunting Truck Trajectory on Track

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Brake Hose/Coupler Height Inspector*

Service interruptions caused by low brake hose breaks areexpensive problems that delay trains and reduce overall systemcapacity. Accurately detecting these low hanging air hoses is thefirst step in addressing this problem. PRT has developed amachine vision system that accurately and reliably performs thisdetection function.

Our Brake Hose/Coupler Height Inspector operates day and nightat revenue service track speeds to measure the brake hoseminimum height for each coupled pair of cars. It then integratesthese brake hose height readings with the proper car identificationdata and generates a brake hose minimum height report for thetrain. Alarm reports are automatically transmitted for any brakehose assemblies lower than the minimum threshold. Finally, thesystem measures the coupler heights of each coupled car pairbetween the coupler shank center and top of rail.

Our Brake Hose/Coupler Height Inspector is far superior to simplemechanical impact or light beam-break detectors. It candistinguish between air brake hoses and uncoupled auxiliaryhoses to minimize false alarms. A picture of the defective brakehose assembly is sent with each alarm. And the system isvirtually maintenance free requiring no recalibration or alignmentto the track. Also, the camera enclosure sits well off the trackstructure out of the way of contamination and damage. Theservice history of this system has been exceptional.

* Patent Applied For - Part of PRT’s Machine Vision Car Inspector System

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Image of Typical Low Air Hose Detectedby Air Hose Height Inspector

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Air Hose Height Inspector DetectsDisconnected Dump Hoses

Coupler Height Mismatch Detected byCoupler Height Inspector

Climate-Controlled Camera Enclosure for AirHose/Coupler Height Inspector

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Truck Inspector*

PRT is currently developing a Truck Inspector module for our CarInspector System that is designed to provide multiple machinevision inspections of the plan view of passing trucks. The truckcomponents currently targeted for inspection include:

Ø Brake ShoesØ Spring GroupØ Friction WedgesØ Column SpacingØ Side Frame ButtonsØ Bearing End Cap BoltsØ Side Bearings

* Part of PRT’s Machine Vision Car Inspector System

Truck Inspector Camera, Enclosure andLights

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Low Brake Hose Detector

Service interruptions caused by low brake hose breaks areexpensive problems that delay trains and reduce overall systemcapacity. Accurately detecting these low hanging air hoses is thefirst step in addressing this problem. PRT has developed asimple, robust Low Brake Hose Detector that detects brake hoseassemblies hanging below a fixed threshold.

Our Low Brake Hose Detector utilizes 2 laser beams that laterallyspan a section of track and converge on a receiver on the otherside. The use of 2 laser beams allows the system toautomatically discriminate against objects smaller than the typicalwidth of a brake hose, thereby avoiding false alarms from hangingstraps, cables or debris. The system also employs a wheeldetector and sophisticated pattern recognition algorithm such thatonly laser beam interruptions that occur in the “coupler” gapbetween the adjacent trucks of coupled cars are recorded.

Our Low Brake Hose Detectors are easily integrated into ourTruck Performance Detectors or Vertical Wheel Load Analyzersor can be configured as stand-alone systems.

The optics should be cleaned and realigned at least once a year.

Double Laser-Beam Low Air Hose Detector Installed at Truck performance Detector

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Wayside Testing/Monitoring Systems

The same reliable hardware and software that forms the core ofour Truck Performance Detectors and Vertical Wheel LoadAnalyzers are available for use in more basic waysidetesting/monitoring systems. These systems are usuallycompletely self-contained with solar and wind power options andvarious remote communication links. Many of these systems arealso configured with Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI)readers to provide car identification data for the project.

We currently have several systems in the field serving in a varietyof test and monitoring functions:

Ø Vertical/Lateral ForcesØ Longitudinal Rail StressØ Rail Temperature

Ø Coal Dust EmissionsØ Top-of-Rail LubricationØ Train Imaging

AEI Tag Readers Installed on 3 Tracksat Coal Dust Monitoring Project Site Wayside Monitoring System for a Rail

Lubrication Study

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Wheel Detector/Axle Counter

Accurate wheel detection and counting is essential to numerousrailroad monitoring and testing applications, including railroadsignal applications. Progressive Rail Technologies hasdeveloped Wheel Detectors based on active non-contactingproximity sensors that outperform conventional “passive” stylewheel detectors. Conventional wheel detectors use passivedetection technology that has an output signal that variesdramatically with wheel speed. Our experience with passivewheel detectors has been that many wheels do not trigger theoutput signal, thereby providing an inaccurate axle count.

Our Wheel Detectors provide a consistent output signal that isindependent of train speed, direction, wheel profile or otherfactors. The Wheel Detectors can be incorporated into anothermonitoring system or function as a complete axle counting/caridentification system. They are easily clamped to the base of therail without the need to drill holes through the rail.

Wheel Detector Used for Precise Axle Counting andMeasuring Train Speed

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Consulting Services

Ø Derailment InvestigationsØ Railcar Simulation Modeling

Ø Railcar Suspension DesignØ Railcar Performance Evaluations

Wayside and Onboard Testing Services

Ø Wayside Testing Equipment and ServicesØ Manned/Unmanned SystemsØ Rail-Mounted Force SensorsØ Rail Temperature MonitoringØ Rail Stress Monitoring

Ø Car Identification MonitoringØ Environmental Monitoring

Ø On-Board Railcar Testing Equipment and ServicesØ Manned or Unmanned Data Collection SystemsØ Comprehensive Array of Sensors, Amplifiers and CablesØ Ride Quality/Suspension Performance TestsØ Location, Speed Logging via (GPS)Ø Stress, Vibration and Temperature Monitoring

Data Analysis and Management Services

Ø Comprehensive Data Analysis CapabilitiesØ Customized Data Processing SoftwareØ Train Data/Report Transmission/ArchivingØ Alarm Reception/RetransmissionØ Comprehensive Data Base Development and OperationØ Data System Health Monitoring