Transportation Project Sample

AMTRAK HIGH SPEED RAIL FACILITY
Washington, DC

Amtrak's newest generation of high-speed trains will be maintained in a new 95,000 SF shop fully equipped with inspection pits, heavy shop equipment, wheel diagnostic and truing systems, and a separate 67,200 SF "trainwasher" building with reclamation system.

For the industrial waste system, Shapiro & Duncan performed the underground installation of 3,400 feet of schedule 80 "Orion," electrofused, acid-resistant polypropylene piping. For the vacuum disposal system, Shapiro & Duncan installed 1,700 lf of schedule 80 PVC solvent weld piping. In addition, we installed 5,200 feet of schedule 40 welded black steel air compressor piping (165 PSI); 2,500 feet of schedule 40 welded black steel 2 PSI gas piping; and 3,000 lf of type "L" hard drawn copper piping for the domestic water system. All of this was installed 35 feet above the floor in three 6-feet deep by 6-feet wide track trenches running the length of the building.

Shapiro & Duncan also installed the sanding system, which is a component unique to this facility. For the train to move, sand is used to provide friction for the wheels to the tracks. Basically, sand is pumped from two 704-cubic feel silos using a combination air-electric driven pump which initially moves the sand with compressed air "booster" connections at 50-feet intervals via an overhead 2 ½-inch schedule 5 stainless steel piping system. The distribution point is similar to a gas pump, complete with flexible hose and automatic "cut-off."

In the 67,200 SF trainwasher building (an oversized car wash), Shapiro & Duncan installed the trainwasher system, the most intricate feature of this project. This entailed installation of:

• Four 2000-gallon chemical insect removal tanks which applies chemicals via a "spinner" system;
• Four 2000-gallon de-icing/precooling tanks;
• Mixed acid and alkali holding tanks;
• Eight 2000-gallon fresh water tanks;
• Pumps for each tank;
• Sludge removal cart;
• Reclaim pumps;
• Wash brushes;
• Spinner arches;
• Air strip blowers; and
• Stainless steel, PVC, CPVC, polypropylene, galvanized steel and copper piping.

For the 95,600 SF maintenance building shop, Shapiro & Duncan installed the heating system, which consisted of:

• Three 5,000 MBH gas-fired Rapid Engineering, roof-mounted central station air-handlers;
• Ten 500 MBH gas-fired Trane unit heaters;
• Hydronic hot water heaters; and
• Electric heaters.

For the 20,000 SF maintenance building office area, Shapiro & Duncan installed the HVAC system, which consisted of a 50-ton McQuay rooftop variable air volume (VAV) unit with variable speed drive and Trane VAV shut-off boxes with hot water reheat coils.

Finally, for the trainwasher building heating system, Shapiro & Duncan installed 19 gas-fired Modine ceramic infrared heaters.