Product Review
Urethane Wheel Chock Can Be Rolled Over Without Derailing

In June, Aldon introduced its spark-proof urethane heavy-duty wheel chock for tank cars and other heavy freight cars operating in dust or fume-laden worksites, where a spark could cause an explosion.

According to Aldon President Joe Ornig, “a steel wheel chock can get stuck under a railcar wheel during loading or unloading, and workers have to hammer at the chock to free it, potentially causing a spark. But with our urethane wheel chock, when it’s time to move the railcar, the switch engine or Trackmobile® can pull the car over the chock without derailing.”

Ornig reports that the urethane chock was tested successfully under rigorous conditions at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, CO, and at a short-line railroad.

“Our test showed that a properly designed urethane chock is tough enough to be used wherever a steel chock is used,” he states. “We made it stout.”

The new wheel chock joins other Aldon rail safety products made of urethane. “It is truly a miracle material,” says Ornig. “Urethane can compress to half its thickness and spring back to its original shape again and again.”

From July/August 2016 GRAIN JOURNAL