Asbestos Materials Removed from Recommissioned Government Railroad Cars

Industrial Hygiene Team Oversees Restoration at New Jersey Naval Weapons Station

Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle at Colts Neck, N.J., warehouses railroad cars that are used to move U.S. Navy ordnance to its ships at sea. During high military activity conditions, such as Operation Iraqi Freedom, there is a need to get additional cars back into use.

The older cars are ideal for transporting ordnance because of their wooden floors. Unlike newer metal floors, the wooden floors have a lower chance of causing a spark, which could lead to an explosion when transporting ordnance.

Before being restored and put back into service, the old railcars are subjected to a safety inspection by the NWS Public Works Transportation Superintendent to look for defects, such as flaking surfaces.