Make Rail Work Better for Your Operation.
Rail may be only one part of your facility, but when switching is slow, labor-intensive or unreliable, it affects everything around it.
Advanced Rail Systems provides switch automation, controls and connected yard solutions configured around your facility — helping your team move railcars safely and efficiently without requiring railroad-scale infrastructure.
Practical yard automation without unnecessary complexity.
Your Business Isn't Running a Railroad.
Your rail operation still needs to work like one.
Industrial facilities depend on rail to move raw materials, finished products and equipment through the operation. But managing that movement often falls to employees whose responsibilities extend well beyond switching railcars.
ARS helps simplify that work.
We evaluate how rail moves through your facility, how employees interact with the track and switches, and where manual processes create unnecessary time, labor or exposure. Then we configure the right level of automation and control for the job.
You get the rail capability your operation needs without taking on complexity it doesn't.
Built Around Your Facility
Improve the rail operation without rebuilding everything around it.
Industrial rail environments come with their own physical layouts, operating practices, safety requirements and existing infrastructure. ARS works within those realities rather than forcing the facility into a predetermined system.
That means you can:
Automate a single high-use switch or multiple locations
Choose controls appropriate for the employees operating them
Preserve existing infrastructure where practical
Configure power around available utilities and site conditions
Add clear field indication for employees and contractors
Connect additional equipment as requirements grow
Add centralized control and visibility where it creates value
Start with the operational problem. Build the system around it.
Solutions for industrial + rail-served facilities
From one automatic switch to connected control across a larger facility, ARS provides the equipment and expertise to improve how railcars move through your operation.
We help determine the right combination of switching, controls, integration, power and indication — so your team doesn't have to piece the system together on its own.
Dependable Automatic Switching
Reduce the work required to move railcars through your facility.
The YM-16 provides closed-loop electro-hydraulic operation, direct-drive mechanics and positive position verification in a low-profile, field-serviceable design.
Automating frequently used switches can reduce repeated manual switch handling, save time during rail movements and limit unnecessary employee exposure around track and equipment.
Straightforward Operator Control
Make switch operation simple for the people using it.
Industrial facilities don't necessarily need railroad-scale control systems. ARS supports options ranging from straightforward push-button and DTMF radio control to browser-based Pathfinder yard control.
That allows employees to operate switches using a control method appropriate for the facility while maintaining the ability to add greater connectivity and visibility as requirements grow.
Flexible System Integration
Connect the controls to the equipment behind the operation.
The ARMMI Programmable Processor provides the interface between operator controls and switch machines. It receives commands, applies configured control logic, operates connected equipment and returns equipment status to the operator or higher-level control system.
ARMMI can support a standalone switch or coordinate multiple field assets, providing a practical foundation for facilities that want to automate now and connect more of the rail operation over time.
Power + Indication
Configure each location around the realities of the site.
ARS provides power options for locations with different infrastructure requirements, including solar, battery and super capacitor systems where appropriate.
LED switch-position indicators and reflective targets provide clear visual confirmation of switch position and equipment status, helping employees quickly understand field conditions during rail movements.
Let your crew do more
with less manual work.
Make rail movements easier to manage across the facility.
Manual switching consumes time and puts employees on the ground performing repetitive work around track and equipment. Automation moves that work into a more controlled, repeatable process.
For rail-served facilities, this can improve more than the switching operation itself:
Reduce manual switch handling — Spend less time walking, stopping and manually lining switches during each movement.
Improve employee safety — Reduce unnecessary exposure around track, railcars and moving equipment.
Simplify training — Give employees straightforward, repeatable controls instead of relying on cumbersome manual processes.
Use labor more effectively — Allow employees to spend more time on the work that supports your core operation.
Reduce operating delays — Remove routine switching steps that can slow rail movements through the facility.
Improve consistency — Create a more repeatable process for employees, contractors and different shifts.
Support future growth — Increase rail capability without automatically increasing the labor required to manage it.
The goal isn't more technology. It's a rail operation that requires less effort to run well.
Rail expertise where you need it.
We design the rail system so your team doesn't have to.
Selecting a switch machine is only one part of the job. Controls, communications, power, indication, field conditions and integration all have to work together — and the solution still has to fit your facility's safety and operating requirements.
That's where ARS adds value.
Our engineering and technical teams help assess the application, configure the system, integrate the pieces and install the solution. Technical services are also available for training, troubleshooting, field service and future expansions.
You don't have to determine how all the pieces fit together before calling us. That's part of what you're hiring us to do.
Start with your facility’s rail yard.
Tell us where manual switching, aging equipment, labor requirements or operating delays are creating problems.
We'll help identify the right level of automation & build a solution around your facility, your people & the work that needs to get done.