Category Archive: Morton Rail Products

Metalex® at Railway Interchange 2019

This September, Minneapolis will be hosting Railway Interchange 2019, North America’s largest railway exhibition and technical conference. It brings together hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of international industry professionals every two years. Railway Interchange’s mission is to bring professionals together for authentic discussions and exhibits about the future direction of the industry. The conference is designed to help people inform, inspire, and promote the marketplace by bringing together companies and organizations from across the industry. Over 700 exhibitors will be at Railway Interchange 2019 from September 22–25. Professionals from all organizations in the rail industry can attend the event.

What to Expect

Railway Interchange 2019 will bring together nearly 9,000 railway experts, representatives from technical associations, and industry thought leaders. Attendees will find:

• Over 700 exhibitors
• Presentations and displays from the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association, the Railway Supply Institute, and the Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc. Each organization will be sponsoring exhibits in distinct categories such as track components, railway cars and mechanics, and information technologies, respectively. These presentations will focus on current industry trends and predictions regarding technology, services, and more.
• Discussions and talks presented by The American Railways Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association and the Railway Supply Institute. This will include content from the RSI Education & Technical Training Conference.

These presentations, discussions, and exhibit displays will be available through daily open halls and seminars. Along with participating in discussions and listening to talks, attendees can network with industry leaders, representatives from adjacent industry organizations, and thousands of other railway professionals. You can also sign up for:

• Planned educational activities
• AREMA and RSI’s technical training sessions

Where to Find Us

Railway Interchange 2019 attendees can find Metalex® at the conference at booth #2613. Since merging with Morton Rails Products five years ago, Metalex® has attended the event to explore current trends in the railway industry, collaborate with industry partners, and network with other people in our industry.

Morton Rail Products now operates under the Metalex® company name, and we have continued to provide a full line of their products and offerings, including:

• Open-Grip® Running Boards
• DeckSpan® Walkways and Channels
• Brake Steps
• End Platforms
• Ladder Rungs
• Mounting Accessories

These are designed to provide long-lasting, reliable use. Morton Rail Product’s safety grating offers the following advantages:

• Slip resistance. Like all our products, our safety grating exceeds federal specifications regarding slip resistance. This superior slip resistance extends to all directions for safer usage. The surface is also resilient in the face of impact damage and wear. The grating forms a large open area to reduce crowding and accidents.
• Ease of Installation. This product is designed to be simple to install for both small and large companies. The parts are easy to handle, lightweight, and self-framing. The design also allows for one-piece construction so it isn’t difficult to install the grating.
• Low Maintenance Needs. The safety grating is self-cleaning and requires little maintenance to remain safe or in good repair.
• Compliance with ISO 9001 standards. We use 13 gauge G-90 pre-galvanized prime steel to fabricate our brake steps, end platforms, intermodal platforms, and Open-Grip® Running Boards. Also, the full line of Morton Rail Products is approved by the Association of American Railroads.

Contact Metalex® to Learn More

Our line of Morton Rail Products is safe and reliable for every railway facility. Learn more about our products and talk to our team of experts to decide which offerings are the best for your company’s needs. Fill out our form today to download our Morton Industrial Brochure with more details about our complete line of industrial grating, flooring, and custom products.

Metalex and Morton Celebrate 115 Years of Service

As we celebrate the 115th year of the Morton product line, we would like to thank all of the customers for the vital business relationships we’ve developed. These relationships have been the key to the success of Morton products. We will continue to provide mission-critical components, service, and expertise to any industry that demands the best in product quality and safety, and we remain committed to meeting the high expectations of our customers and clients.

Our History

Metalex was founded back in 1962 in Libertyville, Illinois, by two local entrepreneurs. The company continued to grow – both in product lines and the services it offered.

Morton Manufacturing, a leading provider of non-slip surfaces for the rail industry, was founded back in 1903.  In 2014, Metalex and Morton merged and they now operate jointly under the Metalex name.

Today, these combined companies continue to provide safety solutions for railroad applications. Morton products feature effective non-slip walking surfaces for railroad workers on platforms, and also for a variety of freight car applications, such as:

• Tank cars
• Intermodal well cars
• Covered hoppers
• Locomotives
• Open hoppers

What We Offer

Metalex offers the full line of Morton Rail Products, honoring Morton’s long-time relationship with the rail industry. Metalex/Morton offers industry leading specialized customer walking surfaces and accessories for safetycritical rail jobs, and our products have played a crucial role in providing this essential protection for rail workers.

As a solutions provider, we recognize our clients’ needs for high-quality products in a wide variety of railcar applications. Our proprietary Open-Grip® rail products include:

• Open-Grip® Running Boards
• Open-Grip® Brake Steps
• Open-Grip® End Platforms
• Open-Grip® Platforms

Metalex also supplies Morton’s non-slip surface product line to distributors, OEMs, and aftermarket customers across the agricultural, heavy equipment, and general industrial sectors.

Thank You to Morton Rail Products Customers

Thank you to all the users and supporters of Morton Rail Products for allowing us to serve the industrial community for 115 years. We are proud to be part of a larger family of like-minded companies, and we will continue to strive every day to make sure our customers remain our number one priority.

If you would like to join the ever-growing Metalex/Morton family, please contact us to discuss our safety solutions and how they can help with your company’s operation.

Morton Rail Products for Rail Cars

At Metalex, we pride ourselves on supplying industry-leading safety grating products for a wide range of industries, helping to ensure optimal safety and performance in critical applications. And now, following our 2011 merger with Morton Manufacturing Co., we’re also proud to offer a full line of Morton AAR-approved rail products.

For 115 years, Morton Rail Products has been providing top-quality safety platforms, brake steps, running boards, and side sheets to the rail industry. An industry leader in specialized, customizable walking surfaces and accessories for safety-critical rail jobs, they played a crucial role in protecting rail workers and ensuring optimal efficiency. Since railways run year-round, in all types of weather conditions, providing employees with the proper walkways is key.

Today, Metalex is pleased to offer the following Morton rail products:

Open Grip® Running Boards — This unique design features large, round holes and raised, perforated buttons, as well as integral “wiped” ends. These strong, radiused ends ensure safe transition between boards when they’re laid end-to-end, while eliminating the need for mechanically fastened end supports commonly used by other companies. Margins are included all the way around. This allows ice, snow, and other debris to easily fall through the holes, making for a safe, clear walkway. The cold-formed pierced buttons provide slip resistance in all directions and retain their gripping power even under continuous wear. Grab handles can be safely and easily installed using special top and bottom washers through the debossed holes.

Open Grip® Brake Steps — Like the running boards, Morton’s brake steps feature the same lightweight, self-cleaning, slip-resistant Open-Grip® pattern. And, as with all Open-Grip® products, the interrupted pattern allows for the unique wiped end-design. Made from 13-gauge G-90 pre-galvanized prime steel, these brake steps can be easily fastened to railcars using bolt seat washers through the Open-Grip® debossings.

Open Grip® End Platforms — Morton’s standard end platforms are 8 1/2 inches wide and 60 1/16 inches long. A collar allows for easy installation without the need to remove the brake chain. The closed-back style has a cutout in the walking surface for the brake chain.

Open Grip® Platforms — No matter what type of walking surface you’re working with, Morton can design a platform to meet its unique needs. The unique wiped-end design on the Open-Grip® platforms allows for total flexibility in terms of width, length, pattern spacing, and cutout placement. For this reason, Morton platforms are widely used in double-stack and coil-car applications.

Learn More

Since 1903, four generations of the family-owned Morton Manufacturing Co. have dedicated themselves to providing safe walking surfaces to workers in the railroad freight industry. Morton rail solutions are used in a wide range of freight-car applications, including covered hoppers, tank cars, intermodal well cars, locomotives, and open hoppers.

To learn more about Morton Rail Products’ offerings and discuss how their safety solutions can help with your rail work, download the Morton Rail Products Running Board Brochure, or reach out to the team at Metalex today.