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.

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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.

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