- S Drains

Spring Drains

A Patented innovation

S Drains expedite porewater pressure dissipation while providing effective load transference into underlying competent soil strata. S Drains eliminated Peat Boils based on visual observations after one year. In partnership with Supercom Industries.

Recent Awards

The 2019 Innovative Project of the Year awarded to TBT Engineering Limited by the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre

The Railway Engineering Maintenance Suppliers Association Innovation Product of the Year Award 2024 awarded to Supercom Industries

As Featured In

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Contact the Inventors

Contact the inventors of Spring Drain for any questions you may have on this open source design.

Rob Frenette, P.Eng.

Managing Director
TBT Engineering Limited
M: 807-626-6639
E: rfrenette@tbte.ca

Gord Maki, P.Eng.

Vice President, Earth & Environmental
TBT Engineering Limited
M: 807-621-1335
E: gmaki@tbte.ca

Sarah Levesque

Business Development & Sales Manager
Supercom Industries
M: 807-633-4405
E:sarah.levesque@supercomindustries.com

Client Testimonials

“The formation of peat boils become increasingly problematic for CP Railway and its operations. Peat Boils lead to increased risks of track instability, creates ongoing track maintenance issues and disruption on train traffic. Past remedial options such as peat removal and reconstruction of the tracks are costly in terms of construction and disruption of train traffic. The Spring Drain treatment provides us with a cost-effective alternative.

Danny J Wong, P.Eng.
Director of Geotechnical Engineering, CP Rail

U.S.A. and Canadian patents were secured in 2019. The patents are held by TBT Engineering and identify Gord Maki, P.Eng. as the inventor. In 2020 a $500,000.00 supply and installation project for a major Canadian railway was completed.

Current Developments

Follow to review the most recent literature regarding S Drains. Open source and downloadable.

Spring Drain Treatment Options and Considerations -Update April 2024

Spring Drain Treatment Options and Considerations April 2024

Click to download the most recent literature on Spring Drains treatment options.

What is a Peat Boil?

A peat boil forms when a zone of peat below the peat below the railway embankment has liquified under dynamic train loading. Excess porewater pressures as high as 4m of head have been measured during the passing of a train. The liquified peat is of very low strength which causes the embankment fills to fall into the zone of peat, forming a hole in which the liquified peat ejects.

Peat Boil/Mud Spot developments have been increasing as a result of longer and heavier trains running at a greater frequency to meet the shipping demands of our growing global economies.

Traditional treatments have invoiced lengthy track blocks to allow for removal of underlying peat/soft soils and reinstatement with rock fill. Alternative treatments have included helical piles, geo-spikes, and stabilizes soil treatments beneath the rail.

None of the traditional nor alternative methods are as effective as the Spring Drain for its ability to cost-efficiently treat Peat Boils and Mud Spots with limited impact to rail traffic as the installation is completed without disruption to rail infrastructure and completed in between trains, thus avoiding operational impacts.