A wayside railway sensor package is provided to detect railway wheels for the purposes of assessing the speed and direction of a train in order to align any measured characteristic on said moving train with the proper vehicle. The stand-alone package is easily installed in the web of the rail using standard tools. When used in combination with recent processing techniques, the package can be used to replace one or more components or subsystems on all common wayside detectors while also providing enhanced capabilities and improved reliability. The package also contains sensors that provide data used for assessing additional rail, wheel, and vehicle conditions directly.