The Rail Engineer - Issue 96 - October 2012

October 2012

i s s u e

written by rail engineers for rail engineers available online at www.therailengineer.com

The pressure onperformanceNetwork Rail’s Robin Gisbygives us an insight intotimetables, delays and costs.

Four is betterthan oneBombardier’s new locomotive,the TRAXX DE ME has not onediesel engine, but four.

A million milesbetween servicesPENDOLINO TRAINS ARE GIVEN THEIR THIRDHEAVY OVERHAUL AT LONGSIGHT

96

Bringing earthworksunder controlWe ask Network Rail how theyare getting to grips with drainsand earthworks.

october 2012 | the rail engineer | 3welcome

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A million miles between services 6Pendolino trains are given their third heavyoverhaul at Longsight.

Four is better than one 18Bombardier’s new locomotive, the TRAXX DE MEhas not one diesel engine, but four.

The pressure on performance 22Network Rail’s Robin Gisby gives us an insight intotimetables, delays, statistics and costs.

Bringing earthworks under control 26Chris Parker speaks with Tony Wilcock, Head of CivilsAsset Management (Geotechnical).

Olympic renewals 34The Olympics and Paralympics are over, and life onthe railways can now get back to normal.

If not, then what? 37Balfour Beatty Rail is halfway through its frameworkagreement with Nexus.

ASPECT 2012 - 100 years of progress 47Clive Kessell reports from the IRSE ASPECTConference and Annual Convention held recentlyin London.

An electrifying conference 54Paul Curtis reports on Network Rail’s briefing to itssupply chain on the Electrification Programme.

Plant & Equipment; Concrete November

Electrification/Power; Light Rail December

in this issue

forthcomingfeatures

From timetables to multi-engined locomotives andfrom Lake Como to Berlin via the delights of SouthManchester, this edition of the rail engineer reallydoes cover an eclectic range of topics. So hold tight.

The IRSE centenary Aspect conference and annualconvention in London looked backwards, briefly, butthen concentrated on developments to come. In anage of seductive hardware and softwaretemptations, Clive Kessell’s account of technologicalgrowing pains is a reminder of the need for soundengineering judgement in order to avoid earlyobsolescence.

The Bluebell Railway needed a new carriage shedbut, as Clive explains, being heritage doesn’t makethe usual railway logistic nightmares go away.Building the shed was probably the easiest part ofthe project. Shifting the ‘stuff’ around first kepteverything interesting.

It is no exaggeration to say that the ‘electrificationprogramme’ is huge – far more than has beenattempted at any one time. Paul Curtis went to aNetwork Rail briefing recently along with delegatesfrom the supply chain who must have been reelingat the scale of the project – and at the scale of theorders that will undoubtedly follow.

With all this mass of electrification work underway we thought it appropriate to have a look at thebits and pieces that go to make up the knitting – thecatenary for the technically minded. So we sentNigel Wordsworth off to northern Italy, not far fromthe shores of Lake Como, to find out howeverything is made. What he found was a companythat is at the forefront of catenary development thatalso has all the patterns for installations carried outin the 1960s.

Longsight depot on the outskirts of Manchestermay not be quite as touristy as Lake Como,nevertheless Nigel stoically went off to see howPendolino trains are given their third heavy overhaul.With a fleet of 52 trains, each requiring 27,764

components to be changed in just two weeks, this isan impressive exercise that is being carried out wellaway from the public gaze. Pity really, as it would dothem good to see it.

Ever wondered what’s behind all the headlinesabout train delays? Network Rail’s Robin Gisby givesus an insight into timetables, delays, statistics andcosts. Thank goodness there’s an emphasis now onaverage lateness rather than the bizarre PublicPerformance Measure (PPM) which only measurestime late at destination.

Olympics – remember them? Remember too theembargo on possession works? Didn’t happen. Well,it did on the main feeder routes into London, andthe south-eastern area in general. But, further north,plenty of work was done on non-critical routes asNigel Wordsworth discovered on a mixed traffic linenear Selby.

The Tyne & Wear Metro is thirty years old – which isa little scary. Time for a bit of refurbishment in theform of a £385 million capital investment, known asthe All Change programme. Graeme Bickerdike hasbeen to discover how, among a host of renewals,they’ve managed without crossovers. (Spoiler –they’ve used temporary ones.)

It’s still raining, and as we go to print there aredrains overflowing and earthworks relaxing towhere they really want to be. Chris Parker has beenbriefed on how Network Rail is getting to grips withits stock of earth structures, made of goodness-knows-what, so that there’s less relaxing.

There was just about every railway ‘thing’ on showat InnoTrans, from the smallest widget to the largestlocomotive. I must have walked miles round the siteand have come up with my own brief impressions ofnot just the hardware, but also some of the strangersights to be seen including what looked like a railmounted ‘campervan’, a loco painted all over withdaisies and Australians drinking water.

How’s that for a mixed bag?

4 | the rail engineer | october 2012 news

Following problems with flooding earlier this “summer”,when both the WCML and ECML were blocked and theonly route to Scotland was via the Settle-Carlisle line, thistime it was that historic route that was blocked by alandslip on 25 September.

The East Coast Main Line itself was closed at 08:22 onthe same day at Eryholme, near Darlington. Water wasover the railhead and the track “looked more like a canal”.Hard work by the local team ensured that service wasresumed with single line working on the Down by theend of the day. The Up line remained closed until 11:09the following morning, when it reopened with a 5mphspeed restriction.

Access to Wales was disrupted as well, with servicessuspended between Crewe and Hereford. The editor’swife discovered this the hard way - her regular five-hourjourney from Newcastle to the Welsh marches taking 9½hours via Leeds, Halifax, Bradford, Manchester, Crewe,Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury and then the inevitablebus to Ludlow.

There were also no trains between Blackpool North andPreston, and restrictions between Preston and Lancaster.

The great British summer continues…

At a time when the railway industry is still bemoaningthe shortage of skilled workers, Network Rail is onceagain doing something about it. The company has justtaken on another 190 apprentices to join its three-yearprogramme, where they will train to become skilledmaintenance engineering technicians, after thecompany received more than 6,500 applications.

The apprentices will spend a year training alongsidethe Royal Navy at Europe’s largest engineering trainingfacility at HMS Sultan in Hampshire. There they will learnboth the technical skills required to work on the railwayand develop leadership and teamwork behaviours tomake them more effective in their roles.

They will continue their training for two further years

on-the-job at depots across the country, returning toHMS Sultan for additional courses and learning. Theapprentices specialise in track, signalling and telecomsand electrification and plant. Once again, Network Railwill also be training a few apprentices for its contractorsBalfour Beatty, Costain and Nexus.

Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s managing director fornetwork operations said: “We’ve recruited smart andenthusiastic young men and women with a variety ofwork experience, education and backgrounds, who wewill train to become skilled engineering technicians. Withthe big projects we have ahead of us, we need moreexceptional people to deliver a better value and efficientrailway.”

Scotland cut off... again!INFRASTRUCTURE

IN BRIEF

Guarantees for Crossrail trainsThe Government has guaranteedprivate funding for the £1 billionCrossrail rolling stock order to ensurecarriages are delivered on time.

In a speech to the Liberal Democratsautumn conference in Brighton, ChiefSecretary to the Treasury DannyAlexander named Crossrail as the firstproject to be offered a new governmentguarantee designed to drive forwardkey infrastructure projects.

Alexander said: “Difficulties raising thenecessary private funding in the marketcould delay their delivery.”

The procurement process for theorder, which includes a depot and 60trains, commenced earlier this year.Interested companies include Siemens,Bombardier, CAF and Hitachi.

Keep on innovatingNetwork Rail’s Steve Yianni, no strangerto the pages of this magazine, hostedthe recent Rail Innovations ResearchConference in Birmingham University’sGreat Hall. Two hundred delegates fromindustry and academia heardpresentations on topics includingIntelligent Railways, Asset Management,Ergonomics and two different Catapults.

There was also a display area wheretechnology innovators could show offcurrent products and discuss the latestconcepts. Exhibitors from the likes ofTata Steel and Omnicom were mixedwith various Universities and researchassociations.

Technology was certainly moreimportant than trains on the day.However, the links between academiaand the railway industry are bothsignificant and far reaching.

Sleeper partnersWork has begun on a new factory in

Doncaster to make concrete sleepers forNetwork Rail. Located on the formerWoodyard site near Ten Pound Walk, thefactory will be owned by Network Railbut built and operated by a newconsortium, Trackwork Moll.

Martin Elwood, director of NetworkRail’s National Delivery Service, said: “Weneed around 700,000 concrete sleeperseach year and, once commissioned, thisfactory will produce around 400,000 ofthose. It will also directly create around30 new jobs.”

Trackwork Moll is a joint venturebetween Doncaster’s Trackwork andGerman sleeper manufacturer LeonhardMoll. Plans are to be in production bythe end of 2013.

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6 | the rail engineer | october 2012 rolling stock / depots

A million milesbetween services

ogies have featured a few times in therail engineer recently. There were two

articles on bogie production at the Siemensfactory in Graz (issues 90 and 91, April andMay 2012), and bogies and wheelsetsfeatured in a two part article by Stuart Marsh(issues 93 and 94, July and August 2012).However, until now, there has been littlecoverage of bogie rebuilds.

Virgin Trains’ Pendolino fleet is maintainedby Alstom at its five traincare centres. At thecompany’s Longsight depot, as well asongoing routine maintenance, a majorbogie overhaul programme is in full swing.Your favourite railway engineering magazinewent to have a look.

A history lessonThe class 390 Pendolino trains first went

into service in 2002. The full series of 53 9-cartrains was delivered before Alstom closed itsWashwood Heath factory in 2005. Many ofthat factory’s employees were redeployed totraincare centres in Oxley (Wolverhampton)and Manchester to maintain the trains theyhad just finished building.

The Pendolino fleet virtually runs the WestCoast Main Line. Each train covers 1,000miles a day, meaning that the fleet travels 17million miles each year. 48 of the 52 trainfleet (the train involved in the Grayriggaccident was retired) have to be available forservice every day, 364 days a year.

Ten years and 2.5 million miles after thefirst service, the fleet is now in the middleof its third heavy overhaul (H3). The firstwas carried out after 750,000 miles, thesecond after another 850,000, and thisthird overhaul after 950,000. The trains willprobably have to cover over a millionmore miles before they get overhauledagain.

Preparing for H3H3 is a particularly heavy overhaul, with

27,764 components being changed on eachtrain. The normal service requirement hasn’tchanged either, with 11 trains in thetraincare centre every night. In order tocope, an extra 120 people were taken onand trained up for H3, creating a new pool ofhighly skilled workers.

Alstom invested in the depotinfrastructure as well. £3.7 million wasspent on new lifting equipment fromMechan, improved staff facilities andenhanced in-house workshops which werebuilt by Cairns Cross Civil Engineering. Inaddition, as the trains are now beinglengthened to 11 cars, £20 million wasspent on extending the depot buildings.

H3 project manager Lee Kinseyexplained that planning started early in2011, with the first train due to be workedon from 11 March 2012. Because of thescope of the work, it takes two weeks tocomplete an overhaul. So, with one traincoming into the shop and one beingreturned for duty every week, two trainswould be out for service at any one time.

At the same time, Virgin Trains isproceeding with a programme tointroduce four new 11-car train sets, andto buy 62 new carriages so as to convert31 9-car sets to 11-car. This conversionwould coincide with H3 so the updatescould be done at the same time. Theadditional four sets would also allow forthe two trains being overhauled to be outof service without affecting the passengertimetable.

The four new 11-car trains arrived fromAlstom’s factory in Savigliano, Italy onschedule - in fact the fourth set was fivemonths early, much to the satisfaction ofnew cars project manager JasonRowbottom.

To start with, the new sets weredowngraded to 9-car so they could beentered into the existing timetable.However, earlier this year they wererestored to 11-car. The extra new carsstarted to arrive from Savilgliano as well,so H3 could get underway as planned.

The first 31 trains to go through wouldhave a number of engineering changesincorporated into the work, as thesewould be the trains receiving two extracarriages to make them up to 11-car sets.

B

Exchanging theHVAC.

october 2012 | the rail engineer | 7rolling stock / depots

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Frames and wheelsetsBut back to the bogies. As part of the H3

overhaul, the bogies would have a C4overhaul. Don’t you just love all these terms?A C4 overhaul is part of the agreement withthe train leasing company and is the“periodic (usually based on mileage run)replacement of wheels, bogies, brake gear,etc with new or overhauled components.”

One nine-car train has 18 bogies. These areremoved from the train and replaced with aset that, in good Blue Peter fashion, wasprepared earlier. The first train through got18 from the spares stock - after the last trainis finished its refurbished bogies will replacethose 18 in the stores. This is to allow for aquick turnaround. The programme is still torefurbish a set of 18 bogies every week.

Once removed, they are taken to the bogieworkshop, roads 17 and 18 in the Longsightfacility. The bolsters are separated and themajor components are washed to removeexcess dirt and oil.

The wheelsets are removed and sent backto the manufacturer, Lucchini, which isconveniently situated nearby in TraffordPark. The wheelsets are stripped down,overhauled and rebuilt. This involves thereplacement of all wheel pans, the overhaulof gearboxes and the replacement oncondition of other components such asbrake discs and axles. Meanwhile, atLongsight, other bogie components such asbrake callipers, yaw dampers, axle guidesand other associated components arestripped down and replaced or refurbished.

At this stage the tilting mechanism isaccessible, and can receive attention.Pendolinos use a mechanical system in thebogie to achieve tilt. An electric actuatormounted under the bogie moves a tie-rodbackwards and forwards which causes thebolster to tilt with respect to the bogieframe. Small wheels run in a curved rail tocontrol the axis of the tilt, and there is adeflection in the rail which serves as a ‘lock’

NigelWordsworth

w r i t e r


in the vertical position. It is a reliable system,but like all mechanical devices needsservicing from time to time.

Once rebuilt, with a fresh wheelsetinstalled, the bogie and its bolster arereunited and the completed assembly set upfor height and balance. It is important thatthe four “corner weights” - the weight oneach wheel - are near enough identical.

It is all quite precise and complicated, andwith 18 being turned around every week theteam is rebuilding over three bogies a day.

Twin-track trainsThe team on roads 11 and 12 are busy as

well. Each train spends a week on each roadas the two week process is split into twohalves.

To start with, a 9-car set arrives at Longsighton Saturday night. On Sunday the toilets arestripped out and the water tanks removedbefore the train is moved into road 11 onMonday morning. The First and StandardClass sections are split and the First Classsection is removed. The Standard Class air andbrake equipment is replaced and returned tomanufacturer Knorr-Bremse for overhaul.

On Tuesday, the inter-car couplers on theStandard Class half-rake are removed using aspecial tool and a process that looks vaguelyreminiscent of a dentist extracting a tooth.Replacement couplers are fitted and thehalf-rake reformed.

The First Class section replaces StandardClass on Wednesday. HVACs are removedand are overhauled in Manchester in thenew workshops, and replaced by fresh ones.The air and brake systems are replaced.

The couplers are replaced on Thursday andthe half-rake reassembled. The next day, the

two new carriages are coupled up to FirstClass, and the Standard Class brought backin to form the new 11-car set.

Week twoOn Sunday, the whole set is moved to road

12 and the bogies and cardan shafts aredisconnected. The bogies are exchanged onMonday, the whole train being jacked uphigh enough that the old bogies can be runout below the ones on the two new cars,which, of course, remain in situ. The wipermotors are also replaced - they will berebuilt at the Oxley Traincare Centre.

Tuesday is an electrical day. Thepantograph tilt mechanism is replaced andthe inter-vehicle jumpers reconnected. TheLucifer solenoid valves that control the tiltmechanism are replaced, along with otherelectrical components.

Interestingly, the flexible jumper cableshave never been replaced. Manufactured byLPA Niphan Systems, the original cables arestill in use, three major rebuilds and 2.5million miles later! This speaks volumes forthe quality of the original cables. Othercomponents on the train have beenreplaced, but the original power jumpersjust keep soldiering on.

By Wednesday on the second week thetrain is ready for static testing. This continuesfor another two days before a dynamic testrun on Sunday, after which the whole traingoes off to the traincare centre in Liverpool.And, by this time, the next train has alreadyarrived for its H3 service.

Until 28 April 2013, it will be a neverending process.

Wheeling out aused bogie.

(Below)Withdrawing aninter-car couplerusing a specialtool.

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Developing Longsight

s well as being refurbished readyfor the major overhaul of Virgin’s

Pendolino fleet, Longsight depotneeded more work just toaccommodate the newly lengthened11-car sets.

This is just the latest in a series ofredevelopments on the site. The firstproper locomotive shed was built in1869 by the London & North WesternRailway, replacing an earlier 1840sstructure. It was brick built and had 12roads. Six years later a carriage shedwas built alongside the main line.

More investment followed in 1905,when a new 50-foot turntable and a

new engine shed were built for£30,000. A second turntable followed in1907, and a 13-road, 950 feet longcarriage shed was built next to the newengine shed. By 1912, Longsight washome to over 200 locomotives.

The locomotives changed, as did thedepot’s owners - the LMS in 1923 andBritish Railways in 1948. That same year,the North Shed received a new roofand in 1957 the South Shed wasmodernised for the new diesels. Thelast steam locomotive left Longsight inFebruary 1965 at around the time thatthe new Electric Traction Depot wasbuilt.

Recent enlargementAlstom took over the depot in 1999

and have steadily improved andextended it. In 2012, to accommodatethe new 11-car Pendolino sets,extensions were made to the facilities,including pits on two of the roads, amaintenance shed, and new ControlledEmission Toilet (CET) facilities whichalso supplies potable water to the fleet.

The multi-disciplinary project to

design and build the new CET facilitywas delivered in 12 weeks, on time andunder budget, with extremelychallenging logistics to ensure thedepot facility remained operationalthroughout. It was a fast track projectwith concurrent detailed design,stakeholder engagement, materialprocurement, specialist supplierinvolvement and construction.

Good team work and communicationwas demonstrated by all involved - thedesigner (Arup), end user (Alstom),client (Network Rail) and contractor(Babcock) all worked closely to producean efficient, buildable and practicablefacility to very challenging timescales.The environmental success of theproject can be measured by the 7000tonnes of spoil that was reused toconstruct a new access to West CoastMain Line, saving around £350,000 inlandfill taxes and enabling betteraccess for engineering and lessdisruption to passengers.

So Longsight continues to expandand develop. It will be interesting to seewhat comes next.

A


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ost heritage railways have littledifficulty in acquiring passenger

rolling stock. Carriages can either be ready-to-run surplus stock from the main line orolder vehicles that require extensiverenovation or rebuilding. However, keepingoperational or restored carriages in goodcondition is another ball game. Stablingthese outside or restoring them in the openair, with only a tarpaulin to give protectionbetween work periods, is the more normalscenario. Deterioration can occur quickly,making the time between overhauls evermore frequent.

The Bluebell Railway, being the oldeststandard gauge heritage line (MiddletonRailway excepted), has been mindful of thisproblem for some time. It owns more than25 operational carriages and has around thesame number of hulks scattered around therailway awaiting restoration at some futuretime. Whilst it has an excellent carriage andwagon workshop at Horsted Keynes, this sitewas never intended, nor is it big enough, toact as a carriage shed as well. Thus most ofthe fleet, including lovingly restoredVictorian and Pullman coaches inoperational use, have had to be stabledoutside in all weathers between turns ofduty. This situation is far from ideal.

Room for expansionTo the west (Up) side of Sheffield Park

station, where the Bluebell has itsHeadquarters, was an industrial site known

as Woodpax that made pre-prepared timber for theconstruction industry. Arationalisation of the firm’sactivities resulted in the sitebeing closed in 2001 andthe land made available forpurchase. The railway wasoffered the entire site but

lack of

finance didnot permit this. A new owner was foundand, as part of the deal, the Bluebell wasable to purchase the land at the rear of theUp platform. So the vision of a coveredcarriage shed emerged.

Obtaining the land was only the first step.Funding the design and construction of thebuilding was the second. Obtaining Lotterymoney seemed an obvious proposition butanyone who has applied for a HeritageLottery Fund (HLF) grant will know that it is atortuous path. Firstly it must be proven thatthe project has educational benefits and toachieve this, a new themed museum had tobe part of the package. Negotiations startedin 2002 and an award of nearly £3 million wasagreed in principle in 2004. It took until early2008 for the design work and planningapproval to reach the stage at which the HLFmoney could be confirmed, still with manyconditions attached. However work packagesand contracts could at least be progressed.

Building the shedThe design had to fit in with the

architectural style of Sheffield Park stationand appropriate standards were set out bythe Bluebell Railway trustees. A designcontract was awarded to Atkins, asprofessional help was seen as essential toensure the somewhat limited long butnarrow tract of land was used to maximumadvantage. This resulted in a three-trackshed of around 23,000 square feet, accessedfrom a headshunt but with the final set ofpoints partly contained inside the building.

Morgan Sindall was awarded the job ofmain contractor

operating from their Brightonoffice, with many other subcontractorsbeing appointed to progress the variousancillary works. The main shed building is atypical industrial unit with a series of steelframes clad in steel sheeting to blendsympathetically with the Up-side stationcanopy. This latter has been retained andextensively renovated although the waitingroom that held the original museum wasdemolished as it was in bad structuralcondition. Accompanying work includeddrainage, HLV, electrics, rainwater collection,provision of walkways and of course thelaying of track.

A special project team was set up andwork started in 2010 with building workcompleted by November 2011 and finaltracklaying early this year. The shedbecame operational in April 2012. This wasthe first project to be carried out under

M

Clive Kessellw r i t e r

(Above & left)Carriage andwagon workshopat Horsted Keynes.(Right) Interior ofthe new carriageshed.

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Hytec#.*#3#'%%*"6'3.()#9#":.8'"#*!"" #2"28&3/"#$. !#":4", .%/3' mechanical properties. Developed for fast track rail possession working, when deck and climate conditions are uncertain and 23*%/&-#3&4!#8&.(0"*#$!"&"#/%#4%/ ./+%+*#("4;#":.* *<#="" *# !"#>?#@3.' &34;#A,"4.5#43 .%/#B@CDECFGHCIJK#1%&#'%%*"6'3.(#systems. 4@5;>&<E'4&FGHIJHFMJGL

Moorcock Viaduct, Cumbria, UKHYTEC

Blackfriars Bridge, London, UKELIMINATOR

East London Line, London, UK ELIMINATOR & SENTINEL SABA

St Pancras Station, London, UKELIMINATOR

Stirling Lloyd’s Major Rail Projects include:


the new Bluebell Safety Verification byretired railwaymen with the requisitespecialist knowledge. It followed a logicalprocess to ensure all standards includingthe correct design materials had beenmet.

Preliminary and ancillary worksThe actual shed building work was

perhaps the easiest part of the project.Clearing the site and its approach tracks ofobstructions proved to be a major task. Firstto be moved was the portable buildinghousing the two Edmonson ticket printingmachines. A new wooden shed on asubstantial concrete base - the machines arevery heavy - has been constructed on spareland behind the main station building atnorth end of the Down platform. Nowknown as “The Print Room”, this is thepermanent home for the provisioning of allBluebell tickets.

Next to be re-accommodated was theBulleid Society shop located to the southside of the canopy on the Up platform. Acomplete new building has had to beprovided so as not to obstruct the near sideset of tracks leading into the shed.

More significantly has been the need torelocate the boiler wash-out pit. In itsexisting position south of the station, itwould have had to be incorporated into theheadshunt for the carriage shed, thusstopping any movement into or out of theshed whilst wash out work was in progress.The decision was taken to build a new

facility on

the other side of the line at the south end ofthe locomotive yard. This in turn meantdemolishing the collection of huts used byloco crew for messing and storage of parts.

Specialist contractors constructed apurpose built reinforced concrete pit withside wall lighting and with drains to a newseparator tank from where the boilerwater is cleaned of oil, grease and cindersbefore being discharged by pump into theland water drains. Space is severelyconstrained at this site and locomotiveshave to make two reverse moves beforeaccessing the pit, again requiring newtrackwork.

The provision of rainwater collection fromthe carriage shed roof has meant laying apipe route along the boundary fence to alarge tank installed adjacent to the old watertower. From here the water is pumped intothe water tower and, being entirely naturaland untreated, can be used safely inlocomotive boilers.

The final ancillary work is the constructionof a new staff amenities block to the east ofthe locomotive workshop. Not yet complete,this two story building will provide officeand dormitory accommodation forlocomotive department staff and volunteers.Completion is expected in 2013.

Carriage shed signalling andoperations

Using the new shed in its somewhatconfined space and siding configuration hasgenerated the need for new procedures.Entry to the headshunt is a signalled move

from Sheffield Park

signalbox located on the Down platformbut, once the train has made this move, arelease lever in the box enables shunting totake place back into the shed.

The three points giving access to thecarriage shed roads are hand operated butare also equipped with detectionequipment so as to add directioninformation to the shunt signal permittingmovement into the shed. This shunt signalhas a repeater at the far south end to enablethe locomotive driver to see where the trainis to be positioned. Carriages are hauled locofirst into the headshunt and then reversedback into the shed. A shunter must alwaysbe present to direct movements andprevent an overrun which could damage theend shed wall. The driver and shunter are intwo way radio contact.

The track nearest to the platform isreserved for the Golden Arrow Pullman trainwhere it can be serviced and provisioned.The other two tracks are used to stablewooden bodied coaches overnight and forperiods when the railway is closed. A total of16 full length (60’) carriages can beaccommodated. There is no public access tothe shed other than by viewing from theplatform or a window in the museum.

Nearing completionA complicated project is almost complete.

It has encompassed not only the building ofthe shed but other sub projects that werenecessary to clear the way. Without fundingfrom the HLF, the project would not havebeen possible, certainly in the timescaleachieved. Even with HLF help, the railwayhas needed sufficient financial reserves forthe project to succeed. When work is done,the contractors have to be paid includingVAT, and only then on sight of authenticatedbills will Lottery money be forthcoming andVAT can be reclaimed. Nonetheless, despiteall the hurdles, the Bluebell now has secureundercover accommodation for much of itsprecious carriage fleet and a number ofother new facilities as part of the package.

Thanks are due to Chris White, BluebellRailway infrastructure director, for his help inpreparing this article.

(Below) Carriageshed entranceshowing rainwatercollection pipe.(Inset) Newamenity block.


Bluebell Railway MuseumClive Kessellw r i t e r

he Bluebell Railway has had a museumsince its very nearly days. Situated in the

waiting room on the Up platform atSheffield Park station, it contained a numberof photographs, models and other relics,some connected with the Lewes - EastGrinstead line but mostly a haphazardcollection of material that had beenacquired or donated.With the plan to build a new carriage shedand the deteriorating condition of the oldwaiting room, providing a new and largermuseum became an integral part of thebigger project. The museum plans indeedbecame an important part of the Lotteryfunding since the educational aspects werekey to meeting HLF requirements.

The new museum is integrated into thenew carriage shed, being built between theUp platform canopy wall and the shed itself.Access is from the old waiting room doors

and the interior has been designed so that,upon entry, the ambience of the first sectionmatches the style of the canopy. Indeed, aninitial display is a full size replica of aVictorian ticket office complete with ticketracks and date stamp, candlestick telephoneand manual typewriter. In this section is ageographic display showing the history ofthe line from opening to the present day.

Formally accreditedA further two sections of the museum

building show: the development of railways,railways in Sussex, track and signaltechnology, railway catering and shippingservices, locomotive development withappropriate models and a final displayshowing the work to extend the line backinto East Grinstead, work that is now nearingcompletion. Video screens show the Bluebellhistory mainly in the preservation era and an

interactive screen enables visitors tounderstand the purpose and function ofsignalling including block working and thesetting of routes.

Beyond the museum building, at the northend, is access to the old Withyham signalbox from the closed East Grinstead -Groombridge line, which has been installedcomplete with lever frame and block shelf toshow how it was used as a block post andlevel crossing control. Museum curator TonyDrake explained that, although never soequipped in its operational days, theintention is to install a gatewheel to showhow crossing gates could be opened andclosed from within a signal box.

Since its opening in 2010, the newmuseum has gained many accolades for itsthemed presentations and has beenformally accredited by the National HeritageMuseum authorities.

T


he UK’s rail networks are getting busier.This is reflected in increasing activity

levels within depots, in turn placingincreasing burdens on depot staff andexisting infrastructure. Improvingproductivity and efficiency are therefore keyto reducing these pressures and to thecontinued successful operation of raildepots across the country.

Good planning, organisation andcommunication are essential factors in theeffectiveness of almost any team-basedwork. In depots, this co-ordination hashistorically been based around awhiteboard, usually located in a controlroom or supervisor office somewhere on-site. Information is handwritten upon thiswhiteboard, detailing train expected arrivalsand departures, together with the rollingstock maintenance tasks that need to becarried out.

This, of course, presents the challenge ofdissemination of relevant information tostaff working around the depot who cannotdirectly see the whiteboard itself. It is alsoopen to both the loss and corruption ofinformation, as it can be wiped off thewhiteboard, unclearly written and even justmisread. Simple, easy-to-make mistakes areinevitable, and could have a significanteffect on the depot’s output.

More work, more strainAs the depot gets busier, so does the

whiteboard, with new information beingproduced more frequently and the amountof information being displayed growing. Thisplaces increasing strain on the whiteboardsystem and those operating it - who have tojuggle updating the whiteboard with themultitude of other tasks they need to carryout. This obviously increases the likelihoodof errors being made. It also absorbsvaluable staff time in its administration,which could be more productively utilised ifreleased from the tedious manual updatingrequirements involved.

A modern, IT-based solution wouldtherefore seem a natural development, inthe same way that computer-basedapplications have been created for so manyother information processing and controlactivities. With the above issues in mind, UK-based rail technology company Zonegreenhas developed its Operator Planning Suite(OPS) specifically for use in rail depots.

Adding benefits, removing problemsZonegreen’s Operator Planning Suite

(OPS), a multi-user, web-based graphicaltask planning application, is designed to bea cost-effective replacement of thetraditional manual whiteboard. It has agraphical map layout representing thedepot on which users can position trainsand create and assign maintenance tasks,together with schedules for train arrivals anddepartures.

Instead of being physically handwritten ona board, all information is added to thesystem electronically. Entering changes andprogress reports is straightforward and easy,and they are automatically and immediatelyrecorded and updated, improving systemreliability and reducing the likelihood of anycommunication failures and breakdowns.

OPS instantly transmits all information toanywhere in the depot - or elsewhere. Itprovides up-to-the-minute information onany train in the depot including train ID, trainlocation within the depot, expected arrival

T

Whiteboardswritten off


and departure times and types ofmaintenance required. This real-timeoperation allows maintenance informationto be updated and displayed in an accurateand synchronised manner.

External accessThis leads to another feature of the

system, which is that more than one copyof the whiteboard can function at the sametime. Zonegreen’s OPS is a web-basedsystem using cloud technology - allowinganyone with suitable login credentials andan internet connection to access thesystem anytime, anywhere. The system hasvarious user levels allowing for differinglevels of user rights of operation andaccess.

As well as management and planningpersonnel, the system is useful to other staffworking in the depot. Tasks can be shown ineasy-to-read lists, making planning dailyworkloads simple. Graphical depot maplayouts allow easy identification of rollingstock as well as forming an intuitive platformfor the operation of the system.

It can also be beneficial to other areas ofan organisation located outside of thedepot, especially in large maintenanceorganisations or TOCs who can benefit fromhaving up-to-the-minute information easilyavailable to its various departments. Allinformation handled by OPS is securelyhosted online, instead of via any additionalhardware, so any equipment that has aninternet connection is able (with therelevant user login details) to access the

most up-to-date information in real-time -excellent for transmitting informationquickly and efficiently within anorganisation.

The OPS system also has the ability toproduce reports at the click of a button. Allmaintenance histories and logs are fullyrecorded, visible and traceable, allowing auser to produce complete activity reports forany specific vehicle or time period. Thissimple method of report generation has thepotential to save hours of filling inmaintenance forms and rifling throughpaperwork - the OPS system can do all thesearching. The traceability that the systemoffers by recording actions, and its facility for

report generation, removes the afore-mentioned risks of loss or distortion ofinformation inherently associated with theoperation of a traditional, manual wipe-clearwhiteboard.

With the Operator Planning Suite,Zonegreen, already widely known in the railindustry for its depot protection and pointsconverter systems, now provides anaffordable and dedicated solution, designedespecially for rail depots, to augment depotplanning, co-ordination and communicationwith the very latest in modern, web-basedtechnologies.

It’s time to throw out all thosewhiteboards…. -

Find out more at www.zonegreen.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)114 230 0822 Fax: +44 (0)871 872 0349 Email: [email protected]

• intuitive visual depot map layout platform

• instantaneous real-time information

updating and dissemination

• traceability through activity recording

and report generation

• simultaneous multi-user operability

• advanced web-based cloud technology

• releases valuable staff time for more

productive utilisation

Operator Planning Suite (O.P. S.) is the cost-effective, web-based replacement

for the whiteboard currently used to plan depot maintenance activity.

Features and benefits include:

the zonegreen

Operator

Planning

Suitetrain maintenance

planning for the

21st century

Old fashionedwhiteboardsystems are nowdue to be replacedby Zonegreen’sOperator PlanningSuite.


ritain has largely forgotten thatlocomotives can usefully pull passenger

trains. With most of the TOCs almostexclusively using DMUs and EMUs in variousconfigurations, the humble locomotive hasbeen primarily consigned to freight andwork trains.

But that is not true of other countriesaround the world. Even developed railwayssuch as DB in Germany still use locomotivesfor passenger services, gaining operationalflexibility as they do so. If a breakdownoccurs, or major maintenance is required,they just swap the loco - they don’t have thewhole train out of service.

So it is not really surprising that a modernrange of locomotives can sell in largenumbers. Bombardier alone has deliveredover 1,500 examples of its TRAXX family forfreight and passenger services in the last 12years.

With the various standards ofelectrification in different countries, thereare naturally different models. The TRAXX ACcovers 15kV and 25kV AC systems. The DCmodel is for 1.5kV and 3kV DC systems, and

there is even a Multi System model that willhandle all four supplies. And then, of course,there is the diesel-powered DE.

Now, a new model has made anappearance, the TRAXX DE ME. ME stands formulti-engine, as the new locomotive has notone diesel engine, but four.

Four? Why four?Just because the loco has four engines, it

doesn’t have to use all of them all of the time.It does when it needs full power, but whenpower requirements are low, such as whenrunning light or with an empty train, or

downhill, the excess engines can be simplyshut down, saving fuel and running time(and hence maintenance costs). Comparedto a single engine system, fuel consumptioncan be reduced by up to ten percent. Over 20years, this may generate savings of aroundone million Euros in a single locomotive.

Every one of the four engines in the newlocomotive is independent - it has its owngenerator, its own coolers, and its own fuelsupply. So when one or more engines are

shut down, the restkeep running.

It’s even clevererthan that. Whenmore power isneeded, and an extraengine has to bestarted, thecomputerautomatically selectsthe engine with thelowest running time,so as to keep theusage on all enginesas even as possible. Aneat touch thatkeeps maintenancecosts down.

Talking of costs, small engines are cheaperthan big ones. The ones in the new DE MEare C18s made by Caterpillar, which makesthem in large volume on a production line.

By the way, large and small are still relativeterms. The single-engine TRAXX DElocomotive uses an MTU 16V 4000 R41Lengine - 64 litres capacity and with anoutput of around 2,200kW (2,950bhp). The“small” engines are 18 litres each (72 litres intotal) with a total rated power of 2,252 kW.By way of comparison, a standard car dieselengine is doing well to get up to 100kW.

Another advantage of going for a high-

B

is better than14(Top/Bottom) Thenew TRAXX DE MEbeing assembled atKassel, Germany.(Middle) Thelocomotive has acentral aisle betweenthe four engines -very different from aconventionallocomotive.


volume engine is that they are produced tothe latest emissions specifications. TheCaterpillar C18s are certified to the Stage IIIBEU emission standard. The use of a sealedparticle filter system makes the TRAXX DEME one of the cleanest diesel locomotivesworldwide.

And of course, volume-produced industrialengines are mature designs, reliable andquick to repair. The maintenance costs areapproximately two thirds less than those of acomparable modern single-enginelocomotive.

And using smaller engines, of which one ormore may not be running at any one time,makes the whole thing quieter and reducesemissions.

Nothing is newHaving several engines in one locomotive

is not actually new. Bombardier has done itbefore, in various forms.

Between 1998 and 2003, 36 twin-enginedlocomotives were delivered to the Greeknational railway OSE which still uses themfor passenger transportation.

Bombardier also produces a TRAXX ACLast-Mile. This is a conventional AC-poweredelectric locomotive, but which has anonboard diesel engine as well. While itnormally runs underneath overhead lines,the additional engine allows it to bridgeshort distances, for example in cargoterminals or in harbours. The locomotiveactually has three power sources, as it alsorecovers braking energy to its batteries andthen reuses it.

And in North America, the TRAXX ALP-45DP dual power locomotives operate onpartly electrified routes in urban areas,where emissions are most annoying.Therefore, its two diesel engines are onlystarted where there is no overhead line,saving both diesel fuel and emissionswherever possible.

And it’s a TRAXXAs well as having the

new engineconfiguration, the newlocomotive benefitsfrom being part of theTRAXX family. UlrichJochem, the presidentof Bombardier’slocomotive businessunit, explained why.

“It can be configuredfor operation in differentcountries with the samemodules as our TRAXXelectric locomotives. Asa platform product, theTRAXX DE ME offersoperators the benefitsof long-term spare parts availability. Further,it offers savings due to commonality withina mixed fleet of TRAXX locomotives and ahigh residual value beyond the service life ofthe locomotive. Our TRAXX customers alsobenefit from the fact that we have asuccessful service network which extendsthroughout Europe.”

Future possibilitiesMr Jochem described how he saw this and

other concepts developing in the future.“Modern drive technology will permit us tooffer a completely different combination ofvarious sources for the output and storageof energy,” he commented. “For example, wecould imagine replacing the fourth engineof the TRAXX Diesel Multi-Engine with abattery storing re-utilised braking energy.

“Another important project on the waytowards the locomotive of the future is theEco Rail Innovation (ERI) Platform, which isintended to help achieve the zero emissiontarget of DB by 2050. The largest projectwithin the ERI initiative is the Energy TenderProject which addresses electrification

without overhead contact lines. We areextremely proud that this project will, fromnow on, be carried out with our support.One of our DB class 146.2 locomotives (aTRAXX P160 AC2) will serve as a testlocomotive.”

That sounds like another project whichthe rail engineer will be covering in thecoming months.

(Top) The firstbody, newlyarrived fromBombardier’sWroclaw plant.(Middle) Fittingout continues atKassel.


Improvedetwork Rail, quite rightly, imposesstrict limits on the axle loads of

freight wagons. This can cause loadingproblems for operators as not onlydoes the entire vehicle need to beloaded within limits, but the load has tobe evenly distributed otherwise oneend will be heavier than the other, andpossibly overweight.

Hanson Cement, part of HeidelbergCement group, had exactly thatproblem at its Ribblesdale works, nearClitheroe, Lancashire, compounded by

having an old railweighing system that wasalso unreliable.

David Holgate, worksengineering manager forHanson Cement,explained: “Due to theunreliability of thesystem, many of the railcars were under-filled toprevent the train weight exceeding thelimit set by Network Rail. This was acostly and uneconomical exercise.”

Hanson Cement therefore approachedweighing specialists Schenck Process.The brief was to have a solution that was“reliable, accurate and cost effective” andone that could be adapted to operateutilising their existing loading systemand within the existing confines of therail loading facility.

Design proposalThe Schenck Process team proposed

a static weighing solution that wouldutilise three individual weigh platformswhile having the facility to weigh asone weighbridge, if required. They hadto overcome the problems of beingable to fill two different types ofwagons, one a twin-bogie design witha gross weight of 100 tonnes (80 tonneworking capacity) and a conventionaltwin-axle 50 tonne wagon (38 tonneworking capacity). Both had to be filledusing the existing twin out-loadingspouts.

The final solution consists of three in-ground weigh platforms, measuring5m x 3m, 6m x 3m and 5m x 3m, givingan overall length of 16 metres. Eachplatform is fitted with four load cellscontrolled and monitored using theSchenk Process Disobox and Disomatsystem controller. These units enablethe facility to switch between eachplatform and measure individual or thetotal weights.

The operator selects which type ofwagon is to be filled. The systemautomatically tares each vehicle on

arrival on the weighbridge andprovides a tare weight record. Fillingstops when the preset full set point isreached and, after a short time delay toallow for any in flight material andsettling of material in the rail car, a finalgross weight is recorded. The operatorcan then print out either the individualweight records or a total weight of thetrain.

Low headroomAnother consideration that the

design team had to overcome was thelow head room under the twin silosand how the eight-tonne platformscould be manoeuvred and installedsafely into position above the pre-constructed in-ground pit. Newconcrete platforms were designed andmanufactured by Schenck Process.Within the design of eachweighbridge, the design engineershave included built-in inspectionpoints and preset lifting points tofacilitate installation.

The new weighbridge has providedHansen Cement with a totally reliableplant that has had no downtime sincebeing commissioned in late 2011. It hasalso improved train movement andlogistics with an increased number oftrains entering the site weekly anddelivering Hanson Cement to theirdistribution points within the UK.

David Holgate is pleased with theresult. “The system has provided a veryaccurate method of rail loading and railcar weighing as well as increasing theefficiency of the loading operation.”

N

Schenck Process UK Limited, Carolina Court, Lakeside, Doncaster, DN4 5RA, UK.

TEL: +44 (0) 1302 321 313www.schenckprocess.co.uk [email protected]

MULTIRAIL® Weighing &Sandbox Filling SystemsFor greater efficiency and reduced turn-round times

The re-filling of sand boxes or hoppers on trains and trams is an important factor to ensure the correct operation of the vehicle’s braking system and to assist with traction when there is slippy track conditions. The MultiRail® SandPiper mobile and static sand filling stations pneumatically pump sand direct into the sand box without the issues associated with manual handling methods.

MultiRail® systems also include static and dynamic weighing of train vehicles for a wide range of industrial applications.

weighing

nter any ‘traditional’ railwayworkshop, and one of the first

things to be careful about is that youdon’t fall into the inspection pit. Atrap for the unwary, and unpleasantplaces to work, pits have always beena necessary evil in workshops anddepots.

However, things are now changingfor the better. After many years’success developing the market forprefabricated pits for the commercialvehicle, bus, coach and car sectors,specialist manufacturer Premier Pitsbelieves that the rail sector could alsobenefit considerably from their use.Maintenance pits have beentransformed from being dirty, damp,holes in the ground intosophisticated pieces of maintenanceequipment.

New approach Premier Pits has developed a

design approach that can beadapted to any pit length andground condition, including piledsolutions where necessary. It takesinto account vertical static loads fromfloors and wheel loads plussurcharged loading fromsuperimposed loads along with earthand ground water lateral loading.

Dependent upon the depth of thepit and loading requirements,flexural and bending resistance iscatered for by the reinforcedconcrete that surrounds the pit, withthe reinforcement fixed to the pit inthe correct location prior to deliveryto site. The concrete is poured instages between the inner face andthe steel liner and the excavatedmaterial or shuttering.

Strengthening framework iswelded to the outer face of the steelliner, for which the pit design takesinto account any composite actiondeveloped between the concreteand steel liner. It could be said thatthe steel pit is a superior watertightpermanent shutter.

Significant advantagesThere are many advantages in

prefabricating a pit off-site asopposed to constructing a traditionalreinforced concrete design.• On site construction/installation

times reduced by up to 70%;

E

• The fully welded constructionguarantees that pits are watertight;

• Workshop fabrication enablesgreater dimensional accuracy;

• The inner pit surface is more robustand doesn’t crack and degrade overtime;

• Services such as lighting andpipework can be fitted prior toinstallation;

• The steel liner provides longer lifeexpectancy and reduced ongoingmaintenance;

• With the reinforcement fixed to thepit prior to delivery to site, there isno need for the workforce to enter

the excavation with a clear benefitto Health & Safety;

• Under chassis and bogey washdown option available.

There are now over 3,500installations supplied by Premier Pitsacross the UK, Europe and evenwider afield. Amongst theseinstallations are two 54 metre rail pitsat Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and pits foraircraft tow tugs weighing over 70tonnes.

Next time you see a pit, don’t justtry not to fall in. Instead, stand backand admire the engineering.

Tel: +44 (0)1775 821222www.premierpits.com

Premier Pits is a division of MBE Fabrications Ltd

THE UK’S LEADING MANUFACTURER AND INSTALLER OF PREFABRICATED VEHICLE P ITS

Premier Pits’ prefabricatedvehicle pits offer the following benefits:

• Guaranteed water tight• Very quick installation• High quality finish• Improved efficiency • Unlike lifts, minimal maintenance costs

Range - ATF/ATL, working, maintenance, inspection andrail pits also the new under chassis washing package. Plusa wide range of accessoriesand safety products.

For further information on our prefabricated pits please visit www.premierpits.com

It’s (no longer)The Pits


22 | the rail engineer | october 2012 feature

e are operating more trains andmoving more passengers and freight

than ever before and our asset performanceis at an all time high. We are reducing thenumber of incidents that affect trainperformance as well as our operating costswhile undertaking record levels of renewalsand we have a large and expandingprogramme to increase capacity.

So why the headlines about “fines for poorperformance”?

Well, even though train performancecontinues to improve, we are not going tomeet all the punctuality targets set by ORRback in 2008 for the current five year ControlPeriod (CP4). Perhaps that’s not surprising ona more congested network when many of thetargets did not anticipate the growth we haveseen. However, we must do, and are doing, allwe can to meet our own revised internaltargets and to get as close as we possibly canas an industry to those set for us for CP4.

Punctuality is clearly critical to passengersatisfaction, which is why we are quitepleased with the progress we have actuallymade in improving the Public PerformanceMeasure (PPM) and Cancellation andSignificant Lateness (CaSL) measures,recognising there is yet more we can do. Butalso important to passenger satisfaction arefrequency, capacity, journey time, stoppingpatterns, interconnections, consistency,evening and weekend availability and theaccess we need to do essential maintenanceand renewals. And cost.

As this article will illustrate, many of theseare now valued as highly by our customersas further increases in punctuality muchbeyond what we are currently achieving.That is partly why we have different targetsin the joint performance plans we havedeveloped with our customers. The debatehas moved on. We certainly need a differentapproach for CP5, 2014-2019.

There are four main parts to running arailway. It all starts with the timetable whichis planned and updated twice a year toaccommodate new services and to reflectwhat we have learned in analysing delayswith current performance. Then we need tohave the infrastructure in the best possiblecondition and minimise external eventssuch as cable theft and fatalities andmitigate the impact of more extremeweather. Third is the seamless operation ofthe timetable by our signallers andcontrollers together with drivers and stationstaff to keep to the plan. And then we allneed to respond quickly when somethingmore serious happens - and keep doing allof this relentlessly, day in day out.

Timetable structure We have two. They are closely related but

have important differences. And, if either ofthem is substandard, then everything thatfollows is much harder.

The GBPRT (Great Britain Passenger RailTimetable) is what passengers see andexpect and what PPM is measured against. Itis also the basis for the delay compensationmechanism between Network Rail and thetrain operators.

The Working Timetable (WTT) is theinternal timetable or operating plan andreflects the actual engineering andoperating characteristics of theinfrastructure and trains. It is built up frommany component parts (e.g. linespeed, traincharacteristics, stopping patterns) to createoverall journey times. Trains are actuallyoperated to this timetable.

Distributed within the journey times thatmake up the WTT are some small additionaltime allowances, typically a minute here orthere, to help manage each train and theoverall network on the day. These mightreflect operating conflicts at junctions orstations, or they might take account of thelikelihood of a Temporary Speed Restriction(TSR) after a planned track renewal orbecause of poor track quality or otherreasons such as the sighting at a levelcrossing. There are further allowancesbetween the WTT and the GBPRT (known as“Public Timetable differentials”) whichtypically reflect the commercial needs ofoperators. Their size and location are at theOperators’ discretion. It follows that journeytimes in the GBPRT will invariably be longerthan in the WTT with the planneddifferences being fixed at given locationsalthough the actual differences may occurelsewhere.

Developing and refining the WTT is askilful and complex task.

What is delay? The average attributed delay for the

network is less than two minutes per train.That may seem surprisingly low but makessense in the round. On a typical weekday weoperate around 22,000 trains and NetworkRail causes roughly 22,000 minutes ofattributed delay, and the TOCs cause half asmuch again. So, after allowing for freight,around 1.5 average delay minutes a trainseems about right. But of course that isagainst the GBPRT, which already had thefew minutes of allowances against the WTT.

A further complication is that we measuretwo types of delay - delays (and cancellations)caused by an incident and the delayattributed to (or cancellation of) an individualtrain. They are related but rather different.

For an incident (e.g. a points failure, fatalityor TSR) we record the cumulative impact onall the trains affected, each one by a differentamount. And some of the delays may beincurred a long way from the location of theincident and much later - a few hundredmiles away and several hours later is quitepossible.

The attributed delay to a train is specific tothat train along its journey. It may be“primary” delay, because the train is directlyand immediately affected by an incident onthe route, or “reactionary” delay when thedelay is transferred from a different incidentelsewhere by other trains. Over the last fewyears we have seen a massive growth inreactionary delay, reflecting the morecongested network.

Measuring delays We are measured against the Public

Performance Measure (PPM) of each trainand the aggregate number of delay minuteswe cause. PPM has different timebandsdepending on the nature of the train service.

The industry’s systems firstly record howeach train is running compared to its WTTtimetable at regular points along its journey.When the degree of lateness in a recordingsection (known as a “Trust” section) is threeminutes or more of real delay, the systemasks for the cause of such delays to becaptured through the delay attributionprocess. Delays of less than three minutes(“sub threshold” delays) are normally notattributed. There are roughly as many delayminutes recorded that are above as belowthe threshold.

An individual train’s lateness against theGBPRT at certain monitoring points is alsorecorded - usually where it makesintermediate stops and of course at the endof the journey. And then what is called“average lateness” is computed. This is ablend of all the lateness recorded for alltrains run in that service group, against theGBPRT timings at monitoring points alongthe route, weighted by expected trafficloadings.

The very important next step is theallocation between Network Rail and theTOC of average lateness of trains against theGBPRT which is based on the Trust delays forincidents on the day as picked up fromdelays against the WTT. It is this attributedaverage lateness that is used for the delaycompensation calculations.

Analysing delays We spend a lot of time on this so it is worth

reviewing some of the tools we use. Thearrival bell curve is a fundamentalmeasurement tool for analysis.

W

PressurePerformance

Theon

w r i t e rRobin GisbyNetwork Operations MD, Network Rail

october 2012 | the rail engineer | 23feature

The aim is clearly a steep curve with a lowtail and as many trains as possible beforeeither the 5 or 10 minutes “late” used tomeasure PPM. Poor regulation, extendeddwell times, loss of time in running and TSRsare some of the many causes of more trainsarriving beyond the cut-off point. When PPMslips below a target, a relatively smallpercentage actually moves to just the otherside of the cut-off point.

A second useful tool is to look at theaccumulation of delays along a route for aparticular train. An example of these“washing line” graphs charts 95 separateruns of Virgin’s 14.15 Manchester - Londonand shows the percentage of trains that arewithin different time bands (left hand scale)compared with the right time path andwhere the allowances are (right hand scalein minutes).

The difference between averagelateness and PPM

The average lateness is designed tomeasure, as accurately as possible, theaverage lateness of a person disembarkingfrom that train. For this reason it measuresthe lateness of each train not just at itsterminus, but also at the key locations on itsjourney. Each location is given a weightingbased on the proportion of peopledisembarking at that station - a London toAberdeen train would be measured atPeterborough, Doncaster, York, Newcastle,Edinburgh and Dundee and the averagelateness, and therefore the delaycompensation cost, will depend much moreon the performance at these intermediatestations than the lateness of the trainarriving at Aberdeen. Note also that averagelateness is an absolute measure so every

minute of lateness counts - the threshold forinclusion is “on time” not the PPMbandwidth.

This compares to PPM which onlyconsiders how late the train is at destination.For many trains the number of peoplegetting off at the final destination might berelatively low. Thus, where allowances areback-end loaded in the timetabled journey,a train may have poor punctuality along theroute but could end up with reasonablePPM.

Delay compensation Once the systems have calculated the

types and levels of delay a financial value isthen ascribed. This is known as “Schedule 8”within the track access agreements. Theindustry’s performance regime is designedto make sure that the TOC has no windfall

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Path Allow

Perf Allow

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Time-to-15

Time-to-10

Time-to-5

Time-to-2

Right Time

Example of a trainservice measuredat 0-5 minutesPPM performing at92% PPM and 3%CaSL.

Below: ‘Washingline’ graph charting95 separate runs ofVirgin’s 14:15Manchester toLondon service.

Arrival Bell Curve, 0-5 PPM service

Punctuality v WTT - Weekdays 12th December 2011 - 21st April 20121A42 14:15 Manchester - London (Arrives 16:20)

Key


gain or cost from unexpected Network Railperformance and so it is based on a linkbetween performance and user-ship andtherefore TOC revenue. It should be neutralduring this control period if performancetargets are met. There is a netting off eachmonth and (previously at least!) Network Railtypically pays money during Winter andAutumn when performance tends to bepoor and receives money during the rest ofthe year.

Overall this creates a situation where itmight appear that four aspects of theperformance regime are now rather morestacked against Network Rail:• It is responsible for external events

(including weather, cable theft etc) andthese have not reduced in incidence;

• Network Rail tends to be responsible forbigger incidents which are themselvesgetting larger. They have a morepronounced increase in delay per incident(DPI) from a tighter network and morestretched industry resources. Also the typeof incident attributed to Network Railusually shuts more of the network - it canbe easier to work round a failed train thana fatality or signalling fault;

• Its benchmarks are getting tighter and theTOCs are not;

• As the allowances get squeezed betweenthe GBPRT and the WTT a payout is morelikely if the regime is not recalibrated.

What has changed in the last fewyears?

Given this background it is worth lookingat what has changed since the targets wereset before the start of Control Period 4. Thetable above shows the variance in 2011/12against the CP4 assumptions for that year.

Firstly it is worth noting that, although thetargets are being missed, PPM overall hasincreased by around 1.5% in CP4 and thatthe growth in train miles (originally plannedand additional) is now 8.4%. Making thebroad assumption that the changes in trainmiles, trains run and passenger loadings aresimilar this indicates that the absolutenumber of trains or passengers deliveredwithin PPM over the last couple of years hasincreased by around 10% or nearly 2000trains a day. The industry is not getting creditfor this.

The significant implication is that thenetwork is simply busier, making it moredifficult to keep to time after an incident.And the other factors mentioned in theopening section are now more valued byoperators than further increases inpunctuality alone.

A perhaps surprising number of trains arestill arriving on time or early. But the arrivalsbell curve graph has shifted to the right byan average of about one minute in the last12 months. The important detail is wherethe line crosses the +10 minute mark.Network Rail is now engaged in a massiveeffort to try and move what is already quite aflat tail by a very small amount (down and tothe left) to raise the area under the curve (upto the +10 minute cut off) from around 88%to 92% by the end of the control period. Thisindicates how we are now dealing with verysmall margins.

ComplicatedI am sure there are many more mature

readers who are now thinking a) this is all far more complicated that it

used to be or need be and b) if you have to understand all this then

how can you have time to run the railwayand

c) simply focussing on the precision of aright time railway with a good timetable,professional signalling and excellent assetcondition will make everything else comeright.

And they would be correct. So let me assure everyone that we will

continue to do all we can to drive upperformance. And of course there is a strongcounterargument to what I have set outabove. With a few minutes in the hourbetween the WTT and the GBPRT and afurther 5 minutes for a time to 5 PPM servicethere is a lot of scope to get it right. This isthe perfectly reasonable argument ofPassenger Focus and others - the industryshould not be claiming that five minutes lateis “on time” hence we have also started toreport “right time”.

But the continued success of the railwayhas moved us all to a position in whichfocussing solely on a couple ofperformance metrics is necessary but nolonger sufficient. Especially when thesetargets were set four years ago and giventhe growth we have seen since. There areother important factors to balance inrunning the network. We have importanttrade offs to make between performance,capacity and cost.

In this article, Robin Gisby has explained thechallenges faced by Network Rail inmonitoring and measuring punctualityperformance against set targets. Next month, the rail engineer will look at thesteps being taken from an engineering pointof view to minimise those delays.

Table showing thevariance in

2011/12 actualfigures against CP4

assumptions forthe same year.

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26 | the rail engineer | october 2012 track & drainage

under control

s a railway civil engineer, one of mygreatest concerns related to the

condition of the earthworks on my patch. Afailure of an embankment or cutting slopecould cause severe risks to the safety andoperational integrity of the railway under mycare.

For engineers on the UK rail system, this isprobably a greater issue than for those of manyother countries. Britain pioneered thedevelopment of modern railways in thenineteenth century and suffers for this in manyways. Our tight structure gauge is well known,but is not the only difficult legacy that we haveinherited from our Victorian forebears. We alsohave to manage other challenges resulting fromthe fact that our railways were built very early inthe engineering learning curve.

Not least among these challenges are thoserelating to earthworks. These include earth androck slopes that were constructed at angles farsteeper than hindsight shows us they reallyought to have been, embankments formedfrom materials of doubtful and very mixedquality, and railway corridors narrower than

desirable. The drainage arrangementsoriginally constructed were also often less thanadequate, and over the passage of time manyof them have become obstructed, neglectedor forgotten.

As a consequence, the management ofbanks, cuttings and rock faces on the nationalnetwork has always been a challenge, anddisruptive failures have been too common.

Defining earthworksTony Wilcock is head of civils asset

management (geotechnical) for Network Rail,so he has the task of managing andimproving this situation. He acknowledgesthat, in general terms, Railtrack did not inheritgood asset records of earthworks anddrainage from British Rail, nor was there whatwould now be recognised as a systematicregime of inspections in place for these assetsat the time of the handover. Since then, underboth Railtrack and Network Rail, great effortshave been made to change this. About tenyears ago a formal inspection regime wasintroduced for earthworks (including rock

cuttings) similar to that which was wellestablished for other structures such asbridges, tunnels and retaining walls.

An earthwork is recognised as beinganything of at least 3 metres height or depth,and each one is divided into lengths of fivechains (about 100 metres) for inspection andrecords purposes. The ongoing inspectionfrequencies for each site are determinedaccording to the condition found. The worstsites are now the subject of an annual routineinspection regime, better ones beinginspected less frequently. Of course, if anearthwork deteriorates seriously, annualinspection may not be sufficient and it maybe made the subject of much more frequentinspection and monitoring until its conditioncan be rectified, just as would occur with abridge that was in a serious state.

Asset inspectionAbout five years ago, Network Rail decided

to adopt an asset scoring system forearthworks. This was designed to support themanagement of the large earthwork assetinventory by making it easier to compareearthworks of different types and by ensuringconsistent marking of common featuresirrespective of the earthwork type. Forexample, there are now standard ways toreport animal infestation or vegetationproblems for cuttings and embankments orany other earthworks. This is extremely usefulto the company and its stakeholders whenconsidering priorities and funding for thenetwork as a whole, taking account of allasset types.

Detailed information is collected about each5-chain length of earthwork and entered intoa handheld data logger. Information collectedincludes height, slope, animal activity,vegetation present, earthwork drainage (ifany) and details of any failure indicators. Theinformation entered feeds into an algorithmwhich generates an asset condition score forthat length. Based upon these scores, the

A

Train passing aMaccaferri rock fallcatch fence on theapproach toCumberworthTunnel, SouthYorkshire.

Bringing earthworks

october 2012 | the rail engineer | 27track & drainage

assets are categorised as poor, marginal orserviceable and it is this categorisation whichdetermines the future inspection frequency.

Network Rail now has formal earthworksasset data covering the last ten years .Treating each side of the line separately(factors such as height may vary significantlybetween one side of the line and the other)

there are just under 10,000 miles ofearthworks, a total 160,000 individual 5-chainlengths. Roughly speaking, there areearthworks on about half the 10,000 routemiles of the network. About 90% of themhave now been scored under the currentsystem, and the remainder will be includedvery soon as the inspection regime continues.

Those that have yet to be included will be thestructures at lowest risk, of course, as thesewill be those that are subject to the leastfrequent inspections.

All this information has borne fruit. Thecompany has been much better able tojustify funding for earthworks-relatedactivities as a result of having high-quality

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(Right) Bauxitewagons derailed at

Loch Trieg.


asset information in a format consistent withthe other asset data it holds, and in CP4 thebudget for earthworks has been £450m. Thiswill have enabled remedial works to around2½ million square metres of earthworks bythe time the control period ends.

Drainage surveyA similar story to that of earthworks relates

to the past inspection of track and structuresdrainage, and Network Rail recognised this.An integrated drainage programme wasinitiated, leading to a rapid national survey. Itwas decided that where possible this shouldbe undertaken by in-house staff as this wouldenable them to gain valuable first handunderstanding of the drainage assets forwhich they are responsible. In-houseresources being unavailable in Wessex, thesurveys on this route have been undertakenby WaterFlow.

A training programme was undertaken byMWH UK to give the staff improvedknowledge about drainage and give themthe required skills in using the data loggingdevices. These devices are GPS enabled and,like those used for earthworks, require data tobe entered in a standard format to ensurecomplete and consistent data collection.Collected data is fed into a version of theNetwork Rail’s Ellipse work scheduling toolwhich has been specially developed fordrainage assets. Currently about 80% of thenetwork’s drainage has now been surveyed ata cost of about £3m.

In addition, Network Rail has beenundertaking topographical surveys of itsnetwork and surrounding lands to enable itto identify high-risk natural slopes adjacent toNetwork Rail boundaries. Techniques such asaerial LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging)surveys are also feeding data into systemssuch as the water concentration database.This identifies additional risks to the network,such as from external watercourses, drainageditches or reservoirs on adjacent land.Information is collected in a WERM (Washoutand Earthflow Risk Management) database.Work like this will enable the company toextend its risk management beyond theconfines of its own land boundaries.

In due course, this work should lead to themanagement of risks such as those which ledto the Loch Trieg derailment earlier this year.In that incident a Class 66 locomotive and 5bauxite wagons ran into a landslide that hadoriginated in a natural slope outside theNetwork Rail boundary. Boulders in thewashed down material led to the derailmentof the train.

All this is enabling the development of aproper five-year asset management plan fortrack and structures drainage for CP5. It willallow the company to make a credible bid forfunding for drainage for that control period,the first time that this has been possible. Alltrack engineers recognise that good andlasting track condition is not possible withouta well drained trackbed. However, without adetailed asset record, it has sometimes beendifficult to justify and obtain sufficient budgetto undertake all the work required.

External assistanceNetwork Rail is not doing all of this on its

own. The company has been using theresources and expertise of a number ofexternal organisations. Mott MacDonald andArup have both been involved in assisting inthe development of the relevant policies.Amey has the national contract for theexamination of earthworks, and employsaround seven examinations engineers andabout 35 examiners for the purpose. JBAConsulting holds the asset managementdatabase and has been helping to develop

asset data collection systems for Network Railfor about 10 years. Their work has resulted inthe current web based set-up using handhelddevices for data input.

What has been the outcome of all this inpractical terms thus far? Well, since theearthworks asset data collection regimebegan roughly 10 years ago, and up until thisyear, there was a consistent falling trend inincidents involving earthworks. The 28 suchincidents in 2011-12 was the lowest figure for7 years. Unfortunately the severe weatherconditions of 2012 have caused a reversal ofthe trend, with about 40 incidents to date thisyear. Given that rainfall across the UK in Aprilwas three times the average for that month,June had double the average and July muchthe same, this picture is not surprising.

There does seem to be evidence that theclimate in the UK is trending towards moreextreme weather. Not only do there seem tobe more periods of very intensive rainfall,some of them very localised and severe, butalso there appear to be more periods ofdrought. The latter can exacerbate the formerby causing cracks and other forms ofweakness in earthworks that make themmore likely to fail when heavy rainfall doesoccur.

Further afieldNetwork Rail is not leaving things to chance.

As well as taking care to thoroughlyinvestigate all incidents itself and learn thelessons from them, and ensuring that theytake full heed of any further lessons fromother investigations such as those of the RAIB,the company is looking further afield forunderstanding. Network Rail has beenbenchmarking its activities against otherrailway administrations in Europe andelsewhere and Tony considers its approach tobe better than most that he has seen.

Work is also being undertaken with otherrailways in countries where more severeclimatic conditions already prevail. One suchcountry is Hong Kong, and Network Rail isactively engaged in learning from theexperiences of railway managers there incountering the effects of severe weather.

The results of these benchmarkingactivities, the lessons learned form failureinvestigations and the studies of practicesabroad are being fed into revised companystandards and policies to deliver better futureoutcomes.

All told, Network Rail is taking a professionaland pro-active approach to mitigating risksand improving performance, rather thanreacting to incidents. The peak season forearthworks asset inspections is November toApril (due to the die back of vegetation), soTony and his colleagues are going to have avery busy winter.

(Top right) The topof the exposedblind shaft atLindal Tunnel andabove fitting rockbolts and netting.

he Crossrail project is much in thenews at the moment, as it will be for

some years to come. A new, full-sizedrailway running under London intunnels, it will naturally throw up a lot ofchallenges for railway engineers.

With trains running on metal rails onsteel track bolted to the concrete floor ofthe tunnel, one of those challenges willbe how to minimise vibrations and anyaccompanying noise nuisance.

These vibrations normally lie within thefrequency range of 30 to 250 Hz, withthe range from 50 to 125 Hz being themost critical. Such vibrations can causethe walls and floors of nearby buildingsto vibrate and to emit a humming soundthat is designated as structure-bornenoise (or secondary airborne noise) andwhich can be extremely unpleasant.

Good track design can help to reducevibrations and structure-borne noise. Asmuch as possible, this should beindependent of the type of rolling stockin use.

Attenuation of these vibrations can beachieved by using an effectivemechanical filter. Installing a resilient

layer below the superstructure producesonly one dominant trackform resonancewhich suppresses all other trackformresonances at higher frequencies. This isshown in the diagram, which comparestrackform dynamics caused by resiliencewithin the track structure to thatgenerated using a resilient supportsystem below the track structure - in thiscase the RHEDA RX system from Germanmanufacturer RAIL.ONE. The chart showsa smooth plot of insertion loss above thezero-crossing point (the onset ofisolation), which is independent of theother resilient elements in the tracksuperstructure and of the unsprungmass of passing trains.

System structureRAIL.ONE - together with RockDelta, a

company in the Rockwool Group - hasdeveloped the RHEDA RX systemspecifically to give effective attenuationof vibrations produced by passing trains.It is based on the proven RHEDA familyof ballastless track which was firstinstalled in 1972 at the railway station atRheda in Germany, hence the name.

This special version, RHEDA RX, wasespecially developed to attenuatestructure-borne noise for metro trainswith speeds of up to 100 km/h and axleloads of up to 18 metric tonnes. Thissolution is designed as a mass-springsystem and consists of a track concrete

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(Below left) Chart comparingresilience within the tracksuperstructure and below it.

slab with integrated bi-block sleepers thatrest with full-surface support on RockXolid®rock-wool based mats.

The rock wool based mats perform twofunctions. Firstly, they decouple the trackstructure from the tunnel, thereby providingthe desired vibration isolation level. Secondly,they give the required resilience to the overallsystem. The appropriate mat thickness isselected as part of the design of the mass-spring system, particularly the relationshipbetween the required mass and stiffness.Currently 30mm, 50mm and 80mm thickmats are available.

As well as having outstanding static anddynamic properties, the rock wool corematerial, which is inorganic, naturallycompressible, chemically inert and creep-free,has a long service life and is insensitive toclimatic factors such as water, ambienttemperature and ultraviolet light. It is fire andsmoke safe, as it withstands more than1,000°C, and the underlying mat can evenform part of the internal drainage system.

InstallationThe cramped space in tunnels results in

difficult conditions for the supply andhandling of construction materials. RHEDA RXis designed to overcome these constraints byreducing the volume and weight of thematerials, accessories, and machines requiredon the construction site. The RockXolid® matsare pre-sized in the production plant and canusually be laid by hand on the constructionsite, without use of machines. The mats arethen covered with sheeting to protect themfrom fresh concrete during track constructionas this could otherwise produce acousticbridges. The mats can be walked and drivenon, which simplifies the construction process.

Depending on the thickness of the trackconcrete slab and the installation processselected, construction may take place in oneor two stages. Relatively thick slabs aredivided into two layers. The next step ispreparation of the track panel, which consistsof sleepers, rails, fastenings, and - if required -reinforcement. Assembly of the track panelscan be undertaken either directly on-site, orin advance off-site.

After rough alignment of the track, theremaining components, such as drainage andearthing, are installed. Precise verticaladjustment is performed by means ofspindles which are integrated into the

sleepers.Horizontaladjustment takesplace byadjustablesupports bracedagainst specialbearers,althoughsimultaneousvertical andhorizontaladjustment canalso be madeusing a spindle-bracketmounted on therail foot. Usingthese, the track

can be positioneddown to the millimetre. Once aligned, thetrack concrete layer is poured, integrating thesleepers into the finished slab. After theconcrete has cured, the spindles are removedand the remaining holes are sealed. One ortwo days later, depending on the mix of theconcrete, associated work such as theinstallation of signal systems and powersupplies can be undertaken.

Acoustic attenuationOnce complete, the RHEDA RX system

provides an effective mechanical filter belowthe track superstructure that dominates thedynamic characteristics of the entire tracksystem. This is due to the greater mass abovethe resilient layer.

Using an advanced multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) based pipe-in-pipe modeldeveloped by the University of Cambridge,the benefits of this solution can be clearlydemonstrated. Amongst other things, thismodel determines the insertion loss forvibration isolation - shown here as a colour-coded cross-section diagram - for threeselected RHEDA RX variants. Thisdemonstration model is based on a tunnel ata depth of 40 metres with one RHEDA RX

track on which runs a typical metro train. Theconcrete slab thickness is 500 mm, and it iselastically supported on 30mm (MFS), 50mmand 80mm thick RockXolid. The diagramshows predictions of vibration-isolationinsertion loss of up to 25 dB for a typicallycritical frequency of 63 Hz.

Design of the system is always project-related and must take numerousvibration-related parameters intoconsideration. The MDOF track modelprovides prediction of the vibration-isolationinsertion loss and helps to define the bestcombination of slab thickness and mat typefor each project.

Maintenance and service lifeWith the exception of the rails themselves,

no special maintenance measures arerequired for the central components of theRHEDA RX system - the concrete slab and thenon-exchangeable rock-wool based matslocated between the slab and the tunnelinvert. A Norwegian field study has beenundertaken which proved the long-term lifeand efficiency of the system, and the matswere tested for fatigue resistance with up to100 million load cycles. Results showed thatthe values for dynamic stiffness were virtuallyidentical at the beginning and at the end ofthe tests.

The resilience in the system considerablyreduces the loads placed on the railfastenings, which results in a significantlengthening of their service lives. All fasteningcomponents are accessible at all times andcan be disassembled and replaced. Similarly,work on the rails can be carried out as normal,with no special considerations due to theRHEDA RX system.

And the reduction in vibration, and noisenuisance, will be very welcome to all who liveand work close to busy metro systems.

Wojciech Nawrat is head of research anddevelopment, RAIL.ONE Group, GermanyKevin Bo Gatzwiller is technical director atRockDelta (Rockwool A/S), Denmark


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The componentsof the RHEDA RXsystem.

Predictions ofvibration - isolationinsertion loss forthe RHEDA RXvariants.

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69617 KL Rail Professional 307x220mm_Layout 1 27/09/2012 11:12 Page 1

he Olympics and Paralympics are over,and life on the railways can now get

back to normal. That, of course, means night-time and weekend possessions as thenever-ending job of maintaining andrenewing the railway continues apace.

However, not everything stopped duringthe Olympic period. Certainly, there was ahold put on disruptive work on the mainfeeder routes into London, and the south-eastern area in general. But, further north,that simply meantthat more work wasdone on non-criticalroutes. High outputmachines werediverted to freightlines, where morework was actuallydone than normal.

To see what washappening in themiddle of theOlympicshutdown, the railengineer went offto a mixed trafficline near Selby inYorkshire. SouthMilford is on theLeeds to Hull line,near where it crosses the East Coast MainLine at Milford Junction. It is a passengerroute used by both First Transpennine andNorthern, and also carries 8.5 EMGTPA(equivalent million gross tonnes per annum)of freight, mainly coal.

Over time, the ballast has deteriorated dueto the tonnage of freight that is carried onthat route, and also from the coal dust thatdrifts down from passing wagons. Withoutintervention, a temporary speed restrictionwould have been required.

Track DeliveryThe job of replacing the ballast falls to

Network Rail’s track delivery team. This ispart of the new Network Rail InfrastructureProjects organisation and is headed up bySteve Featherstone, with a budget of £600million per annum. Its primary role isdelivering condition-driven renewals ofplain line rail, sleepers and ballast, usingboth conventional and high output means,and switches and crossings.

Track delivery is divided into four regions,with Ben Brooks managing the LNE and EastMidlands (EM) routes. Meeting Ben at theNetwork Rail offices in Doncaster, heexplained some of the challenges that trackrenewals teams have in general.

“Introducing the seven day railwayconcept has been exactly the right thing todo - moving passengers when they need totravel is our primary purpose as a railwayafter all. We’ve reduced our typical weekendrenewal durations from 30 hours to 16 forconventional renewals on primary routes,with a maximum of eight hours available onweekday evenings. This is why the highoutput track renewals fleet is so important

to us - this machinery can deliver

effectively in eight hours with adjacent linesopen safely, achieve high hand-back speedsand minimise the likelihood of networkdisruption.”

Ben currently has three high-outputmachines in his area, one ballast cleaner andtwo track renewal systems. Like all the highoutput machines, they belong to NetworkRail but are operated by Amey-Colas under acontract that runs from January 2010 toMarch 2014.

Conventional renewals on Ben’s LNE andEM routes are contracted out to Babcock,which had won the contract which also runsto March 2014 after Jarvis folded in April2010. In total, Babcock delivers 50% of thenational track renewals programme. ItsDoncaster Shaw Lane depot delivers moreS&C and more conventional plain line thanany other depot in the country, and set arecord by installing 1002 yards of plain trackin 9.5 hours on the Boston to Skegness routelast summer.

There must be something about beingbased in Doncaster. Amey-Colas has also setrecords from its Doncaster depot, at GresleyHouse. In one midweek, eight-hourpossession earlier this year, 800 yards ofballast was cleaned using the same Plasser &Theurer RM900 high output ballast cleanerthat was now working at South Milford.

But, just to show that not only Doncaster-based teams can break records, thisSeptember the high output team located inNewcastle delivered 968 yards of rail andsleeper replacement using a track relayingsystem on the Newcastle - Carlisle line. Thereseems to be some healthy inter-team rivalrygoing on.

T

Olympic

NigelWordsworth

w r i t e r

Renewals

The High OutputBallast Cleaner islong. The worksite,in the distance isactually onlyhalfway down thetrain.

(Left) Rigging thecutter bar in theprepared excavation.(Right) HOBC inoperation.


High OutputTo call high output systems “trains” is no

misnomer. At 845 metres long, andweighing 3,200 tonnes, the ballast cleaner isover three times as long as one of the newThameslink trains (243m) that are soon to beordered from Siemens. Each system costsover £50 million, and has an operating crewof 15 plus one fitter.

In a normal midweek shift, a ballast cleanercan deliver 300-500 metres, and 600-800metres in a 16 hour weekend shift. That isover 20 kilometres in an 11 week campaign.

However, don’t think that 800 metres in 16hours means that the train runs at 50 metresper hour - it is not that simple.

Ballast cleaning explainedA ballast cleaner works by scooping out all

the ballast under a section of track, using acutting chain. The old ballast is recoveredinto the train where it is shaken throughscreens so all the dust and small stones areremoved. The ballast which is still the correctsize is returned to the trackbed, and newballast is mixed with it to restore the correctvolume.

The working section of the train isroughly in the middle. In front of it is a rowof empty wagons which will take thediscarded small stones and dust, known asspoil. All the wagons are fed by conveyorbelts that run the length of that section of

train - when one wagon is full the spoil isautomatically taken to the next emptyone.

Behind the centre section is a row of identicalwagons, but these are already filled with freshballast. As it is required, the conveyors bringnew ballast forward to be mixed with thatwhich was recovered in the cleaning section.

How much work a train can do dependson the percentage of recoverable ballastthere is in the existing formation and thetime available for the renewal. If it is to becompletely renewed, so that all the oldballast goes off to the spoil wagons and iscompletely replaced by fresh ballast fromthe back of the train, then after about 250metres the on-board supplies are exhausted.Separate work trains have to be brought upso that spoil can be loaded onto it and stockof new ballast replaced. At South Milford,better than 50% of the ballast was beingrecovered, so that was not an issue.

Complex setupTo get back to running speeds, the simple

fact is that the ballast cleaner cannot runthroughout the possession. A look at thetime chart shows why.

At South Milford, on the weekend of 18/19August, the possession was due to be taken at22:25. At 23:15, S&T engineers started the two-hour process of disconnecting any signallingcables that ran under the track. If they wereleft in place, the cutter bar of the ballastcleaner would just rip them out along with theballast. Any that were to remain in situ had tobe buried much deeper than normal.


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(Inset) Cutting rail.(Below) All finishedat Imminghamafter five monthshard work.

At thesame time, an RRV excavator dug a hole inthe ballast in which the cleaner’s cutter barand excavator belt could be rigged andstarted. When that was completed, thewhole train could be slowly brought forwarduntil the central cleaning stage was over thathole.

The entire Amey-Colas team now got towork. The site management team and trackgang were joined by the 15-man systemcrew on the train. The cutter bar was riggedin the previously dug hole, running underthe track. The chutes down which bothrecovered spoil and dispensed fresh ballastwere deployed and the machine was readyto go. It was 00:45 and, although the S&Twasn’t completely finished, it was clear farenough ahead so that the train could startrolling.

The chain began to move, digging ballastout from under the track and carrying it upthe left hand side of the machine. As thewhole train inched forward, fresh ballast was

poured back into the hole created andblades under the train pushed it into place.The whole thing moved along at a slowwalking place.

The plan was to work for 285 minutes, until05:30 - four and three quarter hours. In thattime it would do about 800 metres. Afterthat, the cutter bar and other equipmentwould be removed, the train could move off,and the S&T team could start reconnectingagain. That in itself would take over threehours.

A tamper would go through the worksiteonce the ballast cleaner was clear. Eachhigh-output machine has a Plasser andTheurer 09-3X tamper, complete with an on-board dynamic track stabiliser, working withit. Once that had completed two passes,taking another three and a half hours, thesite could be handed back at a linespeed ofup to 80mph.

So in a sixteen hour possession, theexpensive high-output train only worked forless than five hours. It seems inefficient, butit isn’t. The rate of work is so high thatrenewals are now 15% cheaper than theywere back in 2009 and high output deliverymethods are cheaper than conventionalrenewals.

Conventional is not old-fashioned

While the big train wasworking at South Milford,more conventionaltechniques were beingdeployed not far away, at

Immingham. This is the busiest freight portin the country in terms of tonnage, andconsequently the railway line takes 48MGTPA, making it the UK’s most heavilytrafficked freight railway. As it is so busy, theonly access possible is on a Saturday night,typically from 23:10 Saturday to 15:10 onSunday.

Working only in those tight time restrictedwindows for five months, Babcock havereplaced five miles of life-expired trackformation, ballast, rail and sleepers, at a rateof a quarter mile of new railway per week.Supported by suppliers SES and NetworkRail NDS (Hydrex), Babcock introducedinnovative parallel working methods tomaximise output. The bar chart shows 32different work activities happening acrossthe 16 hours, many at the same time and allcoordinated to make sure that the work wasdelivered in full, to budget and with nounplanned performance impact on railwayfreight operations.

Access issues were overcome through useof specialist road rail vehicles from Hydrexand Trac, whilst Network Rail maintenancesignalling personnel supported with thedisconnection and reconnection ofequipment.

So while the rest of the country was busywatching the Olympics, t he LNE/EM trackrenewals team was busy working on thenation’s railways. Embargo? What embargo?

Off loading top stoneat Immingham.


n North Shields, the whole of the shopswere closed and nearly every window

exhibited some sign of rejoicing, either inthe shape of a Union Jack or, in humbleimitation, a red petticoat. The day wasobserved as a general holiday. Longbefore the hour of starting, a number ofpersons had collected about the railwaystation and all along the banks on eachside of the line, or where a glimpse of thepassing trains could be obtained. When allwas in readiness, a shrill whistle wassounded and on this instant the bandcommenced playing God save the Queen,in the midst of which - the firing ofcannon, the waving of handkerchiefs bythe ladies and the mingled plaudits of athousand voices - the train proceededalong the line.”

Much relief was felt locally when serviceson a six kilometre section of the Tyne & WearMetro resumed on 3 September following a23-day closure for track renewals. Hardlysurprising really - more than 7,000 Geordiesride the rails between Tynemouth andWallsend daily. Replacement buses bridgedthe gap.

Whether the festivities quite matched thecolour and vibrancy of those on 18 June1839 - described above by the NewcastleJournal - seems unlikely. Cannon firing?Think of the risk assessment. But the line’s173 years of operational history officiallybegan on that Tuesday as two locomotives,Wellington and Hotspur, hauled the firstadventurers along the Newcastle & NorthShields Railway.

Changing timesAuthorised by a parliamentary Act of

1836, engineering for the new line wasentrusted to Northumbrian-born RobertNicholson, then just the tender age of 28.The route was staked out during theautumn of that year; construction gotunderway in earnest on 13 January 1837.Problems inevitably presented themselves,extending the timescales. But the outcomewas a 6½-mile railway with few curves andgradients no stiffer than 1:200. A tunnel of70 yards, 24 bridges, numerous culvertsand substantial earthworks were unable tosteal the limelight from two iconic stoneand timber viaducts at Ouseburn and

Willington Dean. Both still carry trainstoday, although timber had given way tocast iron by 1869.

The Newcastle & Berwick Railway soonextended the branch to Tynemouth, movingthereafter to a nearby through station whenan end-on junction was made with the Blyth& Tyne. 1904 saw the route incorporated intothe Tyneside Electrics network with theinstallation of a third rail system. Diesels tookover in the Sixties as both rolling stock andinfrastructure tired. But with passengernumbers dwindling, British Rail turned itsback on the line in August 1980. However, itre-emerged two years later as part of theTyne & Wear Metro - a modern urban transit

I

GraemeBickerdike

w r i t e r

PHOTOGRA

PHY: FOUR BY THREE

Muscle powerhelps to flip theswitch plates over.


system connecting existing railwayalignments via new tunnels driven beneathNewcastle and Gateshead.

Like the rest of us, the Metro is creaking alittle 30 years on. Daily ridership isconsiderable, topping 110,000. So a £385million capital investment, known as the AllChange programme, launched in 2010.Funded largely by central government, it willsee Nexus - which owns and manages thenetwork - modernise stations, install newlifts and escalators, refurbish the fleet of 90Metrocars and lay 60km of newcommunications cable. On top of all this,drainage is being improved, bridges andearthworks repaired, signals upgraded and30km of track renewed, including four majorjunctions. It’s an ambitious plan, aiming tosecure the Metro’s future for years to come.

Gearing upThe first substantive phase of those track

renewals has benefited the section betweenByker and Tynemouth, heading eastwards tothe coast from Newcastle city centre. A 23-day blockade over the spring of 2011

delivered 6km (everything here is measuredin metric) of new track. A similar output wasachieved during this summer’s exercisewhich was scheduled for the school holidayswhen passenger numbers are lower, buttaking care to avoid the Olympic football atSt James’ Park.

Fulfilling the works thus far has beenBalfour Beatty Rail which is currently at thehalfway point of its three-year frameworkagreement with Nexus. Hopes are high foran extension. An Early ContractorInvolvement period began in February,allowing practicalities around the year’splanned projects to be considered. As wellas the blockade, October’s renewal of adouble junction at South Gosforth and newdrainage around Howdon level crossingwere encompassed. Contract award came inMay, triggering a number of preparatoryworks including reballasting and tampingthrough the Tynemouth tunnels and therenewal of North Shields Junction over two54-hour weekend possessions.

Two fundamental constraints havefocussed the mind of Mark Wood, Balfour

Beatty Rail’s project manager, and his team:Nexus’ commitment to minimising theblockade’s impact on the public - in otherwords, closing as few stations as possible -and the 12-tonne axle loading over some ofthe network’s structures.

The latter served to preclude deliveries oflong welded rail by train, so one of the morelaborious activities involved the almostnightly welding of 60-foot rails - about 800of them - into 72m lengths in a compoundat Hylton Street. As with other materials,these were then distributed through the siteusing Unimogs, trailers and roadrailers.Tamping duties were discharged by a Dutchcrew operating a lightweight machineprovided by VolkerRail.

Mother of inventionThe Metro system isn’t blessed with many

crossovers. Only one, at North Shields, waslocated within the limits of the plannedblockade, beyond the eastern extent of thesections being relayed and rather distantfrom the two main compounds at Limekilnand Brewers Lane. This could have provenlogistically challenging. Widening theblockade to cover the nearest crossovers ateither end would have resulted in theclosure of at least two more stations andcreated operational difficulties. A non-starterin other words.

The search for salvation led to Non-Intrusive Crossover System Ltd (NICS),developers of a temporary solution whichwas trialled during the Trent Valley four-tracking scheme some years ago. Productapproval inertia, driven by the fear ofimporting risk, subsequently thwartedfurther application and, as a result, it had notgone into manufacture. However, withNexus buy-in, NICS was asked to build threesystems, two of which were fitted -providing a left and a right-hand turnout -and used extensively during the blockade.

A road-railer usesthe temporarycrossover atBrewers Lane.

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“This was the only way we could see,economically and practically, of achievingthe outputs required by Nexus within thetimescale”, asserted Mark. NICS facilitatedthe renewal of both tracks within oneblockade, obviating the need for anotherclosure at the same location next year -clearly a preferable outcome forcommunities along the line.

As its name suggests, NICS provides atemporary crossover for engineeringmovements without impacting on theexisting tracks or signalling. It can remain insitu - locked out of use - when the lines areopen although some components may needto be removed depending on vehicleclearances. Weighing 13.5 tonnes andtransported in palletised sections, itcomprises four main parts -• ramps which lift the train by 48mm so that

its wheel flanges are clear of thepermanent track’s railhead, and then lowerit again after the movement;

• switch plates to support and turn out thetrain;

• crossing plates which carry the train overthe existing six-foot rails;

• gut rails forming connections between theswitch and crossing plates.

The resulting crossover is 58m long andcan be installed in less than 12 hours.Precision is required with the site survey,ensuring the correct track geometry, sleepertype and spacing. Although here it was usedon straight track, the system can cope withsome curvature as long as the tracks arecoplanar.

Balfour Beatty Rail staff travelled toScotland for training on how to operate NICS.Changing the configuration from normal toreverse, and vice versa, is muscle-powered,taking about five minutes. It’s simple - as thebest ideas often are - and cost effective. Markinsists “They’ve worked really well.”

Perpetual motionBeyond a willingness to innovate, the key

to successful delivery of the blockade workswas granular-level planning - long hoursspent analysing the methodologies andcycle times. Resources had to be in the rightplace - and in the right order - before the go-button was pressed. A hundred tower lightswent out over two preceding weekends toallow round-the-clock working.

At the western end of the site, the Limekilncompound acted as the main distributionpoint for the new ballast and concrete

sleepers - mostly G44s withPandrol Fastclips. Redundanttrack panels made their wayout to Hylton Street. Themajority of the spoil - some20,000 tonnes of it - wasbrought to the formercouncil site at Brewers Lane,becoming a substantialfeature in the landscape untilLafarge made it disappear forrecycling. The old sleeperswill also find new roleselsewhere.

On site, a merry-go-roundof movements wasestablished using the non-intrusive crossovers: spoil

train, ballast train, sleeper train - six in total,comprising Unimogs and trailers. In additionto the 5,500m of renewals, a further 6km oftrack was reballasted, tamped andrestressed. Just under 120m of drainagewent in at North Shields, along with a newturnout. NRL Rail acted as subcontractor forthe signalling design and fitment of pointmotors for the new S&C.

A number of track slews wereprogrammed to obtain the optimumalignment geometry, particularly throughthe stations. Arup, working on behalf ofNexus, was responsible for the design.Associated with all this were adjustmentsto the 1,500V DC overhead line equipment,including the renewal of some cantileverarms. An early requirement was theremoval of around 40 impedance unitswhich had to be reinstalled and tested priorto handback.

Due recognitionMuch was done over 23 days and more is

on the way. Tentative plans are comingtogether for another blockade next year. TheAll Change programme ensures the Tyne &Wear Metro will continue its rejuvenation formuch of the next decade.

It’s fair to presume that the workforce of2012 will not receive the same acclaim asthose who pioneered the Newcastle &North Shields Railway back in 1839.Perhaps that’s only right. But with thisstory, the rail engineer might haveredressed the balance a little, even if inmarginally less purple prose than theNewcastle Journal’s.

“Every person appeared highly gratifiedand the greatest admiration was expressedat the excellent construction of the line,whilst the smoothness of the motion andthe comparative freedom from jolting andnoise fully proved the superiority of themode of laying down the rails. There can beno doubt that the undertaking will be dulypatronised.”

Due to loadingrestrictions, 60foot rails had to bewelded together ina compound toform 72m lengths.

Ballast is unloadedfrom one of the sixtrains operating inthe blockade.


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his summer has undoubtedly been onethat will go down in the history books.

The Jubilee, the Olympics, the Paralympics -the eyes of the world has been on the UK.

The doubters have been silenced, theUnion Jacks flown, and the countrydisplayed at its very best - the UK in summer2012 was the place to be. One thinghowever, has let us down… the weather.You could argue that it wouldn’t be right if itwas blazing sunshine, and no Jubilee streetparty would have felt the same without theever-present plastic mac. However, withrecord levels of rain recorded in some areasof the UK, and dreary drizzle blighting therest, the soggy summer has had a disastrouseffect on the rail network.

Not just touristsWhile London and the South-East was

flooded with tourists from around the world,during mid-summer the North saw floodingof a very different nature. High levels ofrainfall throughout the summer months sawareas of the country hit with some horrificflooding which made a huge impact ontransport and had engineers andemergency workers scrambling to try andmaintain services.

At the end of June, normally a reliably dryperiod, unprecedented levels of rainfall sawmain line services between England andScotland completely cut off due to floodingand subsequent landslides, bringing acrucial service grinding to a complete halt.The major West Coast main line at Tebay inCumbria was also closed because of alandslide during this time, cutting off allservices in this area. Localised flooding alsoaffected stations around Oxenholme in theLake District.

The effect that incidents like these have onpassengers is undeniable, especially whenyou take into account that surrounding roadnetworks were also affected, meaning thatroad travel is also out of the question formany. In some areas, buses were able toreplace train services although the state ofthe roads meant that this still added up toan hour to journeys.

Moving into August, with the festivities inLondon reaching fever pitch, the battleagainst the weather still raged further north.In late August, heavy rain caused a landslipbetween Stirling and Dunblane stations,causing major delays on the route. Furtherheavy flooding in the region led to linesbeing closed completely, and emergencyengineering work had to be carried out inorder to get the busy service back up andrunning.

As we move into the winter, it’s undeniablethat there’s more rain to come - after all,we’re dealing with a climate that can gofrom sunny to stormy in the blink of an eye.This summer has proved that flooding andwater damage is a very real threat to the UK’srail infrastructure, and that we need to beprepared to deal with the worst casescenario.

With most tracks built before engineershad a full understanding of soil mechanics,the soil and rock based structures of most ofthe UK’s tracks are easily damaged byextreme weather conditions, and heavyrainfall such as that experienced earlier thisyear poses a very real danger to the securityof much of the country’s tracks, and in turnthe services that they provide.

Poor drainageAn engineering report published by

Network Rail found that many asset failureswere directly caused by drainage problems.Dangers such as mud pots (or wet baysdepending on where you live), a problemthat occurs when water collects in a poolunder the tracks, can cause lasting damagesuch as the disruption of ballast, leading tonot only potential delays in service, but alsolengthy and expensive maintenance work.This problem can be alleviated by the simpleaddition of proper trackside drainagetrenches, which allow the excess water todrain properly.

It may not be the most glamorous side ofthe rail industry, but trackside drainage isbecoming one of the hottest topics in theindustry. As well as the provision of proper

T

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trenches, adequate thought also has to begiven to their maintenance to ensure thatthey are working to their full potential. Oneof the key elements in the battle to keepthe drains flowing is vegetationmanagement.

With much of the UK’s infrastructurerunning through tree-lined or “green” areas,the potential for leaves, branches andvegetation debris to become trapped indrainage trenches is a real issue, and one ofthe key causes of blocked drains. Thisproblem can be cured with regular clearingof the drains, but it is also obvious that itshould be tackled at source byimplementing proper vegetationmanagement, thus helping prevent theproblem occurring in the first place. After all,nobody could have predicted the floodingin June and August. If a “clear out” hasn’tbeen scheduled before a bout of heavyrainfall, even the best drainage trenches willstruggle to handle any rainfall if they are fullof branches and leaves!

Dedicated machineryThe Quattro Group, one of the UK’s largest

rail plant suppliers, has recognised the needfor such action, and has dedicated an entiredepartment to the maintenance of track-side drainage and associated issues. As wellas providing a key service in the cleaning,flushing and maintenance of rail drains, thedepartment also provides a wrap-aroundservice which deals with the maintenance oftrack-side vegetation.

With modern, custom-designed machinessuch as Multicar jetters and powerful gullysuckers, designed to flush and removeblockages in drains, as well as keyattachments for core machines used to dealwith track-side vegetation, the QuattroGroup can not only clear the blockage - butalso go some way to ensuring that it doesn’thappen in the first place.

While Mother Nature is seemingly doingall in her power to keep us on our toes, it isimportant that we prime ourselves for thevery worst she can throw at us. With the bestwill in the world, nobody could haveexpected the examples of extreme weatherwe experienced this “summer” in the UK.Drainage remains a key consideration to theongoing maintenance of the UK’s railinfrastructure.

This year has been a stark reminder of howeasily flooding and water damage can washaway the service that we cherish.

(Left) Removing trackside vegetation.


s is discussed elsewhere in this issue,renewal sites are often delivered using

track relaying trains. However, short sections,tight curves, or simply a lack of plantavailability are all circumstances where analternative solution is needed. This solutionusually involves road rail vehicles that areeither supported by engineering trains todeliver new materials and remove spoil, orfrom a trackside compound and using roadhauled materials.

Story Contracting has a strong history ofdelivering track schemes on some of themost high profile routes on the railinfrastructure, providing specialist servicesto Network Rail and principal contractorsthroughout the country and predominantlyalong the Settle Carlisle line and the WestCoast Main Line.

Track renewalsThe flexibility offered by Story

Contracting’s fleet of modern road railvehicles ensures that track renewal can becompleted efficiently under almost anycircumstances. A typical twin track railwayallows the RRVs to remain on-track to carryout all of the excavation needed to renew

the adjacent line. In these circumstances,materials will often be loaded into spoilboxes mounted on rail trailers and hauledbetween the worksite and the access pointby the RRV itself.

When supported by engineering trains,the RRVs can work ‘in the dig’ to load the railwagons. RRVs with caterpillar tracks - oftenaffectionately known as Bugs - offer theadvantage of being able to track alongnewly placed and compacted ballast. Unlikefour-wheeled plant, the greater surface areaof the tracks in contact with the ballastspreads the machine’s load sufficiently thatthey can do this without causing damage tothe prepared surface.

Once the sleepers are fine-lined andtrackmen have clipped up the rails, an RRVfitted with a clamshell and hauling a trailerfull of new ballast can drop the top stonebefore the tamper arrives. A tamping bankattachment is usually kept handy in case itdoesn’t.

A final run through with a profile bucketand a ballast brush completes the manytasks that the road rail vehicle willcontribute to a trackrenewal.

Delivering drainageOnce the track is in pristine condition the

challenge then moves to keeping it that way.Amongst the multitude of defects that canafflict our hard pressed infrastructure, wetbeds are the one that probably alarm thepermanent way engineer even more thantheir namesakes alarm the typical parent.Effective track drainage is the crucial featurethat helps eliminate this and in turn avoidssignificantly increased maintenance costsand reduced life of the infrastructure.

One of the main challenges whileundertaking drainage works is ensuring thaton-site outputs are sufficiently high enoughto deliver cost efficiency whilst, at the sametime, ensuring that safety is nevercompromised. With trenches being perhapsas much as two metres deep and usuallyexcavated during darkness along an evermoving workface, the potential for causingserious harm to those on site is immense.

To overcome these issues StoryContracting employ some novel solutions,with the process beginning long beforesetting foot on site. A desktop study thatassembles all available existing informationis the first step. This is then consolidated

with detailed site surveys that include trialholes, slit trenches and cable scans to

paint the most complete picturepossible of what might be

encountered once excavationbegins.

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For most drainage schemes, road railexcavators equipped with offset booms arethe ideal plant choice, aligning the diggingaction perfectly along the line of the trenchin order to ensure maximum accuracy andefficiency. The actual dig depth is then setusing a dual-grade laser and a Dig Pilotattachment mounted on the excavator. Thisallows the site engineer to control theexcavation without ever needing to enterthe trench to take readings.

Buried cables are a constant worry whenundertaking major work on track. StoryContracting’s road railers are fitted with apurpose-built cable avoidance tool which ismounted just above the bucket on the dipperarm. This continually scans the area preciselywhere the bucket is about to dig andprovides an audible warning to the operatorif a previously undetected buried cable isencountered.

As the trench reaches its designdepth it will be ready to receivethe new drain construction. This isusually formed from perforated pipeworkand intermittent catchpits, all embedded ingranular material and geotextiles.

Safety firstIt is clearly unacceptable to place a gang of

pipe layers in such a dangerous environmentas the bottom of a trench. However, that isnot the only place that can prove dangerous.The unsupported sides of shallowexcavations pose a significant risk to anybodystanding at ground level alongside thetrench, whether from a potential earthworkscollapse or a fall into the excavation. Toprevent this, an exclusion zone is imposedaround the trench to ensure that everybodyremains a safe distance back from the edge.

So, with the pipelayers unable to getto where the pipes need to

be laid, clearlyanother

solution is

required. StoryContracting has adopted a new system usinga mechanical attachment fitted to a roadrailer. This dexterous piece of kit can pick upcatchpits and individual pieces of pipe andassemble them accurately within the trenchwithout need of any manual interventionand completely removing any risk of injury.

Powerful road-rail plant is itself just ascapable of causing injury, whether from thecollision during the numerous movementsalong the track or during the diggingoperations. To combat this, trials areunderway to fit proximity sensors whichensure that the operator is immediatelywarned if personnel encroach into thedefined operating area. This system issupported by the operator maintainingconstant communication with the machinecontroller via DECT headsets.

Providing high quality and long lastinginfrastructure is an important part ofensuring a cost effective railway into thefuture. Delivering all of this in a way that issafe for everyone involved is vital. The workthat Story Contracting is doing in deliveringboth track and drainage is an excellent

example of how these goalscan be successfully

achieved.


(Inset top)A tamping bankattachment oftencomes in handy.(Inset lower)Liebherr 900 RRVready to go.(Bottom) ColmarT10000 FS RRVsarrive on site.

ommemorating a centenaryshould always be high profile

and the Institution of RailwaySignal Engineers did justice to this milestonewith its Aspect Conference and AnnualConvention in London over the six days, 10 -15 September.

The temptation is always to reflect on pastglories and achievements, and whilst somepast events were recalled, the thrust of theconference was to look to the future butlearning from the lessons of the last 100years. This was done with a worldwideperspective, the IRSE being one of the mostinternational of Institutions. Almost half ofits membership has a non UK address andboth paper presenters and attendeesrepresented many of the countries wherethe IRSE has influence.

The two events looked at Signalling andTelecommunications technology both inmainline and metro applications, safety in itsvarious guises, capacity and associatedsignalling initiatives, maintenance philosophyand methods, projects and systemengineering, human factor issues plus somevisions for the future.

The capacity challengeLack of capacity is not a new problem for

railways. Oskar Stalder from Switzerlanddescribed the changes at Zurich Oerlikonstation over the past 100 years where atenfold increase in traffic has meantconsiderable growth of the station layout.Signalling has been updated from mechanicalframes to relay interlocking and finally to acomputer based system to cope with all ofthis. More traffic demands more informationand an IP network provides the data gatheredfrom the surrounding area to ensure train

operation is efficiently managed. Similarly, Charles Lung described the rise of

rail transport in Hong Kong over the sameperiod where the impact of war, politicalchange and population growth led to theconstruction of the Mass Transit RailwayCorporation (MTRC) and major upgrades tothe Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR), both ofwhich merged into a single business in 2007.Five more expansions are either underway orplanned and high speed train services nowlink the province with Beijing and beyond. Alllines are equipped with both ATP and ATOfrom a number of signalling suppliers aroundthe world, vital to handle the 4.3 millionpassengers carried in the 19 hour day period.

Many railways with capacity problems lookto the signalling engineer to maximisethroughput on existing lines, thus minimisingexpensive civil engineering infrastructureenhancements. Trevor Moore from theAustralian Rail Track Corporation describedhow computer-based signalling, as developedby Lockheed Martin, was revolutionising non-urban operations. With the radio-basedsystem proven for service in 2012, it willenable a step change in train operation. Usingthe public 3G network for communication, itrequires minimal track equipment, providesbi-directional operation on double track lines,fleeting of trains on single lines, variablelength virtual block sections and speeds up to160kph. Aimed at both intermodal and bulkmineral trains, train integrity is achieved byaccelerometers on the front and back vehiclesbeing constantly compared. All this givesmaximum capacity, high speed and enhancedrail safety.

Noel Burton ofInvensys informed onthe rail resurgence in thesuburbs of Auckland. A virtuallynew railway is being built withelectrification, track doubling, re-signallingand two new lines. Fully duplicatedinterlockings on different sites connected bydiverse fibre links give maximum capacity andreliability.

Some pragmatic solutions to capacitychallenges are emerging in the UK. The newseven-car S-stock trains being built for LondonUnderground sub surface lines are replacingthe C-stock six-car sets. This creates a problemwith platform lengths, especially at EdgwareRoad station where parallel arrivals anddepartures regularly take place. Until the newBombardier CityFlo signalling system iscommissioned, the old signalling has to beadapted. John Phillips from ARK SignallingConsultants described how moving startingsignals outwards, providing extendedoverlaps and the provision of LED speed signsto drivers as trains enter platforms, enable aminimum cost solution to be achieved.

Lengthening trains has all sorts ofimplications for infrastructure. Platformextensions are sometimes physicallyimpossible or not cost-effective if passengernumbers are small. As an alternative toselective door opening, Michael Toher from

C

Clive Kessellw r i t e r

100 Years of Progress

october 2012 | the rail engineer | 47feature

Francis How,IRSE President,welcomesdelegates.


Halcrow told of the Thameslink line study toimplement a ‘Double Stop’ process. For a 12-car train, this would involve stopping the firsteight cars, then drawing forward to stop therear eight cars. It was reckoned to onlyincrease the London - Bedford time by sevenminutes, but somehow the proposal wasunconvincing.

Technology plays its partTechnological advances and opportunities

featured a number of topics. The need for aSystems Engineering approach is vital,according to Michael Leining and BerndElsweiler from Germany’s DB Netz AG. DB has80 different types of interlocking, with 20%requiring renewal in the next 10 years. Theinterfaces are complicated and likely toinclude bespoke project requirements, allrisking a loss of control. The DB solution is tospecify interlockings that will connectseamlessly with IP based data networks, thusleading to a standardised architecture forsignalling systems.

Six interface specifications detail how theinterlocking connects to i) other interlockings,ii) radio block centres, iii) level crossings, iv) axlecounters, v) lineside signals and vi) pointmachines. A cost reduction of 30% per‘signalled unit’ is predicted. DB claim to have anagreement signed with the major suppliers andhope that it will become a European initiative.

The overlay of Automatic Train Operation onto ERTMS was advocated by Benoît Bienfaitfrom Alstom in Belgium. ETCS as part ofERTMS provides safety and interoperabilitybut not performance and capacity, thusreduced operating costs are minimal. So couldATO be superimposed to yield additionalbenefits? A feasibility study by Network Rail in2011 looked hopeful, as did a later simulatedtrial. Whilst ATO on mainlines is difficultbecause of the mixed fleet and infrastructure,an incremental approach aimed at urbanmainline services appears possible. Firstly,apply ATO as a speed control on ETCS levels 1and 2; secondly, with additional ETCS dataadded, ATO can provide accurate stopping attimetabled locations; thirdly, with timetabledata provided from a Traffic ManagementSystem (TMS), train movement instructionsincluding reversals and optimum speedcommands, would be achievable.

Axle Counters remain controversial as toreliability and ease of installation. MartinRosenberger from Frauscher Sensortechnik inAustria described recent advances in designand application. Significant progress has beenmade in dealing with the harsh environment

that axle counters encounter - climate,temperature, vehicle geometrics, magnetic railbrakes and mechanical loads. Attachment torails without the need for drilling is solved andan integrated axle counter is now feasible. Thiswould have a serial interface to electronicinterlockings using an open vital protocolgiving diagnostic information, reset variantrequirements, direction of travel detection,level crossing activation and pointchangeover protection.

Integrated Control Centre design is a hottopic as railways concentrate their operationalcontrol into ever larger centres. DeltaRailpromoted their IECC Scalable aimed atreducing costs by the use of the IBM ‘messagebroker’ technology that links to many types ofinterfaces including legacy interlockings,route setting equipment and passengerinformation systems. A description of IECCScalable was given in issue 92 of the railengineer (June 2012).

Difficulties to overcomeGSM-R data handling limitations present the

biggest challenge to the ERTMS programme.This is preventing ETCS being used in busystation areas. Alain Bertout from Alcatel-Lucent in France advocated that the railwayscollectively adopt LTE (4G) technology as areplacement for GSM-R. 4G exists in both the700-800MHz and 2.6GHz bands and thespecification is capable of handling all thefeatures of GSM-R without a special

development for railways. It is claimed not tobe necessary to have a dedicated spectrumfor rail use. Whilst a 4G system is likely to bethe solution, migration to this from thepresent GSM-R networks presents a logisticsnightmare. Practical suggestions from thecellular radio industry as to how this would beachieved would be welcome.

The signalling of rural routes is a challengefor most countries. Laura Järvinen explainedthat Finland has many new Bombardier EBILock interlockings in place and is committedto introduce ERTMS between 2020 and 2030.These two elements together do not providea solution for low density lines. ERTMS Level 1will not deliver capacity improvements andLevel 2 will be too expensive. A simpler systemto control trackside equipment and set routesis required but this must interface to theexisting interlocking equipment. Maybe theLevel 3 system (ERTMS Regional) as beingtrialled in Sweden is a solution.

In contrast, George Raymond described the30% ‘dark territory’ of the USA route mileagethat has no signals, no track circuits and withtrain movements being authorised as ‘trackwarrants’ given by radio. However ‘PositiveTrain Control’ is to become mandatory inAmerica from 2015 and this will mean somesafety enhancements. The use of GPS, end oftrain devices and turnout position indicatorswill be part of the package and will be lesscostly than ERTMS Regional. Perhaps a re-lookat the refurbished RETB systems in Scotlandcould provide inspiration for others.

Human FactorsSignal sighting can nowadays use

technology to avoid visits to site. KonstantinosNikolaidis from London Undergroundexplained how both 2D and 3D pictures canbe generated to give an accurate view from asimulated cab. Sightline cones set up for atypical eye provide an unobstructed image ofsignals at the approach, the sighting pointand the close view as a train nears theanticipated signal position. The system takesaccount of curves, cant and bogie movementand from this the signal positions can beoptimised.

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The political will to improve train servicesneeds to be matched by the regulatory andlicensing bodies being prepared to changelegislation so that competence managementaligns with the needs of emergingtechnology. Will Scott from Invensys gavesome stark predictions. 30,000 engineers needto join the rail industry every year betweennow and 2016. The ‘job for life’ scenario thatexisted before has gone and the averageemployment of skilled people is now around10 years. Engineers and HR staff need tounderstand each other’s position so that multiskilled employees are able to manage thespread of technology that increasingly exists.Competence standards must aim at reducingcost but not at the expense of safety orquality.

A typical example is signalling testing,where Doug Gillanders from Network Railsuggested that current testing techniquesweigh far too heavily on past practice. Muchscope exists for automated testing, wherecomplete signalling modules can be tested offsite, maybe as a complete system inside asingle building, then shipped to site and plugcoupled together with only the minimum offurther testing being required.

Testing of ERTMS kit should be focussed onControl Centre to Train commands, where ifsatisfied for one train, should lead to aconformance certificate for all other similartrains. In signalling design, don’t incorporatefeatures that will never be used just becausethe system can do it; they have to be testedand thus waste time. A mindset change isneeded if precious testing resources are to beused efficiently.

Modern traffic management technologyautomates many railway operations undernormal conditions. When out-of-course runningoccurs, control room staff often struggle to copewith the increased workload. Suzanne Heapefrom Invensys Rail has studied the humanfactors that can be encountered. A series of bestpractice recommendations has resultedincluding clarity of track diagrams, interpretationof alarms, flexibility of control room roles,understanding of individual responsibilities,design of the man machine interface andprioritising the information available.

Safety management Track worker safety remains a concern. Jos

Fries from Movares Nederland described anew process adopted in Holland. This includesdividing up the infrastructure into work zones,each of which is managed by aninterlocking(s) under the control of a signaller.Work zones and associated possessions arearranged through a mobile terminal that leadsto much shorter take up times and significantannual savings.

Peter Hughes from the Derwent Group inAustralia shed new thinking on level crossingsafety where, out of 8,000 crossings, only2,000 have active warning devices with theremainder having just passive signs. To equipthe 6,000 with barriers would cost A$10billion, not thought to be good value formoney. The thrust is thus to develop a lowcost SIL2 warning device and to apply thisgradually across the network.

Xavier Quayzin from Invensys examined theleadership and culture of safety in 10accidents across seven industries includingspace shuttles, Piper Alpha, BP oil spills,Chernobyl, Herald of Free Enterprise and theLadbroke Grove rail crash. Root causes wereremarkably similar throughout: lack of topdown leadership, cost and business pressures,safety culture, control and enforcement,contractor management and communication.Corporate governance responsibilities withstatutory backed enforcement may focusminds somewhat better in the future.

In retrospectA hundred years is a long time, and S&T

engineering has seen many changes over thatperiod. There will be even greater changes tothe way trains are controlled in the nexttwenty years. Many new factors will have to beconsidered. Peter Symons, the Australian VicePresident, looked at the energy and climatechange debate. Transport is responsible forabout 7% of the industrial carbon emissionspectrum. Rail contributes only a small portionof that, with rail infrastructure even less.

Nonetheless, it is worth pursuing andregenerative braking, more efficient diesels,improved battery use to avoid peak loads,automatic traffic management for driverassistance are some elements that shouldcomplement the normal safety andperformance agenda.

As a stark reminder of past predictions, AndyStringer from Signalling Solutions Limited,recounted statements from IRSE Presidents ofthe past. In 1923, proper train detection withassociated warning was called for - it was notreally achieved until very recently. Also in1923, centralised control was thought to bewell underway but has yet to be universallyachieved. In 1948, the adoption of multiaspect signalling on all main lines wasthought to be imminent - it has only just beenachieved in the UK with the re-signalling atBanbury. In emerging economies such asIndia, population growth, new technologyand poor environment present their ownchallenges. Demand for new Metros in moreand more cities will be the agent of change forcity transport. Can CBTC technology copewith this demand?

Signalling in the future will be as muchabout train-borne equipment as it is aboutinfrastructure. As such, the signal engineerand the rolling stock engineer will need toform a much closer relationship, includingimproved liaison between their respectiveInstitutions.

Altogether, ASPECT 2012 provided afascinating five days, with much to be learnedby engineers of all disciplines.

The exhibitionarea gavedelegates theopportunity fordetaileddiscussions withindustry experts.

Signalling hascome a long way in100 years. This isZurich Oerlikon in1909.

One of the busiest sections of the UK’s transport network, the Reading Station Area is a major network hub, serving as a crossroad for rail traffic and services to all parts of the UK. Network Rail commissioned a rebuild of the railway to increase capacity levels, reduce delays and provide a better equipped station.

Our WESTLOCK computer-based interlocking lies at the heart of the signalling solution, providing a significant improvement in speed, performance and control.

Despite time restrictions, we were able to complete the commissionings smoothly, thanks to a fully integrated project team, tight planning and week-on-week rehearsals, and are ready to start the next phase of the contract.

We deliverReading resignalling

Find out how we can help you deliver, visit www.invensysrail.com or call +44 (0) 1249 441441

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52 | the rail engineer | october 2012 electrification

lectrification will be one of the bigstories covered by the rail engineer over

the next few years. Millions will be spent onprojects to electrify the Great Western,various lines in the North West, and also theMidland Mainline.

The most obvious result of all these activitieswill be rows of posts alongside the tracks, andthe miles of copper traction power cablestrung between them. Between the two,fastened to each post and supporting thecontact wire, will be a complex arrangementof poles, brackets, clips, clamps and wires thatmakes up the overhead catenary. The actualdesign varies from system to system, butwhether it is 25kV 50Hz AC as used in the UKand many parts of Europe, 15kV 16 2⁄3Hz AC inGermany and Scandinavia, or even 3kV DC inItaly and Morocco, the same types ofcomponents are needed.

Since 1908Cariboni, or to give it its full name Osvaldo

Cariboni Lecco SpA, is a company based innorthern Italy not far from the shores of LakeComo. Established in 1908, Cariboniconstructed Italy’s first overheadelectrification on the Lecco-Colico line in thatsame year. Since then, the company has beeninvolved in nearly every electrification projectin the country, and quite a few outside.

More recently, Cariboni ceased installingcomplete lines, and concentrated onmanufacturing electrification components.In recent years, the market for newequipment has dried up in Italy as most linesare already electrified and current

requirements are only for refurbishmentand repair. As a result, the company’smarket mix has changed from being 80%domestic/20% export to almost being theother way around - only 20% in Italy.However, the core market is still primarilyin Europe, with some exports to North Africa.

As Cariboni is one of the world’s majorsuppliers of these important components,and with the UK set to be a major consumerover the next few years, the rail engineervisited the factory in Pescate to find out more.

The Alstom connectionThe first indication of the changes taking

place was the sign “Welcome to Alstom” (inItalian of course) next to the reception desk.Alstom acquired 70% of the company in2008 and purchased the remaining sharesfrom the Cariboni family at the beginning of2012. Cariboni’s managing director, MarcoRastelli, was enthusiastic about thatdevelopment.

“Italy is a tough place to do business thesedays,” he commented. “Small and medium-sized companies struggle to get bankfinance and a number have ceased tradingfor that reason. However, with Alstom

E

NigelWordsworth

w r i t e r

The Italian job(e

lect

rifica

tion)

(Right) Cuttingcomponents fromtheir metal sprues.(Below) the samecomponents as cast.

behind us, we don’t have any of thoseproblems and we can invest in new designsand new processes.”

Although not new, the Cariboni factory wasneat and tidy, and almost completely self-contained. Design and development isimportant, with no fewer than ten of the 85employees dedicated to that role. Luca Laini,engineering manager, explained that whilemany railways have their own standards, allof them different, increasingly the companywas being asked to use its own expertise tocome up with better, more cost effectivesolutions. Using computer-aided design andCAD-CAM programs, the development teamis able to draw on both their own experienceand Alstom technology to refinecomponents used on everything from high-speed railways to urban trams.

Foundry and factoryMany of the components are cast, either

from aluminium or bronze. These are sandcastings, and the patterns are also designedand manufactured in-house. Made eitherfrom aluminium or resin, depending on thenumber of castings to be produced fromeach pattern, these are CNC machined andassembled by hand.

Mould production is a continuous process.Each “slab” of compressed sand has half amoulding in each end - the left hand endcontains the recess for the right hand half ofthe component while the right hand sidecontains the left hand half of the nextcomponent. When fitted together, the twohalves mate to form the complete mould.

Molten metal is then poured by hand intoeach mould and allowed to cool. Threecrucibles are used to melt the metal, two fordifferent compositions of bronze and one foraluminium as these are the most commonlyused materials. Steel castings are purchasedfrom other local foundries.

Once cool, the cast blanks are knocked freeof the sand, which is cleaned, dried, treatedand recycled. Components are then cut fromthe metal sprues which are also recycled, butat a rate of 20% recycled material to 80%new metal so as to maintain the purity ofcomposition.

Casting finished dimensions is tricky. Themetal part naturally shrinks on cooling, soallowance has to be made for that. Also,moulding the void into wet sand is not themost accurate of processes. However, onone component, the “gap” in a hook ismaintained to a total tolerance of 0.3mm sothat it doesn’t need subsequent machining.

Those parts that do need finishing arecompleted on a range of machinery from 4-axis CNC machining centres to simplelinishing belts. Similar machines alsomanufacture components complete frombar and the factory turns out around500,000 pieces a month. 60,000 differentdesigns are held on file, from the very latestspecifications to parts from the 1930s thatare needed as spares.

Operations manager Bruno Colomborecalled a recent project in Northern Italy. Anelectrified line dating from the 1960s was tohave been replaced, but to save money thedecision was made to refurbish it instead.This produced an order for a variety ofcomponents to be manufactured to theoriginal designs, which were still on recordat Cariboni.

Other component types are alsomanufactured in the Pescate factory. Steeltubes for supports are cut to length, drilledand have various machined and cast fittingscrimped into the ends. Washers, spacers andpins all form part of the range to make up acomplete offering to electrification installersaround the world.

Testing is important, whether it is electricalor mechanical, and a variety of test rigs evenincludes two posts and a gantry at the endof the car park, on which completeassemblies can be tested for strength andperformance.

Cariboni views itself as primarily amechanical engineering company whichmakes parts for electrification systems,rather than an electrical engineeringconcern. Thus material testing, mechanicaldesign and production engineering formthe core of the wide skill base of itsemployees.

New products, new marketsInvolvement, and now ownership, by

Alstom has brought other benefits. APS(Alimentation par le Sol, or ground-levelpower supply) is a third rail system used forpowering trams that removes the need foroverhead wires. Developed to power tramsacross historic areas of cities where the wireswould be unsightly, the third rail is locatedbetween the tracks, with only the topsurface exposed, and is energised onlyunder the tram as it passes. The APS rail isfibreglass with a steel top surface to providethe contact. Ceramic spacers at each endensure that arcing between sections is notpossible, and the whole system ismanufactured by Cariboni in a satellitefactory at nearby Olginate.

Through Alstom, Cariboni is approachingthe UK market as part of two joint ventures.ABC (Alstom-Babcock-Costain) is targetingthe Network Rail electrification programmes,in particular those projects to be builtaround Network Rail’s new strategy ofalliancing with turnkey providers. ATC(Alstom-TSO [Travaux Sud Ouest]-Costain) istendering for Crossrail contracts, includingthe solid busbar overhead system to be usedin the tunnels which is also manufactured byCariboni at the Olginate facility.

So next time you travel on an electrifiedroute, look up at all the bracketry fromwhich the wire is suspended, and think of allthe work that took place to put it there.

october 2012 | the rail engineer | 53electrification october 2012 | the rail engineer | 53

The Italian job

Preparing a fibreglass APS rail forits steel conductor.

An array of clampcastings.

electrifyingAn

orget HS2. The next big set of railwayprojects in the UK will be the mass

electrification of the Great Western, theMidland Main Line, the Welsh valleys, amajor freight route running north fromSouthampton and large portions of theNorth West.

The first high-output electrification train isunder construction in Germany, andNetwork Rail is already planning how it willdeliver the various projects. In order to sharethese plans with the industry, and to discusthe challenges they will produce, aconference was held recently at Westwoodin Coventry, and the rail engineer wasinvited to attend.

Phil Bennett, finance and commercialdirector for the Southern Region, welcomedthe 120 delegates and explained that thepurpose of the conference was to have earlyengagement with the supply chain. It iscritical for Network Rail that suppliers sharethe challenge, understand thecommitments and identify opportunitiesand actions that need addressing inadvance of CP5.

Safety firstAs always, safety comes first, and Rob

Sherrin presented an update on the NationalIsolation Review. Rob talked about accidentsand incidents around electrification andhow Network Rail is making a major stepchange in behavioural improvements.

Delegates were then shown a video whichfeatured Network Rail plant and distributiontechnician Kieren Brown. Kieren wasinvolved in a very serious accident in July2009 and is now using that experience tohelp promote good working practicearound electrical equipment. His full storyappears in Network Rail’s Aspects magazinefor July/August 2012.

Network Rail has undertaken several othersafety initiatives. It has engaged with theORR, and a workshop has been held aroundstrategic design changes that can be appliedto achieve safer working on the AC network.Trials of a new capacitive live line indicatorand a localised earthing device areunderway.

Rob summarised by saying that the aim is toreduce the unacceptable number of electrical-related injuries in the industry throughgaining stakeholder alignment across thewhole of Network Rail, the contractingcommunity and the safety enforcementorganisations. Currently, there are over 80,000workers who hold a competence aroundeither AC/DC work on the Sentinel recordscheme and these need to be encouraged toalways have a valid permit to work whererequired, always test before applying earthsand never assume equipment is isolated butalways test before touching.

An overviewNick Elliott, Southern regional director,

gave an overview of the newly formedInfrastructure Projects business which isdivided into four regions. Nick is taking thelead on electrification, so he went on to talkabout the challenges of CP5 when NetworkRail will move from electrifying 20km oftrack per annum to in excess of 1000km perannum - no easy task.

Currently, Network Rail is working on theNorth West Electrification programme aswell as Maidenhead to Cardiff on the GreatWestern. In 2013 the Welsh valley lines, theMidland Main Line, and Basingstoke toReading will be added and the DC to ACconversion between Poole and Basingstokewill take place.

However, by the time CP5 starts in April2014, the work load becomes even greateras TransPennine Electrification willcommence, the Cardiff to Swansea elementof the Great Western main Line comes intoeffect and the Oxford to Coventry/Nuneatonand the Gospel Oak to Barking work starts.By this time there will be 11 majorelectrification projects running at the sametime.

Yet more work will start in 2016 - theremaining part of the Electric Spine betweenOxford Bletchley and Bedford willcommence, as well as Hope Valley betweenSheffield and Mansfield. 2016 will be theboom year for electrification across thewhole network.

As well as new electrification projects,there will be a lot of improvements andrenewals to existing installations. This willinclude replacing catenary, renewingcontact wires and electrifying neutralsections. There will be OLE structurerenewals, DC cable replacement, HV cablerefurbishment and new air-insulatedvacuum switchgear. At the same time, unitcosts need to be reduced down by 20-30%as part of the general efficiency drive on therailways, so innovation will be required toachieve all this whilst having limited accessto track.

In Nick’s own Southern region, he will beresponsible for installing new switchgear,rectifiers and transformers as part of theSouthern power supply - a project worth£450 million. The 1950’s OLE will be replacedby modern, tensioned electrified lines in theGreat Eastern area (£100 million), the GospelOak to Barking freight link will be electrified(£50 million), the current DC system to 25kVoverhead Line between Basingstoke,Southampton and Poole (£150 million) andthere will be an upgrade to some systems aspart of a national SCADA programme (£80million).

F


Paul Curtisw r i t e r

conference


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Go WestLindsay Vamplew, fresh from the

successful delivery of the rebuiltBlackfriars station, is now electrificationproject director for Wales and the West.With EMUs due to run betweenNewbury and Oxford in December2016, IEP also coming in betweenLondon Paddington and Bristol at thesame time, and then on to Cardiff oneyear later, he has his work cut out.

A plan is being developed aroundworking in 7 to 8 hour possessionsbetween Sunday and Thursday, withlonger 8-10 hour possessions onFridays and Saturdays. Each evening,the team will normally take three two-mile possessions on one line - theadjacent line will still operate at 20-60miles per hour. Approximately 80% ofthe work will be carried out using high-output processes, while

the remaining 20% will be delivered bymore traditional methods. An immenseamount of work will need to be donewith 13,784 piles, 1,427 concretefoundations and 13,078 structures allon the “to do” list.

Contracts have already been awardedfor power supplies at Didcot, Melkshamand Imperial Park. Design and deliveryof the high output system has beenawarded to Windhoff and a contract forits operation and maintenance andprogramme delivery has been won byAmey. Initial system designs will be byFurrer + Frey.

Work currently underway includesthe design and build of the HOOB (highoutput operations base) near Swindon,which is due to be completed by March2013.

Great Western Electrification

october 2012 | the rail engineer | 57electrification

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The bit in the middlePlans for the Midlands and the North were

next on the agenda. Ellen Wintle spokeabout power supply requirements for theWest Coast Main Line. Contracts for newpower supplies for phase 3A, between NorthWembley and Whitmore (south of Crewe)have been awarded, and tenders are in forphase 3B (Whitmore to Great Strickland nearPenrith). This latter includes some 240km of25kV auto transformer feeder, 120km ofreturn screening conductor, 11 new 25kVdistribution sites and modification to several

existing ones, removal of 100 boostertransformers and recovery of redundant25kV equipment.

The remaining CP4 renewals work on theNorth West DC network includes substationand switchgear renewals and newprotection relays, with further substationand switchgear renewals, signallingdistribution renewals and OLErefurbishment on the slow lines beingcarried over to CP5.

Mark Royle took up the electrification storyin the North West and described how thework was being delivered in five phases.Phase 1, from Manchester to Newton-Le-Willows, will be completed by December2013 and phase 2, from Newton-Le-Willowsto Liverpool and from Huyton to Wigan, isout for tender as a single multi-disciplinedpackage for delivery by December 2014. Tobe delivered during CP5 are phase 3 -Preston to Blackpool North, Phase 4 -Manchester Victoria to Euxton Junction andPhase 5 - Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge.

Shahin Ali was the final presenter for theCentral region with a look at the MidlandMain Line. Confirmed in the recent HLOSstatement, the line will be electrifiedbetween Bedford and Sheffield via Derbywith a spur to Corby from Kettering andanother to Nottingham from Trent Junction.The existing OLE equipment betweenBedford and Borehamwood will beconverted to Auto Transformer Feeder (ATF).

Included in the workload are structureclearances at 115 separate locations andparapet works at 100 overbridges. Two new

Midland Main Line


National Grid supply points will be requiredand will be installed at Ratcliffe on Soar andat either Bray Brooke or Irchester. There willbe 17 new distribution switchgear/transformer sites, in the region of 10,000 OLEsupport structures and around 530 singletrack kilometres of wiring.

The structure clearances alreadymentioned comprise 57 bridgereconstructions, 33 track lowers usingconventional means and a further 13 usingMOBC (medium output ballast cleaners), 11bridge jackings and one bridge slide.

Some of the work will be quite complex.Bridges at both ends of Leicester Stationneed greater clearances, yet both have a

shopping complex on top of them. A similarbridge at Nottingham Station is under thestation building itself. Lowering King Streetbridge at Belper will require majorreconstruction of the station next to it, andToadmoor Tunnel is a listed structure with arestrictive profile and an invert that will bedifficult to lower.

And finally - the NorthAndy Wilson was the final presenter of the

morning on the Northern and ScottishRegion. Andy talked about Paisley Canal, theEast Coast Power Upgrade phase 1 and 2and TransPennine electrification.

The Paisley Canal scheme is currentlybeing designed and constructed by Babcockin an £11 million scheme due for deliverythis year. To allow for a quick delivery,clearances will allow only the current trainsto use the line, rather than any UK rollingstock. Adopting this special reduced OLEclearance removed the need to modify threestructures, reducing both cost and time.

The TransPennine Electrification Project,on the other hand, has 297 bridges along

the route from Stalybridge andColton/Selby. Of these, two will need to

be removed, 40 reconstructed, 20have the track lowered through

them, and 31 will need theparapets to be modified. A

lot of work.

Andy also mentioned EGIP - the EdinburghGlasgow Improvement Programme, but asfunding was recently cut by the ScottishGovernment that has all gone back to theplanning stage.

Two power supply projects are underwaythough. Phase one is to improve the tractionpower supply between Wood Green (northLondon) and Bawtry (near Doncaster) - adistance of 230 kilometres. 600km ofautotransformer feeder and 20 newautotransformer sites will replace 300 boostertransformers with a corresponding reductionin the number of DNO (distribution networkoperator) supply points.

Phase two extends that traction powerenhancement another 374 kilometres fromBawtry north to Longniddry near Edinburgh.Once again autotransformer and sectioningsites with their associated switchgearbuildings will be constructed, and the oldbooster transformers removed.

What a programmeAt the end of these presentations,

delegates were struggling to come to termswith the sheer scale of the programme theyhad just had outlined. Gearing up theindustry will no doubt present opportunitiesfor both training and labour supplycompanies, not to mention all the civils andelectrification work that will take place todeliver what is so glibly called “theelectrification programme”.

Electrification is a subject that will run foryears to come. The December issue of therail engineer will be looking at the subject inmore detail in an Electrification Focus, withreports on some of the projects and some ofthe equipment being used. Make sure thatyou get hold of a copy.

North WestElectrification

ell, that was a surprise. Who did wefind right by the entrance of hall 22 at

InnoTrans? There with an imposing openplan, two storey construction was our veryown Network Rail. Dynamic rail imagesformed the backdrop of the stand, showingpeople exactly what Network Rail does andthe projects they’ve delivered and arecapable of delivering.

So, what were they doing there and whowere they hoping to talk to?

To an extent this could be answered bylistening to the reactions of other exhibitors.To the remark, “You know that Network Railis here this year?” came the reaction, “Really!That’s interesting. We must go and visitthem!” And visit them they did. A steadystream of suppliers and potential clients forNetwork Rail’s new consultancy businessmade their way to the stand.

Being on two levels gave Network Rail thechance to see from their balcony who wason their way. And down below in the ‘snug’of an enclosed conference room, where onlythe torsos of those inside could be seen,intense discussions went on - unless this wasreally the tea room.

International consultancyInnoTrans presented the perfect

opportunity to launch their newconsultancy business to the market.

Speaking during Network Rail’s pressconference, Nigel Ash, managing director ofNetwork Rail Consulting, said the six-weekold enterprise would be focussing its effortson North America, Central and EasternEurope and India - countries with ageingnetworks in need of modernisation.

Network Rail believes its work restoring theForth Bridge, rejuvenating Birmingham NewStreet and redeveloping King’s Cross stationshows its experience of upgrading worn outVictorian infrastructure which would beattractive to the international market.

Ash explained: “The main focus is actuallyshowcasing our expertise around the world.And it’s also about bringing some of theexpertise and the knowledge and learningprocesses back into the UK, so by havingstaff working on international projectsthey’re used to working in differentenvironments, different cultures anddifferent ways of doing business.

“We’re not going into the market with a‘this is the way we do things in the UK’. It’svery much around what’s the problem andhow does that experience help you stop thatproblem, are there any similarities, anypitfalls we’ve had.

“There’s been some projects in the pastwhich could have been managed better andthat experience is very valuable.”

Adding: “Network Rail Consulting will beselling to other railways and this was the firsttime we have done any public facing workand gone out to new clients.

“This is very much the start of ourmarketing campaign to raise our profile inthe target markets we’re focusing on. AfterInnoTrans we will be exhibiting atconferences in America, India, Australia andthe Middle East leading to follow upmeetings with interested parties.”

Supplier engagementOf course, international business works

both ways, and another reason that NetworkRail made an appearance at InnoTrans wasto engage with foreign suppliers andcontractors. Simon Kirby, managing directorof Infrastructure Projects, was there for twodays, as were all his route directors.

Steve Featherstone, programme director -track, who was also on the stand on the firstday, commented: “Events like InnoTrans letus see first-hand some of the ground-breaking developments in rail technologyand services being made in all four cornersof the world. It’s important that we think

globally when it comes to new suppliers, asmany of these new ways of working coulddeliver huge benefits for us in Britain.”

It was obviously a success. The stand wasalways busy, with UK suppliers, foreigncontractors and overseas governments alltalking with what was quite a high-poweredNetwork Rail team. It will be interesting tosee what business comes of it, and in whichdirection the money flows.

WNetwork Rail ?

Grahame Taylorw r i t e r

september 2012 | the rail engineer | 59innotrans

60 | the rail engineer | september 2012 innotrans

nnoTrans. Held every two years in Berlin,it is billed as “the world’s leading business

meeting place for transport technology”.But, just how big is it?

It’s big enough to encompass about 2,500exhibitors and 110,000 trade visitors. Thereare representatives from 47 countries spreadover 81,000 square metres of exhibitionspace and on 3,500 metres of sidings. Inother words, it’s vast.

Imagine a large exhibition hall and thenthink of 26 of them with some on threelevels. Think about walking to anappointment in hall 25 from hall 2 andhaving to allow at least 15mins - that is, solong as you set off in the right direction andfind hall 25. German signing can beminimalist.

Consider an exhibitor catalogue boundtogether in two volumes each the size ofyellow pages. This is a railway trade fair thatis not for the faint hearted or for someonecarrying luggage!

Themed displaysBy and large, halls had themes. So there

were halls with mechanical bits, track bitsand bodyshells. It was a bit like mediaevaltimes where towns would have “Fish” Street,“Shoe” Street and so on.

Halls 8 and 9 were the home of rubberybits - suspensions and shock absorbers.These sorts of companies sell into the majortrain builders and are well known in theindustry. ContiTech produce a wide range ofsuspension units and also a very welcomecup of coffee. Vibration control is the forteof Freudenberg Schwab with a UK base justdown the road from the rail engineeroffices. They demonstrated an extraordinaryway of easing a wheel set around a curve. Itall had to do with Hydraulic Axle GuideBearings (Hydraulischer Achslenker Lager orHALL). Here is a solution that, whilst aimedat wheel wear reduction, will undoubtedlyreduce track wear as well.

Schrey and Veit were collaborating with aUK university in the quest to dampen noisefrom wheels and structures. Their clamped-

on absorbers in wheel sets are easy enoughto understand. The bolted-on array of tuneddamper rods in bridge beam webs werecompletely baffling.

Power and assorted electrical items weretucked away on the various levels of hall 11.LEM, a Swiss company, has a range ofvoltage transducers that have applications,amongst many others, in the monitoring ofpoint machines. These devices come in sizesranging from the largest which is the size ofa briefcase down to something no biggerthan a box of matches. The theory behindthem is daunting - it’s comforting thatsomeone can understand it.

Bearings and bushes were in hall 22 whereat least two manufacturers, SKF and Timken,were proudly showing off gleaming, andspotlessly clean roller and cylindrical bearings.

From track welding to gearboxesHall 26 seemed to be the home of the

mobile track welding machines. TheHolland Company - a major player withmachines now arriving in the UK,Schlatter with their AMS60 and AMS100and EO Paton (Hong Kong) steadilywelding up the Far East.

Plastic sleepers have been around fora while now, with even a few beinginstalled on a test site in the UK.Research leads you to Japan, wherethey did their testing a few years ago.Now, this product has beenexpanding all over the

world with it now installed on severalhundred sites. The Sekisui stand had acouple of sample pieces of their ‘timber’ thatlooked remarkably like the real thing apartfrom the hairy ends of their demonstrationpieces. So, no need to cut down trees, but isthere an environmental impact in themanufacture of the binding polyurethanefoam? It’s all a question of striking a balancein the end. They certainly seem to outlivetheir natural counterparts.

There were, of course, the displays ofimmaculate power units and gearboxes.There are probably not many in service withso much chrome plating or indeed anychrome plating at all. There were exquisiteexamples of precision engineered gears ofvast proportions including a fabulouslypresented sectioned chunk of tram by DavidBrown Company.

I

Blimey, it’s

BIG!

(Top) Doublereduction gearboxfor Metro Catania,Sicily by DavidBrown.(Bottom) The freyed end of aplastic sleeper.

Grahame Taylorw r i t e r

In the hall ofthe radiators and cooling fans, a sculpturefrom tubular steel was, in fact, a locomotiveexhaust system manufactured by Weihe.

Outside in the sunFortunately the weather was perfect, at least

on the first couple of days, which meant that itwas possible to crawl round all the outsideexhibits. The late autumn sunshine did tend tobore into the camera lens and create verybright highlights and dark shadows. Again,this site was enormous, with all shapes andsizes of locomotive and train sets on show.Perhaps it is a sign of emerging railwayoperating practices, but there was only oneexample of a straightforward railway carriage.Everything else seemed to come in sets.

Locomotives ranged from huge UK-structure-gauge-busting machines by thelikes of Bombardier and Skoda ……rightdown to the smallest machine that could becalled a locomotive manufactured byZwiehoff. It was a radio controlled shunter nobigger than a dining table, but probably a lotheavier.

Another trend is to provide locomotives thatare not totally reliant on diesel or electricpower. The Siemens Vectron shunting module- a large locomotive - proclaimed, “Last mile -no problem”. Vossloh presented their G6 ME asa green machine and covered it with picturesof daisies to prove it.

Two coaches of Siemens “Lastochka”Russian EMU were probably the most difficultexhibit to transport to InnoTrans having been

carried by road 360 milesfrom their Krefeld factory to Berlin. Bogiesand all underframe components wereremoved before shipping and then re-assembled on site - everything. They toweredabove other exhibits, being 0.5 metre higherthan the UIC standard gauge, and couldn’teven be placed neatly on the sidings. Their1520mm gauge bogies just didn’t fit, so thewhole lot had to be placed on standardgauge wheel skates.

Although this isn’t the show for big yellowmachines, there seemed to be plenty ofyellow about. Linsinger showed theirimposing rail planer and Robel had whatappeared at first to be a long ‘campervan’vehicle which turns out to be their mobilemaintenance vehicle providing a totallyenclosed workspace on the track.

Last into the exhibition - and probably firstout - was a steam engine complete withviewing platform that was snuggling up to acoach provided by H.F. Wiebe, a trackconstruction and civil engineering company.

If the train exhibitors ever thought that theycould hold on to their trade secrets then theyreally needed to think again. Every nook andcranny was being crawled over, every detailassiduously photographed. Groups of intenseengineers from one continent were in intensediscussions about a product from a rivalcontinent. Short of actually using spanners onthem, they were taking everything apart.

InnoTrans seems to be an almost exclusivelymale event. Males in dark suits weregenerating a low roar of conversation in all ofthe halls. A surprisingly large number of

exhibitors still thought that adorning theirstands with leggy blondes was the way topromote their products. Slightly reminiscentof the Motor shows of the 70s, it’s a trend thathas gone in the UK.

If you ever thought that the show was forEuropean companies selling to otherEuropean companies then it is time to thinkagain. The whole world was there. This is aglobal bash that just happens to be in Berlin.Blocks of stands were taken by exhibitors fromChina (a huge presence), Japan (a very “red”presence), India, Russia, clusters from Franceand even Australia. Stumbling across theAustralian press gathering it was a slightsurprise to see everyone supping….water.This was in contrast with the copiousquantities of German beer being consumedby the Europeans at all times of the day -except, of course, the UK contingent whowere strictly on the wagon until close ofplay…..really.

By midday on the second day the place washeaving and life was getting just that little bitdifficult for some. There’s a strange lack ofseating for the weary - something thatextends to the whole of the transport networkin Germany. Jet lag was kicking in for a few ofthe poor souls from the Far East. For some itwas really 2 o’clock in the morning and timefor a good kip. The Wi-Fi hotspots - seating of asort - were adorned with besuited souls whowere completely out of it. Their day was over.

There were long queues at each of theeating establishments and the ablutionfacilities were definitely showing the strain -but maybe this is just too much detail!

innotrans september 2012 | the rail engineer | 61

(Left) Linsinger railmiller.(Right) Vossloh G6 MEwith green daisies.

62 | the rail engineer | october 2012 senior appointments

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The Rail Engineer - Issue 96 - October 2012

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Transcript of The Rail Engineer - Issue 96 - October 2012