aktuell122en_04

published by Plasser&Theurer | Year 41 Issue 122

today

Rail Welding: technological advance in mobile flash-butt weldingBDS: first ballast management system in Switzerland | PUMA 2000 in operation for the Olympic Winter Games 2014 | World first: 09-3D tamping simulator

FOKUS Vorlage mit Schrift FOKUS

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HigH-CapaCity i preCision i reliability

Dear Readers,

Electric flash-butt welding was developed many decades ago and used in stationary welding depots. Plasser & Theurer began the trend of applying this process on track very early on. Now the latest develop-ment, the APT 1500 R fully automatic welding robot, is ready for regular service. The focus of this issue of Today offers up-to-date information on this machine and the technology.

Over the years Plasser & Theurer has gained specialist know-how in welding technology in machine production, as you will see in article about the assembly shops in Linz.

If you should require further information on a particular topic, please do not hesi-tate to contact us.

Plasser & Theurer

Contents

Rail Welding03 The APT 1500 R welding robot a technological advance in mobile flash-butt welding

08 Development of the APT 1500 RA

News from around the world10 First BDS system in Switzerland

12 Mechanised maintenance train for metre gauge

13 Narrow gauge railways are being built again

14 Up-to-date track maintenance in Saudi Arabia using machines made by Plasser & Theurer

15 RM 90-IR goes into operation successfully

16 Expansion at Rhomberg Rail with the new mechanised maintenance train

18 Ballast bed cleaning in North West Africa: SNIM puts RM 76 U into service

19 RM 80 UHR for Infrarail

20 DGS dynamic track stabilizer in operation on the Iberian Peninsula

22 PUMA 2000 in operation for the Olympic Winter Games in 2014

24 Mechanised track surveying in China

25 Unimat MF multi-purpose machines for all-round operation

Plasser & Theurer Quality, Service & Support, Technology

26 Welding and testing technology in the production: every welding seam is the most important

29 World first: the 09-3D tamping simulator

30 Dynamic track stabilisation under close scrutiny

32 Networked measuring technology integrated overall solutions for track measuring (Part 5)

34 Continuing development of the 3-rail lifting unit

Fairs, congresses and seminars35 Reports from fairs, congresses and seminars around the world

Cover photo: APT 1500 R welding robot


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In addition to the Focus on Rail Welding, there is a feature on aktuell TV showing the APT 1500 R in operation on the line. Please click onto Episode 5 at www.plassertheurer.com >> aktuell TV.

published by Plasser&Theurer | Year 41 Issue 122

today

Rail Welding: technological advance in mobile flash-butt weldingBDS: first ballast management system in Switzerland | PUMA 2000 in operation for the Olympic Winter Games 2014 | World first: 09-3D tamping simulator


russisch

trkisch

spanisch

engl/ital/frz

deutsch vektor

HigH-CapaCity i preCision i reliability

03

Rail Welding

The APT 1500 R welding robot a technological advance in mobile flash-butt welding

Higher speeds and heavier axle loads, high traffic density, less time for servicing and maintenance: that is the reality in modern high-capacity traffic on the rail, which only became possible with the introduction of continuous welded track. Meanwhile the

Flash-butt welding is a technology that has been used for many years and is the best method of connecting rails permanently. Since 2009 the European standard EN 14587-2 has placed higher demands on a mobile flash-butt welding system.

many years of experience with this type of track have shown that the electrical flash-butt welding process is clearly the best technology to connect two rails. Therefore, this process has been used for many years not only in stationary welding shops but

also directly on track in order to achieve the most uniform quality possible over the entire length of the rail. 3


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Higher quality criteria. The increased quality requirements to be met by a mo-bile flash-butt welding process, which were newly defined in 2009 in the European standard EN 14587-2, demanded further development of the existing welding process. Plasser & Theurer took this as an opportunity to re-engineer the flash-butt welding process from scratch. The result of this development is the APT 1500 R welding robot.

Fully automated. An important ad-vance is that the process of aligning the rails has been included in the automatic work sequence. In practical operation this means that the welding robot only has to be lowered onto the welding area. Then the fully auto-matic work process begins, starting with the height alignment of the rails. To do this, the auxiliary clamps raise the rails to the high-est points which immediately achieve the re-quired slight upward inclination. The clamp-ing jaws hold both rails firm. Four distance transducers measure the exact alignment of the top of the rail. After selecting the running edge, there is an accurate lateral alignment. The automatic aligning process is now com-pleted. 3

04

top: Finished welded joint, performed accurately

bottom: Flash-butt welding using the APT 1500 R on a newly laid track

European welding standard EN 14587-2This standard, which came into force in 2009, specifies the requirements for the approval of

a flash-butt welding technique by mobile welding machines at sites other than a fixed plant.

Apart from greater accuracy of the geometry after the welding as well as higher breaking

strength and fatigue strength, the conditions for the welding sequence are also specified.

Forexample theclampingdevices thatareused tohold the rails firm: theyshouldnotcause any damage that might subsequently lead to the formation of cracks in the rail.

Duringtheweldingprocessitisnotpermittedtointerrupttheburn-offoncetheprocesshasbegun and upsetting must be performed immediately with the sufficient upset force.

Theexcessupsetmustbetrimmedautomaticallyandtheweldmustbe incompressionduring removal of the excess upset.

Allweldsmustbecarriedoutaccordingtoprogrammedandautomaticsequences.Thewelding parameters are determined by means of welding tests and should not be altered

once approval has been given.

0505

left: alignment cylinder

right: trimming device

After applying the current-carrying clamps, the welding process commences with the unstable phase. Any impurities are burned out of the rail cross-sections. This is followed by the stable phase with a continuous input of current for a uniform burn-off. After this comes the progressive phase when there is an increase of current to burn out impurities such as air inclusions or material defects.

After completion of the progressive phase the upset stroke is performed imme-diately and directly afterwards the excess upset is trimmed off. During trimming the weld is in compression as defined in the standard, moreover all clamping jaws remain closed and they additionally support the rail as it cools. Pressure measurements in the two pulling cylinders have also shown that the trimming process has a negligible effect on the forces applied.

Afterwards, the current-carrying clamps and the clamping jaws are opened and the welding robot can be raised. A welding report is compiled automatically by the software from the parameters continually re-corded during the welding. 3

The welding process is in principle a regulated electric short circuit with the two rail ends

functioning as d.c. poles. The high current produces an arc between the rail ends, the two

railcross-sectionsareheatedtomeltingtemperatureduetothehighinputofcurrent.During

the following upset stroke the rails are pressed together under high pressure causing the

ends to coalesce. The upset metal is trimmed off immediately after the upset stroke.

The result is an accurate weld without filler metal with a very small heat-affected zone and

a more or less consistent progression of the hardening process with a favourable crystal-

line structure.

The principle of flash-butt welding

Rail Welding


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Integrated closure welding. Another advance in technology is the ability of the APT 1500 R to perform closure welds with-out an additional pulling device. Responsible for this are several constructional features and the three most important are: the maxi-mum pulling distance of 200 mm. This ena-

Closure welding the requirement for continuous welded trackThe long rails supplied by the welding factory are welded together directly on the work

site.Duringwork,weldsare leftoutat regular intervals, forexampleevery720metres.These are then performed last as closure welds, thus producing the continuously welded

track. When carrying these out, the behaviour of the rails at different temperatures must

be taken into account. At low temperatures, tensile stresses occur in a continuous welded

track because the rail material will contract due to its physical properties. At high tempera-

tures, compressive stresses form because the rail is prevented from expanding. However,

at a certain temperature the track is lying without stress. This is the so-called neutral

temperature which is defined for the rail in each country (in accordance with the climatic

conditions).

The closure welds are performed below the neutral temperature. For the welding process,

it is necessary to produce those force ratios in the rails that correspond to the present rail

temperature. This is performed by preparing a gap between the rail ends. The size of this

gap depends on the temperature-related difference in length between the neutral tempera-

ture and the momentary rail temperature. Before commencing the welding process, the

gap is closed by pulling the rails, thus adapting the forces in the rails to the momentary

temperature conditions. Closure welds are also necessary when single pieces of rail are

replaced (e.g. repair of rail fractures).

bles closure welds to be performed under a wide variety of conditions. Then the tractive force: which at 1500 kN is very generous. And finally the trimming process: basically during closure welding the rails must be held until the weld withstands the pulling forces applied in the rail after sufficient cooling.

However, the trimming process must be car-ried out immediately after the upset stroke. Clamping jaws and trimming tools are there-fore positioned so that it is possible to trim the weld immediately after the upset stroke without having to open the clamping jaws. This fulfils an important requirement of the standard which states that the weld shall be in compression during removal of excess upset.

Closure welding using a pulsation welding process. When performing closure welds below the defined neutral tempera-ture, the rail must be stretched in longitu-dinal direction to compensate the change in length caused by the temperature. Prepara-tory work is required for uniform stretching of the rails. Rail fastenings must be loosened over a defined length of track.

The pulsation welding process with uni-formly oscillating rail ends brings a number of advantages such as shorter burn-off lengths and less time needed for welding. A small gap between the rail ends is sufficient for this. This enables closure welds to be per-formed close to the neutral temperature and also reduces the length of track where rail fastenings have to be loosened. 3

Performing integrated automatic closure welds with no need of a separate rail pulling device

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Preparing the weld the slight inclinationDuetotheshapeof therail, there isan irregulardistributionofmaterialoverthecross-section.Duetotheeffectoftheelectriccurrentduringflash-buttweldingtherailisheatedup to melting temperature. Consequently the rail does not cool down uniformly over the

entire cross-section. The rail foot and the rail base cool down first. Because the largest

proportion of material is in the rail head, this cools down far more slowly. The natural con-

sequence is a depression of the rail in the area of the welded joint.

However, this result would have very negative effects on the

track geometry and the operational safety. For this reason,

a slight upward inclination of the two rail ends is

performed, adapted to the respective rail profile,

so that an ideal geometry of the rail is achieved

when the weld has cooled down.

Innovation down to the last detail. For example, there is a completely new design of the reconditioning of the welding current. Before transformation and rectification in the welding robot, the welding current has a frequency of 1,000 Hz. After rectification it has a low residual ripple which has a positive effect on the welding quality. This technol-ogy also enables far smaller transformers to be used.

The welding robot has additional equip-ment for temperature-guided cooling of the finished weld according to TTT diagrams (time-temperature-transformation). This in-cludes the integrated, non-contacting tem-perature measurement. High-alloy rails are cooled down more slowly by applying post-heating using current pulses so that no un-desirable microcrystalline structures form. For the accelerated cooling of head-hardened rails, there is a device incorporated that sup-plies a stream of air directly to the area of the rail head (air quenching). Due to the incorpo-ration of the pulsation welding process, by applying current under constantly oscillating rail ends, it is possible to shorten the time required for welding along with less burn-off.

The software is able to compile welding programs for varying types of rails. These programs include all parameters for fully automatic welding of the respective type of rail and can be retrieved swiftly at any time. v

Rail Welding


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08

In the development phase the first prior-ity was to create a reliable industrial product that would have its service life and precision put to the test on the work site. Under these aspects, Plasser & Theurer places great im-portance on the testing phase of prototypes. Ultimately, the customer and user should obtain a tool that is fully developed down to the last detail, with a guarantee of success.

A special test rig was designed and built for the initial trials. The first step was to build a carrier machine to supply power for the welding robot in the test environment. This involved the assembly of a high-perfor-mance diesel engine, a hydraulic system and power supply as well as an operating panel. A test rig also had to be built for this to test the durability of the welded joints. In close

cooperation with recognised test institutes, the welds were precisely analysed and not only the adjustment parameters but also the individual components were continually im-proved.

The first APT 1500 R welding robot was installed in a rail-mounted vehicle only after these decisive stages of development. All supply functions for welding current con-ditioning, hydraulic supply and cooling are performed by the respective work units.

As a complete package, the APT 1500 RA represents a fully autonomous rail-mounted flash-butt welding machine which has been used over the past two years of operation to gain experience under the most varied condi-tions. Experienced specialists have optimised all the adjustment parameters. In the testing phase special attention was given above all to the technical innovation which now makes closure welding possible without additional pulling devices. 3

The development of the APT 1500 RA

top: For transfer travel the welding unit and the manipulator are stowed under the cover.

bottom: Hydraulic jacks raise the machine on one side to relieve the rails being welded.

The standards always held high at Plasser & Theurer: high capacity precision reliability are seen in a new light in the APT 1500 R welding robot.

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Today we are proud to present to you a product that represents an enormous tech-nological advance in this sector of track maintenance the APT 1500 RA.

Flash-butt welding is now performed as a fully automated process using very stable mechanical engineering and servo technology. With the highest precision, optimised time sequences of each phase of work, shorter burn-off lengths and longer service life of the wearing parts, the APT 1500 RA offers the best technology for the continuous welded track of the future. v

Technical and commercial advantages of the APT 1500 RA

Reductionofthepreparatorywork

Fullyautomatedalignmentprocessandweldingprocess

Incorporationofclosureweldingwithoutanadditionalpullingdevice

Separatetrimmingprocessandclampingprocess

Optimised,highlywear-resistanttrimmingcutters(weldingalsopossibleoverthe

sleeper), fast conversion for varying rail cross-sections

Incorporatedacceleratedcoolingforhead-hardenedrails(airquenching)

Computer-controlledcoolingprocess(postheatingwithcurrentpulses)

for high-alloy rails

Pulsationweldingforthehighestqualitywithshorterburn-offlengthsandlesstime

required for welding

Weldingcurrentconditioningwithamidfrequencyof1,000Hzusing

smaller transformers

Currenttransmissionindependentoftheclampingjaws

Documentationoftheweldincl.alloperationalparameters

See also the feature on aktuell TV.

In the course of development of the APT 1500 R, a special test rig was built for initial testing purposes the entire power supply and control system for the welding

robot with a high-performance diesel engine, a hydraulic system and power supply and an operating

panel were duplicated in the test environment.

Rail Welding


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The BDS picks up surplus ballast in the course of ballast regulating and stores this ballast in material conveyor and hopper units, the number of which can be increased to enlarge the storage capacity. Via chutes and conveyor belts the material can be placed wherever there is a shortage of ballast. This system enables an effective and cost-efficient relocation of larger quantities of ballast in the track network. This achieves uniform ballasting of the entire working area. This accelerates the work output of the track tamping machine and ensures lasting quality of the track geometry.

Experience gained by railways around the world has shown that this machine system considerably reduces the requirement for new ballast and achieves enormous savings potential.

Switzerland New ballast manage-ment system revolutionises track main-tenance. Since June 2011 the Swiss Sersa Maschinelle Gleisbau AG has been operating the ballast management system BDS 2000 and MFS 100 made by Plasser & Theurer. The new ballast management system was first in use on the SOB - Swiss South-East Rail-

way AG - in Wattwil and between St. Gallen and Romanshorn. The worksite programme encompassed line ballasting and shoulder reprofiling, ballasting and regulating in turn-outs as well as displacement of ballast. These jobs were completed extremely successfully.

From October to December 2011 eight more test worksites across Switzerland were performed for the SBB (four shifts in Tessin, two shifts in Thun, one shift in Fribourg, two shifts in Zurich RBL).

The system carries the ballast in the cor-rect quantity to the right place thus guaran-teeing absolutely precise placement of bal-last. In addition to this, the ballast reserves along the track can be used up completely in the same working pass. This flexible, resource-saving solution does of course have a positive effect on the environment and reduces the transports of new ballast. The quantity of new ballast required can be reduced by up to 50%. 3

First BDS system in Switzerland

sWItZeRLAnD / AustRIA

top left and right: The photos show the ballastmanagementsystemBDS2000andMFS100operatedbySersa.

bottom:BDS2000withMFSunitattached

The BDS ballast distribution system made by Plasser & Theurer is a system of ballast management which uses the available resources in a unique way.

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due to high output and high quality of the work performed. Decisive factors for the speed and quality of the machine operation are on the one hand the training and experi-ence of the operating crew and on the other hand the optimum material logistics on the work site.

Also working on BB tracks are an MDZ 3000 operated by Bahnbau Wels and another one operated by Franz Plasser Ver-mietung von Bahnbaumaschinen. v

Operating experience in Austria. Since 2005 Swietelsky Bahnbau has been operat-ing an MDZ 3000 (mechanised maintenance train) consisting of an 09-4X Dynamic Tamping Express and a BDS 2000 ballast management system, for track maintenance on lines in Austria and the neighbouring countries. This machine combination has proven to be reli-able not only for long operating shifts but also in very short track possessions. On long workdays it was possible to achieve total out-puts of 16,000 metres (5,000 to 6,000 m of double tamping per day with three passes). Until now, these enormous outputs would have required three to four workdays.

But these machines also achieve peak performances in track maintenance even on extremely short sections of track. Maximum outputs performed in one shift were full maintenance of 40 to 50 work sections. As well as other tasks, this consisted of connect-ing sections adjacent to fixed structures with lengths of 40 m and more.

The 09-4X Dynamic Tamping Express, together with the BDS 2000 ballast manage-ment system, achieves a rise in productivity

top left:MDZ3000

top right:09-4XDynamicTampingExpresssets new standards in track maintenance

bottom:TheBDS2000systemideallymatchesthe output of the tamping machine.

News from around the world

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The Plassermatic 08-275/4 ZW-Y owned by MEVA was tested for approval in early 2011 on the tracks of Rhtische Bahn. This levelling, lifting, lining and tamping machine for plain track, switches and crossings achieves a working output of more than 200 m/h and can be operated on all metre gauge railway lines.

In the course of their investments, MEVA also purchased a self-loading ballast profil-ing and consolidating machine, type PBR-V 500 ZW. In combination with the tamping

machine the PBR-V 500 ZW forms a mecha-nised maintenance train that can perform all tasks for track maintenance in one pass, thus achieving an optimum quality of the work performed. Both machines are in in road/rail design which allows them to be transferred either on rail or by road on a flat-bed trailer. Apart from the high outputs, this helps to achieve economical and flexible application of these machines.

From the very first day, the machines proved their quality and have worked on various Swiss railways (Forchbahn, Berner Oberland-Bahn, Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn, Wynen tal-Bahn, Suhrental-Bahn, Zentralbahn and Transports publics fribourgeois). v

Mechanised maintenance train for metre gauge

sWItZeRLAnD

top:Plassermatic08-275/4ZW-YoperatingonSwisslines

bottom:PBR-V500ZWballastregulatingandconsolidating machine on a flat-bed trailer for transfer travel and turning for re-railing.

The Swiss contracting company MEVA has invested in a modern mechanised maintenance train for operation on metre gauge railways.

PBR-V 500 ZW

Frontal ploughShoulderploughssuitableforboth

directions of travel Powerful sweeper unit with transverse

conveyor belt Rail fastening brushes Consolidating units for the sleeper cribsDeviceforself-loadingontoflat-bedtrailer

Plassermatic 08-275/4 ZW-Y

Two tamping units with a total of eight tilting tamping tines

Displaceabletampingunitformaintenance work on Y-type sleepers

Synchronous3-railliftingdevicewithslewing limitation

Sleeper-endconsolidators ALC automatic guiding computer CAL curve laserElectronic8-channelrecorderwith

evaluation softwareDeviceforself-loadingontoflat-bedtrailer

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Optimum plain line tamping includ-ing consolidation of the sleeper ends. A mechanised maintenance train, consisting of a Plassermatic 08-275/4 ZW universal tamp-ing machine and an SSP Junior ballast profil-ing machine, was used for the maintenance of tracks and turnouts. Four hydraulic lifting cylinders enable self-loading of the tamping machine onto a flat-bed trailer for transport

The Pinzgau local railway has been in operation since 1898. It runs from Zell am See to Krimml and follows the Salzach river between the Hohe Tauern National Park and the Pinzgau Grasbergen mountains. Heavy flooding in 2005 destroyed the line between Mittersill and Krimml to a great extent (around 25 km). Reconstruction of the line was begun in summer 2009 and since September 2010 the local railway has been running and again transports around 850,000 passengers annually.

The tracks and the track substructure were renewed, four bridges were newly built and substantial funds invested in the im-provement of the signalling installations. Ten kilometres of track were completely newly laid and the remaining 15 kilometres of ex-isting track were refurbished. The work was carried out in sections and therefore almost all material transports (50 km of rails, around 40,000 concrete sleepers and the required track ballast) could be sent by rail.

by road. Apart from its other activities, SLB is the operator of more than 60 km of narrow gauge lines the transport of machines by road simplifies the prompt supply. In 2011 the MDZ was in operation for track mainte-nance on around 23 kilometres of track. v

top:Thetwo08-275/4ZWtampingunitsalso allow turnouts to be tamped.

bottom:Plassermatic08-275/4ZWandatthereartheSSPJuniorballastprofilingmachinewithshoulder

ploughs, centre plough and sweeper unit performing plain line tamping on the Pinzgau local railway

News from around the worldAustRIA

Narrow gauge railways are being built againCommissioned by the province of Salzburg, the Salzburg local railway SLB have rebuilt parts of the Pinzgau narrow gauge line, as part of an extensive project, and carried out comprehensive maintenance work on the existing line.

Pinzgau local railway

Built: 1898Track gauge:760mm(Bosniangauge)Route length:ZellamSeeLbKrimmlstation:53kmHeight difference:ZellamSeeLb(752m)Krimml(911m):159mMaximum speed:80km/hStations and halts: ZellamSeeLbKrimml:38Vehicles: diesel and steam-driven vehicles

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As already reported (Today Year 40 Issue 120) the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) is deploying twelve new track maintenance machines made by Plasser & Theurer for the high-quality maintenance of tracks and turn-outs. In detail these are four SRM 500 sand removal machines, three Plasser 08-16 SH levelling, lifting, lining and tamping machines for tracks and turnouts, two DGS-90 N

dynamic track stabilizers and three PBR 500 ballast regulating machines.

Maintenance using top quality ma-chines from the start. The North-South Project consists of two main lines. The route length will be 2,400 km in total. The first line begins in the capital Riyadh and runs towards the north-west to Al Haditha,

close to the Jordanian border. The second line starts from Az Zabirah Junction, roughly in the middle of the first main line, passes the bauxite mines at Az Zabirah and runs to the port of Ras az Zawr on the Arab Gulf where the bauxite is processed and shipped. Some branch lines will also be built.

For maintenance of the track, SAR decided from the outset to work with the most mod-ern machines. Contracts were awarded to Plasser & Theurer and other firms. The twelve machines were shipped from Ham-burg to the port of Jeddah at the end of 2011. From there, the machines were loaded onto low-bed trucks and transported 950 km to Hail where the new machines could be placed on the track.

Official presentation of the machines. In December 2011 representatives from Plasser & Theurer paid a visit to the railway camp in Al-Jouf where the new track mainte-nance machines are stationed. A symbolic presentation of the machines took place dur-ing this visit in the SAR main headquarters in Riyadh during which great emphasis was also placed on the good cooperation between SAR and Plasser & Theurer. v

Up-to-date track maintenance using Plasser & Theurer machines

top left:SymbolicpresentationofmachinestoDr.RumaihAL-Rumaih,CEOSaudiRailwayCompanySAR,byMr.GerhardMoor,Plasser&Theurer

top right:Plasser08-16SHtampingmachinefortracks and turnouts

bottom:DGS90Ndynamictrackstabilizer

In December 2011 a whole range of new machines were supplied for operation in the currently largest railway project in the Arab world, the North-South Project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

sAuDI ARAbIA

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News from around the worldIReLAnD

Successful start-up of the RM 90-IR

After a certain length of time for acceptance and training, the new RM 90-IR ballast cleaning machine supplied to Ireland in late spring 2011 went into successful operation.

top: The new ballast cleaning machine on Irish track

bottom left: The cutter bar produces an exact formation.

bottom right: The RM 90-IR leaves behind a uniformly cleaned and positioned track.

The basic approval for the machine was obtained in the Linz factory. In Ireland the machine underwent numerous driving and braking tests by the railway safety commis-sion. Training of the operators was carried out in Ireland by Plasser UK who is also re-sponsible for the further technical assistance of all Plasser & Theurer machines in Ireland.

Training and commissioning took place in the south-east of Ireland on the single track line from Waterford to Rosslare. On 7th and 8th September 2011 numerous visitors from Irish Railway and other guests were able to obtain an impression of the machines capa-bilities during a demonstration.

Demonstration of machines qualities. The presentation of the machine offered an ideal opportunity for a better understanding of the work sequence and the options pro-vided by the new ballast cleaning machine for tracks and turnouts. The RM 90-IR left behind a very uniformly cleaned and well positioned track. The machine incorporates highly sophisticated measuring systems which measure the track geometry before cleaning and, using a second lifting and lining device, lay the track exactly in its initial posi-tion and/or with the required displacement.

During the demonstration the cleaning machine achieved a ballast return of around 66% (approx. one third spoil) and therefore the track was laid around 120 mm lower after ballast cleaning. To compensate this, the RM 90-IR carries an integrated supply of new ballast (not in operation here). The entire supply and evacuation of material is performed solely in the track under repair,

with no hindrance to the adjacent track. The major components of the RM 90-IR are the excavation system with the excavating chain, the triple deck screen, the new ballast dis-tributing system and the modern machine control system. Geotextiles can also be installed using this machine. v

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This contracting firm, which carried the name Track Australia up to 2010, offers a complete range of services relating to construction and maintenance of track infrastructures using the fastest track main-tenance machines in Australia. Machines in use are track tamping machines, type 09-32 and the 09-3X Tamping Express as well as Unimat 08-475 universal tamping machines

made by Plasser & Theurer. To perform full track maintenance, SSP 100 and SSP 300 ballast distributing and profiling machines and DTS dynamic track stabilizers are also in operation.

09-3X Dynamic Tamping Express and SSP 305 to increase the capacities. Since February 2012 a new 3-sleeper tamping

machine, the 09-3X Dynamic Tamping Express and an SSP 305 ballast distributing and profiling machine have been added to Rhomberg Rail Australias machine fleet. The 09-3X dynamic tamping express combines the advantages of the fastest plain line tamp-ing machine in Australia, the 09-3X Tamping Express, with the benefits of the well proven dynamic track stabilizer. In combination with the SSP 305, the lines can now be main-tained in an optimum way. Both machines were built at Plasser Australia.

Major project in New South Wales. Since January 2011 an 09-3X Tamping Express owned by Rhomberg Rail has been working together with a DTS dynamic track stabilizer on the line from Broken Hill to Parkes. This 691 km long West to East con-nection, opened in 1927, will be completely rebuilt on concrete sleepers. The aim is to increase the capacity so that it will be pos-sible to carry 1,800 metre long goods trains with double-decker container loading. The half-time target was reached in November 2011 with 500,000 newly laid sleepers and the work is scheduled for completion by mid 2012. By then the two machines will have maintained more than 2,000 km of track in three passes. 3

top:09-3XDynamicTampingExpress3-sleepertamping machine for Rhomberg Rail Australia

bottom: SSP305ballastdistributingandprofilingmachine

AustRALIA

Expansion at Rhomberg Rail with a new mechanised maintenance trainRhomberg Rail Australia Pty Ltd based in Sydney is the Australian section of the Austrian Rhomberg Group.

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Handing over the new machine to Rhomberg Rail. The official presentation of the 09-3X Dynamic Tamping Express to Rhomberg was held in a small ceremony on 10th February in St. Marys, Australia. The presentation of the new machine was at-tended by the NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Transport, Mr. John Ajaka, the Mayor of Penrith, Mr. Greg Davies, and the Austrian Foreign Trade Delegate, Mr. Guido Stock. Mr. Garry Thuer, the Managing Direc-tor of Rhomberg Rail Australia Pty Ltd, was presented with the commemorative plaque. v

Presentation of the new machine (from left to right):GarryThuer,ManagingDirector,RhombergRail

Australia;JohnAjaka,NSWParliamentarySecretaryforRoadsandTransport;GregDavies,MayorofPenrith

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machine to restore the ballast bed to the required condition as quickly and cost-effi-ciently as possible. The decision was made for an RM 76 U ballast cleaning machine made by Plasser & Theurer which is suitable also for heavily encrusted ballast beds thanks to the high driving output of the excavating chain and the triple-deck screening unit. Accurate measuring and monitoring systems ensure a high-quality work process.

Arrival of the machines in November 2011. The second machine, an SSP 203 PDB ballast regulating machine, arrived in the port of Nouadhibou at the same time as the RM 76 U. This sturdy, three-axle machine incorporates a centre plough, two shoulder ploughs and an integrated trailer with two sweeper brushes for sweeping the ballast crown. The ballast regulating machine will be used together with a tamping machine owned by SNIM to complement the ballast cleaning. Thanks to the double sweeper unit, it can be used effectively to clear the line of sand and ballast. v

Ballast cleaning in North West Africa: SNIM puts RM 76 U into service

MAuRetAnIA

top:RM76Uballastcleaningmachinewithhighdriving output of the excavating chain and triple-deck screening unit

bottom:SSP203PDBballastregulatingmachinewithploughing equipment and integrated trailer with two sweeper brushes

Plasser & Theurer supplied one RM 76 U ballast cleaning machine and one SSP 203 PDB ballast regulating machine for the maintenance of the extremely heavily used heavy haul railway of Socit Nationale Industrielle et Minire (SNIM).

it is intended to raise this to up to 30 t in the coming years. A basic requirement for this is for the ballast bed to be cleaned. In the course of the years, the ballast bed has been contaminated by desert sand and transport spillage and is therefore hard and encrusted.

High output and high quality of the work performed. Therefore, the manage-ment of SNIM decided to procure an efficient

Since the end of the 1950s a 728 km long railway line has been operating from the ore mine in Zouerat to the port of Nouadhi-bou on the west coast, in order to be able to process and export the ore deposits in the north of Mauretania.

The total weight of the heavy haul trains, which are often 2.5 km long, can reach up to 22,000 t. Nowadays the axle load is 25 t and

19

ALgeRIA

conditions in the Algerian railway network. The RM 80 UHR is able to work on both tracks and turnouts and attains an excavat-ing width of up to 7700 mm. The machine is equipped with an excavating chain with a transverse chain guide which can be adjusted precisely to the required excavating depth and formation crossfall thanks to a user-friendly control system with a touch panel, a hydraulic cutter bar fastener to minimise the time needed to insert and remove the exca-vating chain, a device for ballast cleaning in turnouts and a triple-deck vibrating screen-ing unit for optimum ballast cleaning and a slewing spoil conveyor belt, to mention only some of the features of the RM 80 UHR. Like all machines made by Plasser & Theurer that operate in desert regions, the RM 80 UHR for Infrarail is equipped, amongst other things, with special filters, special covers over sensitive areas, cooling systems and a sun protection roof.

Plasser & Theurer has been represented on the Algerian market since 1972 and en-joys an excellent reputation with its Algerian customers. In 2005 Infrarail, the infrastruc-ture company of the Algerian State Railway SNTF (Socit Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires), took delivery of four tamping machines of the 08 series and five ballast regulating machines of the USP series which have been working to the full satisfaction of the customer since then.

Due to the ambitious upgrading and reha-bilitation programme in Algeria, there is a lot of activity for Infrarail. Besides a large num-ber of new construction projects planned for the currently effective five-year plan from 2011 to 2016, the cleaning of large sections of track is also planned which must be carried out in the coming years in order to maintain the good state of the track.

Ballast bed cleaning on plain line track and turnouts. For this reason, Infra-rail ordered a modern RM 80 UHR for tracks and turnouts in mid 2010. The decision in favour of this machine was very clear because no compromises could be made in terms of reliability and output in view of the difficult

RM 80 UHR for InfrarailLarge sections of the Algerian rail network are earmarked for cleaning in the coming years. To be able to perform this work not only efficiently but also with high quality, Infrarails modern machine fleet has been expanded by the RM 80 UHR, a ballast machine of the latest generation.

RM80UHRballastcleaningmachine


Comprehensive training completed successfully. While the final assembly work was being carried out on the RM 80 UHR in early summer 2011, Infrarail personnel came to the Service and Training Centre in Linz to learn about the basic theoretical principles for operation of the machine. From October 2011, commissioning of the machine and a six-week practical training was carried out in Rouiba, the headquarters of Infrarail. All work sequences were practised and refined in order to be prepared for the extensive operations of the machine that are scheduled for the first half of 2012. v

20

The administrations of the main railway networks of the respective countries, first RENFE (today ADIF) in Spain and then CP (today REFER) in Portugal recognised very soon the great benefits of systematic applica-tion of track stabilisation immediately after tamping and ballast bed profiling work. Now-adays these railway administrations stipulate the application of the track stabilizer for all

new construction and maintenance work on the main network (including high-speed lines). For this reason over 40 self-propelled DGS 62 N (with the exception of one DGS 90) were supplied to 18 different customers in Spain and Portugal. The majority of these ma-chines are being operated in the framework of maintenance contracts stretching over several years.

The DGS 62 N operates daily in the course of maintenance work performed at night, on more than a dozen sections of the Spanish high-speed network which is over 2,000 kilometres long. Every morning the first train must be able to travel safely and reliably at maximum speed (currently up to 320 km/h) to compete with air transport and road traffic.

DGS model for several track gauges. As is usual on the Iberian Peninsula, most of these stabilizers are designed for the two main Iberian track gauges, i.e. 1435 mm and 1668 mm. The gauge conversion requires two to three workdays. During this process not only the bogies and the measuring trolley but also the stabilising units are exchanged for the respective track gauge. After this, the adjustment work on the machine is carried out within a few hours and already on the track on the chosen gauge.

Four of the DGS 62 N supplied are even designed ex works for gauge conversion to three gauges because metre gauge is re-quired in addition to the two already men-tioned (the Iberian Peninsula has around 1,500 kilometres of narrow gauge tracks). 3

DGS dynamic track stabilizer in operation on the Iberian Peninsula

spAIn

For more than 20 years the first units were delivered in 1988 the dynamic track stabilizer has been operated systematically in Spain and Portugal for work on newly laid lines, track renovation and track maintenance.

top:DGS62Ndynamictrackstabilizer

bottom:DGS62Ndynamictrackstabilizerwith600kWengineoutput,Voithgearboxandfullcovering at the side

DGS 62 N

TheDGS62Nwithitstwostabilisingunits is the standard machine made by Plasser & Theurer for dynamic track stabilisation.

Totalmass 60 tLengthoverbuffers 17250 mmDistancebetween bogie pivots 12 000 mmEngineoutput 370 kWTravelling speed under ownpowerandtowed,max. 100 km/h

Dynamic track stabilisation the technology After track maintenance work such as tamping, ballast cleaning or new track laying, dynamic

stabilisation achieves a better anchoring of the track in the ballast. This is achieved by the

stabilising units. They are pressed down and held firmly against both rails via flange rollers

and pressure rollers. Flywheel gears produce a horizontal oscillation, crosswise to the track,

which is transmitted via the track grid to the ballast bed. This horizontal oscillation causes the

ballast to flow.

Hydrauliccylindersapplyanexactlymeteredverticalloadinadditiontothis.Sothetrackisloaded and rubbed into the track. This re-arrangement of the ballast stones is performed

almost force-free, the ballast stones settle more densely without damaging the stones. The

resistance to lateral displacement and the stiffness are increased due to the greater packing

density that occurs, the correct track geometry is maintained over a longer period of time, the

quality reserve of the track is raised.

21

The DGS as a multi-purpose vehicle. The equipment of the first DGS 62 N, with a 600 kW engine output as well as a Voith gearbox and drive on both axles of the front bogie, extended the range of uses of the DGS. Machines of this type have already been supplied to several Spanish contractors and are equipped with an enclosed cabin, a separate storage room with a sliding door at the side and bogies with a 920 mm wheel diameter. Besides the standard work of the DGS 62 N, this machine can also be used as a shunting and/or tractive unit as the DGS is capable of pulling up to 500 tonnes on level track. This option enables the customer to save a shunting unit on the work site, e.g. to pull ballast wagons or to take MFS material conveyor and hopper units to a depot. More-over, with one machine operator this vehicle can transport the entire MDZ mechanised maintenance train to the work site and back to the siding. The storage room offers space for tools and/or other valuable wearing parts for the MDZ that are normally stored on open material cars.

The first two-engine DGS was supplied to Spain in 2010. It is equipped with two Voith gearboxes and all four axles of the machine are powered (one engine and one Voith gear-


DGS62Ndynamictrackstabilizer,equippedwith an enclosed cabin and a separate storage

room with a sliding door at the side

box power one bogie each). On ballast clean-ing worksites this DGS 62 N replaces the tractive unit normally required. It can also pull the ballast cleaning machine together with material cars to and from the worksite. With an engine output of 1 200 kW this DGS is approved for self-propelled travel at 100 km/h, prepared for dual gauge operation and able to tow up to 1 000 tonnes on level track.

For the Iberian Peninsula it is expected in the future that there will be combined mod-els of the dynamic track stabilizer such as Dynamic models on tamping machines or sta-bilisation trailers on ballast ploughs. v

22

The planning consists of a railway tunnel to bypass the town centre as well as linking several tunnels around the skiing region. A new, extremely modern railway station is also being built in the town district Adler.

The competitions in skiing, bob run and sled runs will take place in the mountain re-gion around Krasnaja Poljana, about 70 km

east of Sochi. Parallel to this, a motorway and a new railway line almost 50 km long are being built to cope with the influx of visitors. For this line twelve tunnels with a total length of 26 km are being built to obtain a line layout that is as straight as possible. Three new railway stations are also part of the overall planning.

PUMA 2000 in operation for the Olympic Winter Games in 2014

RussIA

The Russian government is making substantial investments in the improvement of the transport infrastructure of the resort Sochi on the Black Sea in preparation for the Olympic Winter Games in February 2014.

Technology and know-how from Plasser & Theurer. Track correction, resto-ration of the design geometry in track curves and operation in tunnels are the challenges posed here. There are also extreme worksite conditions with gradients up to 40 . The constructional design and the technical fea-tures of the PUMA 2000 (Putevaja Universal-naja MAschina) guarantee a high-quality per-formance of the work. This multi-purpose machine, specially designed for the Russian Federation, has been working on Russian tracks since early 2005.

Optimum technical equipment. The PUMA 2000 universal track maintenance machine incorporates a tamping section, vari-ous equipment for treating the ballast cross-section with the option of loading ballast into a hopper and a dynamic track stabilizer. 3

top and bottom:ThePUMA2000inoperation:sectionsofthenewline are elevated on concrete piles five to six metres high along the mountain river Mzimta.

23

The central section of the PUMA 2000 is the tamping unit. The machine is equipped with a especially developed software (WIN ALC Sprinter) for the elimination of individu-al anomalies occurring in the track geometry. With the help of this software, tamping units, lifting and lining unit and the tamping system are able to produce a perfect track geometry.

Two shoulder ploughs and one centre plough are in operation for regulating the ballast. Thanks to the large radius of action of the shoulder ploughs, it is possible to pro-duce any ballast cross-section required. The design of the centre plough with adjustable feeder plates allows ballast to be displaced in any direction in one pass. Surplus ballast can be displaced by the sweeper unit via a trans-verse conveyor belt to the end of the sleeper (into the tamping zone) or transported in a hopper with a storage capacity of 9 m3. This helps to achieve substantial savings in ballast. Thanks to efficient ballast management by South-East Railway in the 2011 maintenance season, it was possible to achieve a cost saving of over 35,000 euros. A dust-arresting atomiser unit is part of the equipment of this machine.


The stabilisation unit in the rear machine section performs dynamic stabilisation of the track after tamping. The PUMA 2000 leaves behind an optimum track.

Successful operations. The first PUMA 2000 has been in operation since August 2005 and has worked extremely successfully on the Moscow Railway, the North Caucasus Railway and the South-East Railway. The second machine of this type was supplied in 2009 and has since worked mainly on the Gorky Railway.

During the 2011 maintenance season the two PUMA 2000 machines were operated on

left: Twelve tunnels with a total length of26kmwillbebuilt.

right: For intermediate storage of ballast, thePUMA2000carriesahopperwitha

storage capacity of 9 m3.

In the period of seven months on the South-East Railway, the following work was performed using the PUMA 2000:

trackcorrection 95700m ballastregulatingfortrackcorrection 88650m trackstabilising 31350m finaltreatmentoftrackusingtheballastregulatingdevice 27250m loadingballastintothehopper/ballastmetering (ballastoutofthehopper) 1134m turnouttamping 42turnouts stabilisationofturnouts 8turnouts finaltreatmentofturnoutsandadditionofballast 13turnouts Newdesignoftrackcurvesinordertoraisethespeed of the passenger trains 29 track curves

important sections of line of the South-East Railway and on high-speed lines of the Gorky Railway. Their deployment has made it pos-sible that the maintained sections of track can be reopened for traffic at full speed immediately after operations have been com-pleted. The PUMA 2000 combines the advantages of three track maintenance machines in one. In one compact machine the PUMA 2000 produces the services of a levelling, lifting, lining and tamping machine for tracks and turnouts, a ballast profiling machine with a unit for sweeping, collecting and storing ballast and a dynamic track stabilizer. v

24

The decision was taken by Chinese State Railways some time ago to carry out track maintenance according to the precision tech-nique using the fixed point method. Since then the rail network has been equipped with fixed points and the surveying work has been changed over gradually to the mecha-nised method using the EM-SAT .

With their integrated fixed-point meas-urement, the machines are able to survey the actual geometry of the track using a laser reference chord in relation to the fixed points. The mathematic comparison with the track design geometry by the ALC automatic guiding computer with EM-SAT software package produces the correction values

immediately which are sent directly to the ALC of the tamping machine.

This method of work guarantees a highly efficient and therefore cost-effective deploy-ment of the valuable tamping machine resources. A total of eight EM-SAT 120 machines with integrated fixed-point meas-urement will carry out these tasks, three of these have already commenced service to the full satisfaction of the operators. v

Mechanised track surveying in China

ChInA

top left: Fixed points on the catenary mast

top right:Screensformonitoringtheintegrated fixed-point measurement

bottom:EM-SAT120inoperationonChineseStateRailways

What has long been a firm feature of the maintenance strategy on many European railways, is now being introduced in China: track surveying using the EM-SAT. The first three machines are already in operation.

25

tuRkey News from around the world

Besides numerous other machines made by Plasser & Theurer, a total of nine multi-purpose machines type Unimat MF will go into service in Turkey by mid 2012. The first two machines were delivered in December 2011.

This machine combines the major maintenance tasks. The six-axle Unimat MF in articulated design incorporates all impor-tant jobs on the track (measuring, lifting, lining, tamping, ploughing, sweeping, re-cording the track geometry). The machine is equipped with heavy-duty, laterally displace-able tamping units with tilting tines for the maintenance of plain line track and turnouts. The lifting unit, the integrated levelling and lining measuring system and a WIN ALC automatic guiding computer provide the ba-sis for controlled work sequences and assure the good quality of the track geometry.

The ploughing equipment of the machine is located on the two-axle front wagon. This is used to fill the tamping zones with ballast before tamping work. The shoulder ploughs draw the ballast up from the ballast shoul-ders and the ballast crown plough distributes the material uniformly over the entire width.

The integrated trailer behind the tamping section carries the sweeper unit as well as the drivers cabin. Surplus ballast is removed from the sleeper surfaces. For an optical control, a colour camera transmits images onto the monitor in the operators cabin. Measurement and recording of the corrected track geometry is performed by the meas-uring systems and the DRP Data Recording Processor. These measurements are needed to carry out inspection und acceptance of the work performed.

With three operators, the combined tamping machine is able to profile the ballast bed completely autonomously, to tamp and line the track in order to correct faults and to achieve a stable track with a clean ballast surface. v

See also the report in Today Year 40, Issue 120.

Unimat MF multi-purpose machines for all-round operationThe Turkish railway administration TCDD is placing its trust in the latest machine technologies for track maintenance.

top:UnimatMFduringtestoperationinLinz,Austria

bottom left: Heavy-duty tamping units and the lifting unit assure the good quality of the track geometry

bottom right:Directviewontothetampingarea

26

Welding and testing technology in the production: every welding seam is the most important

Around 80 welders are employed by Plasser & Theurer. These welders work in three welding shops where small compo-nents, machine frames and bogie frames are manufactured. They also work in four as-sembly workshops and in one maintenance workshop. At Plasser & Theurer all standard

welding processes usual in steel construction are applied: metal and wolfram inert gas welding (MIG, WIG), metal active gas welding (MAG), autogeneous welding, spot-welding, submerged arc welding and of course robot welding. Particularly the welders in the assembly department are held in high esteem

by their colleagues. These welders have to work reliably even in areas that are difficult to reach and be capable of welding in all situations. Highly qualified welders are also responsible for programming and operating the ten welding robots.

Well-equipped workplaces. It is not easy to be taken on as a welder at Plasser & Theurer. Only trained all-round welders who abso-lutely fulfil the high standards demanded by Plasser & Theurer have a chance.

However, once the welder has managed this, he enjoys the benefits of a workplace that is not only well paid but also excellently equipped. Commensurate with the required results, the welders at Plasser & Theurer work only with modern and high-quality equipment. Work clothing, protective equip-ment, etc., is provided by the firm which goes to show how highly these specialists are valued. 3

The quality of every welding seam is of decisive importance. This contributes decisively to the service life and therefore the cost-efficiency of a machine. Reasons enough why work is carried out according to the highest quality criteria in the welding and testing technology workshop at Plasser & Theurer.

The quality of the weld is determined by the qualification of each individual employee which is why Plasser & Theurer places great importance on the best possible training.

27

Comprehensive system for consistent high quality. This large investment in quali-fication and equipment of the employees is part of an integrated system that encompass-es the entire welding and testing technology workshop at Plasser & Theurer. The philoso-phy behind it is clear: the cost-efficiency and safety of the machines depends quite de-cisively on the quality of the welding seams which is why the highest standards have to be set here.

This philosopy is put into practice in the context of the standared series EN 15085. This is the first European welding standard that was specially developed for rail vehicles and is regarded as one of the most com-prehensive welding standards world wide (formerly DIN 6700). Since 2008 welding is performed at Plasser & Theurer according to the guidelines of this European standard. Due to the high costs associated with this, a specialised international welding engineer (IWE) has been employed solely with the task of optimising the necessary framework con-ditions, checking that the specifications are met and performing the regular tests.

An internal welding standard and a company welding manual give clear and verifiable guidelines. A welder is also a craftsman and therefore his skill depends to a certain extent on the qualifications he

Plasser & Theurer Quality

top left: Preparation of the welding robot

top right: Robot welding arm

bottom left: Apprentice in training

bottom right:Ultra-violetcracktesting

ensures that the quality of the welding seams remains of an absolutely consistent standard. Every welder supplies the equally high level of quality at all times.

It goes without saying that the welding manual and the welding standard are expand-ed and updated continuously. A task that demands a great deal of effort but whose value cannot be appreciated highly enough. 3

has obtained. To guarantee that every single welder and design engineer adheres to the defined quality criteria, the internal P&T welding standard and the welding manual which overrides it are available. These contain the descriptions of all standards, certificates and design criteria relevant for the company. At the present time the manual contains more than 2,500 welding instructions. This means that every single one of the 2,500 welds is laid down exactly according to position, process, additional substances, materials and current intensity. This

28

Tests every two years. A very impor-tant element of the quality system in the Plasser & Theurer welding and testing tech-nology workshop are the regular examina-tions which the welders have to take. The examinations are held every two years. Each individual welder is only allowed to carry out welds in accordance with certain certificates, these are tested in detail. Work samples are produced and subjected to macroscopic structural investigations and/or fracture tests and these serve to verify and document the qualification of the welders. Apart from the examinations that have to be taken every two years, after a longer absence every welder at Plasser & Theurer has to re-qualify.

Company personnel for ongoing tests. The output that the eighty welders produce is enormous. The expenditure for testing is equally high. Therefore the company employs its own testing personnel who can check all regular products (metal sheets, castings and forging pieces and welded constructions) in compliance with the certification as per EN 473 in the test processes visual test (VT) and surface crack test (MT, PT).

In addition to this, testing personnel from accredited laboratories are entrusted with volumetric tests (UT, RT). Over and above the testing capacities in the firms own factories, there is also a growing need

in relation to the suppliers. Here only certi-fied companies are considered primarily for safety-relevant components.

The future within the enterprise. Which welded seam was carried out by which welder can be traced back to the 1990s at Plasser & Theurer. For roughly the same length of time, work has been performed in all factories according to internationally valid welding standards. Annually the 80 welders have to undergo approx. 250 tests. Since not many qualified welders are available on the job market, Plasser & Theurer trains its own apprentices.

The effort and expenditure that Plasser & Theurer puts into welding and test-ing technology is exemplary. And there is nothing to indicate that this might lessen in the future. The opposite is probably the case. Simply because at Plasser & Theurer the qual-ity of every single welded seam counts. For the benefit of the safety and cost-efficiency of every machine. v

Machine frames are welded in the turning frame this allows welding to be performed always in the correct position.

29

Plasser & Theurer Service & Support

top: Training on the equipment

bottom: Realistic imitation of the working environment for training in the simulator

and pedals for controlling the work units and standard pilot lamps. The real-time 3D simulation enables the trainee to learn how to perform normal plain line tamping and re-newal tamping but also how he must react when encountering obstacles such as level crossings, inductive track magnets, cable ducts, signal switching mechanisms, etc., and this improves the quality of the training.

The 09-3D tamping simulator assures:tampingunderrealisticconditionsintensive training without disruption of

rail services or risk of damage to the track recording, analysis, evaluation and there-

fore a quality control of the training sessions attended

bettertrainedstaffforahigheravailabilityof the machines in operation

no need to keep a machine specially fortraining purposes

anincreaseintheoverallmachineoutputthanks to highly qualified and specialised machine operating staff

The invited speaker, Dipl. Ing. Manfred Kehr, Vice President of the Union of Euro-pean Railway Engineer Associations (UEEIV) emphasised the necessity of good instruction and further training of all personnel working in the railway sector. He also presented the results of the first cross-Europe examination held by the UEEIV for operators of track maintenance machines with specialisation in front trolley operation.

Univ. Doz. Dr. Bernhard Lichtberger from Plasser & Theurer described the develop-ment and operating function of the new tamping simulator. After this, there was a presentation of the training courses offered at the Bingen Centre. Afterwards the visitors were able to test the tamping simulator for themselves and tamp a few metres of track.

Practical training in a new dimension. With this new 09-3D tamping simulator the training centre now has a valuable training instrument. A completely new kind of imita-tion of the surroundings in the work cabin provide a realistic impression of a true work-ing situation. This is augmented greatly by numerous original components such as the operating panel, the work seat with operat-ing controls installed in the armrests, a touch panel for the CWS computer working system

World first: the 09-3D tamping simulatorOn 1st December 2011 the worlds first 09-3D tamping simulator was opened in Bingen on the Rhine and presented to the public.

Tamping simulator in Linz. A second 09-3D tamping simulator has already been installed in the Linz Service Center and is now available for use by the international training participants. v

30

Dynamic track stabilisation (DTS) has been a firm feature of maintenance strategies all over the world for more than 30 years. The influence of this technology on the dura-bility of the track geometry following con-struction and maintenance operations has been the object of various studies again and again. In this instance, Union Pacific Railroad (UP) measured the behaviour of a concrete tie track on a high-capacity line under various conditions.

Test procedure. The tests were per-formed in consecutive test zones on the UP South Morrill subdivision that carries over 200 million gross tons (MGT) of coal traffic annually. The tests were performed using TTCIs Track Loading Vehicle (TLV) operating in a stationary test mode to measure the lat-eral resistance of single ties and the stiffness of the track on the existing nonsurfaced track, on a surfaced track and on a surfaced and stabilized track. After completing the

measurements, five loaded coal trains passed over the zones applying just under 0.1 MGT of traffic and the measurements were repeated.

Measuring stiffness. To measure the stiffness the TLV applied a 20,000-pound vertical force to both rails and a 40,000-pound lateral force to one rail. (see diagram) The lateral displacement of the tie being loaded was measured as the lateral force was applied. It was seen that increasing residual displacement correlates with decreasing lateral strength of the track.

Measuring resistance to lateral dis-placement. The Single Tie Push Test (STPT) is a measurement of the force required to displace an individual tie laterally in the bal-last section. The tie is unfastened from the rail and there is no bending or vertical load.

The results confirm the advantages of dynamic track stabilisation. The existing lat-eral strength and resistance of the track was extremely high which is probably due to the heavy traffic load of 200 MGT annually (see diagram). As was to be expected, surfacing the track significantly reduced the lateral strength and resistance values. 3

Dynamic track stabilisation under close scrutiny

usA

New series of tests carried out in America by Union Pacific (UP) Railroad confirm yet again the effectiveness of this technology.

top: Work unit of the dynamic track stabilizer

bottom: Test procedure for stiffness measurement of the track

Test procedure for stiffness measurement of the track

Vertical load 20,000 lb per rail

Lateral force 0 40,000 lb

Measured lateral tie displacement

Lateral displacement

31

Use of the dynamic track stabilizer in-creased the resistance values of the surfaced track by 65%. After 0.1 MGT of traffic, the lateral resistance values for the surfaced and stabilized zones were basically equal. How-ever, the TLV data showed the residual displacement of the surfaced zone with 0.1 MGT was still about twice the residual displacement of the DTS zone with 0.1 MGT.

The diagram shows that the stiffness of the existing track was very high and this was reduced by surfacing. Here too, dynamic sta-bilisation achieved a substantial improve-ment: the residual lateral tie displacement was reduced from 0.22 to 0.07 inch.

This technology is vital. It is quite striking that these values remained virtually unaltered by the traffic load of 0.1 MGT. The conclusion gained is that the traffic load achieves an increase in lateral stability but has little effect on the track stiffness. This proves that on a nonstabilized track the sub-sequent traffic has a more detrimental effect on the track geometry because the stiffness and therefore the lateral resistance of the entire track remains at a low level. The logi-cal consequence: application of dynamic track stabilisation is absolutely vital to ensure that the track geometry quality remains at a high level over a longer period following track maintenance operations! v

Plasser & Theurer Technology

top: Results of the measurement of the resistance to lateral displacement

bottom:Stiffnessmeasurementbeforeandafteratrainloadof0.1MGT.Thetrainloadhas

practically no influence on the stiffness of the track, but dynamic stabilisation does.

0

10

20

30

40

50

0 0.10.07 0.2 0.22 0.3

Lateral tie displacement (inch)

Stiffness measurement after a train load of 0.1 GMT

Late

ral f

orc

e (k

lb)

surfaced track after 0.1 MGT of trafcsurfaced and stabilized track after 0.1 MGT of trafc

nonsurfaced tracksurfaced tracksurfaced and stabilized track

Source: TechnologyDigest,TD-11-004,February2011

Combination machines with DTS Stabilisationunitscanalsobefoundinotherma-chines, above all in continuous action tamping

machinessuchasthe09-3XDynamicTampingExpress, theUnimat 09-32/4SDynamic or the09DYNA-C.A.T.series.Thetestsectionforthemeasurements described was prepared using a

DYNA-C.A.T.machine.

09-16DYNA-C.A.T.

9075

1850

27503050

2775

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

9000

10000

nonsurfaced track

surfaced track surfaced track after 0.1 MGT

of trafc

surfaced and stabilized track

surfaced and stabilized track after 0.1 MGT

of trafc

Ave

rag

e S

TP

T f

orc

e (lb

)

32

Networked measuring technology integrated overall solutions for track measuringPart 5: Implementation and acceptance of tamping work

Up to now the articles in this series provided a general view of the overall system, the routine measuring of the track network with subsequent analysis of the measuring data, surveying and preparation of the tamping machine operation. This final part deals with the implementation of tamping work and the integration of acceptance data into the infrastructure data base.

An overview of the sequence of work so far: track recording cars scan the rail network routinely, the measured data are transmitted to a central infrastructure data base. A maintenance plan is drawn up in the course of their evaluation which sets the required maintenance work into a time

This meets all the requirements from a tech-nical point of view for an efficient tamping machine operation.

Optimisation of the ballast situation. Now the results of the ballast requirement calculation are also taken into account so that the ballast train can be correctly assigned. If too little ballast is available in the section to be tamped, a sufficient amount of ballast can now be supplied. This ensures that the qual-ity of the tamping work is not deficient due to lack of ballast.

Maintenance work. The machine oper-ations manager responsible at Austrian Fed-eral Railways now retrieves the correction data compiled by him from the infrastructure data base and passes them on to the machine crew of the Plasser & Theurer tamping ma-chine. These data are transferred to the ALC automatic guiding computer and stored. This can be done at any time before maintenance work is performed. 3

sequence. A track maintenance operation will serve here as an example of such a main-tenance job. This begins with the preparation and performance of surveying work by the EM-SAT. In the course of their analysis, the surveying data obtained are converted into specific work data for the tamping machine.

top: Track maintenance and stabilisation using the 09-3XDynamicTampingExpress

bottom left: Precisely dimensioned ballasting of the tamping zones before maintenance work

bottom right: The ALC automatic guiding computer takes over the comprehensive and automatic control of the measuringsystems.TheDRPelectronicdataprocessorrecords the corrected track geometry.

the layer-by-layer consolidation to be stored. As the track layout is often optimised in the course of a track renewal, the acceptance data of the EM-SAT are often used to deter-mine the new design geometry.

Networked measuring technology complete sequence of work. This com-pletes the Networked measuring technol-ogy, achieving the goal of increasing the quality of the entire network. Using the infrastructure data base as a central depot for measured data, evaluations and work sched-uling, a specific planning of the existing maintenance budget is possible. The mecha-nised performance of all measuring tasks and maintenance work using reliable track tech-nology guarantees an effective implementa-tion of the financial investment. v

In response to the many requests, all parts of the series Networked Measuring technology from Today are now available combined into one brochure.

You can request a copy from our Advertising Department.

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When the tamping machine arrives at the work site, the data only have to be retrieved from the system and the machine can com-mence maintenance work immediately and without further delay. The tamping machine now works on the basis of the correction data and the ALC takes over the comprehen-sive and automatic control of the measur-ing systems. This ensures that the tamping machine is utilised highly efficiently for tamp-ing work without being held up by measuring runs, correction value calculations and such-like. The maintenance work produces a track geometry which corresponds to the track geometry laid down in the infrastructure data base as the design geometry.

Inspection of the work performed. Measurement and recording of the corrected track geometry is taken over by the meas-uring systems and the electronic recorder or the DRP Data Recording Processor of the tamping machine or the dynamic track stabilizer. These measurements are needed to perform inspection und acceptance of the work performed. For this purpose, the machine operations manager transmits them back into the infrastructure data base where they are available for a comparison with the acceptance regulations and for further evalu-ation.

It goes without saying that the sequence described in the example of a track tamping job can also be modified for other construc-tion and maintenance jobs, with all the ben-efits with regard to effective and therefore cost-efficient worksite planning. During track renewal, for example, measurements are taken before every tamping cycle as well as acceptance measurement carried out using the EM-SAT enabling the data about

Plasser & Theurer Technology

1. Regular measurement of the track geometry over the entire track network

2. The measured data are transmitted to the infrastructure data base

3. Analysisofthemeasureddata

4. Compilation of a maintenance plan

5. Maintenance as an example for preparation and implementation of track surveying usingtheEM-SAT

6. Transmissionofthesurveyingdatatotheinfrastructuredatabase

7. Analysisofthesurveyingdataandpreparationofthetampingmachineoperation

8. Transmission of the calculated correction values from the data base to the ALC automatic guiding computer of the tamping machine.

9. Automatic processing of the correction data by the tamping machine

10.Simultaneousmeasurementofthecorrectedtrackgeometrybythetampingmachine or the dynamic track stabilizer

11. Transmission of the corrected track geometry into the infrastructure data base for acceptance and evaluation

Networked measuring technology complete sequence of work

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at each work cycle. The forces acting on the turnout assembly are therefore always within the permissible range, even on heavy track designs.

Insulation avoids stoppages. Optional electric insulation can be installed on the 3-rail lifting unit. The joint between the lifting beam and the supplementary lifting device is provided with electric insulation.

The equipment is placed in position on the respective side and then works fully auto matically: the lift is carried out automat-ically and synchronously with the lifting and lining device, the length of the telescopic arm adapts automatically to the line of the rail during forward motion. Due to this syn-chronous supplementary lift at the diverging rail, a uniform lift is achieved because the lifting forces are distributed on three points

Continuing development of the 3-rail lifting unitTo carry out turnout maintenance in the area of the long bearers, turnout tamping machines made by Plasser & Theurer are equipped with an automatic synchronous 3-rail lifting unit for the diverging rail.

top:3-railliftingunitoftheUnimat08-475/4S

bottom:NewconstructivedesignvariationontheUnimat09-32/4SDynamic

Now signalling problems when working in the vicinity of the diverging rail can be avoided. This is usually linked to the section block system of the adjacent track in use and the supplementary lift would trigger a signal and activate a blockage of the adjacent track.

New constructional design variation for the Unimat-4S series. After many years of successful operation the design of the lift-ing head has been re-engineered. Up to now the head was equipped with a double flange roller and a lifting disk (top photo). The new design incorporates two stop disks and the lifting roller positioned in the middle. It can be adjusted to various widths of the rail head (bottom photo). Overall, this helps when re-railing the supplementary lifting device, provides an improved guidance of the rail head due to the lining roller gripping in the middle and a more exact guidance thanks to the accurate fitting. This new design has been proving its reliability for some time on the heavy-duty universal tamping machines of the Unimat 09 series. v

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Fairs, congresses and seminars

Railway Interchange 2011In 2011 Minneapolis was the venue for the most important exhibition of the North American railway industry. Besides the annual conference of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) and the CMA Technical Conference, Minneapolis Convention Center hosted the joint exhibition Railway Interchange 2011held by the members of the associations REMSA, RSI and RSSI.

18.20.09.2011,MINNEAPOLIS,MINNESOTA,USA

Over 570 international exhibitors pre-sented their products on approx. 27,000 m2

of hall space and along 2.5 km of track. Up to 8,000 visitors were able to obtain informa-tion about the latest technologies from the railroad supply industry or attend the seminar program. Most sectors relating to modern railroad engineering were covered by all the events.

Plasser American was represented with a large information booth in the Convention Center, as well as a selection of track main-tenance machines on the Canadian Pacific exhibition grounds located 20 minutes away. Under the exhibition motto: Multiple Tie Tamping Plasser American presented solu-tions that counter the challenges caused by varying tie spacing and ties that are some-times in slanting position in a cost-efficient and technically precise way.

The highlight was the 09-3X CW Dynamic which was specially designed for the North American market: a continuous action 3-tie track surfacing machine that is equipped with the units for dynamic stabilization. The special feature of this machine is the hori-zontal displacement of the tamping unit

halves to be able to react to the construc-tional differences between wooden and con-crete ties. Another continuous action tamping machine that was presented to the attendees was the 09-32 Dyna-C.A.T. equipped with a 2-tie tamping unit.

Also on show was the PBR 2005 DB, ballast distributing and profiling machine, which enables displacement and movements of heavy ballast in only one working pass. Two sweeper units ensure, even at high working

speeds, that the track is prepared ideally for subsequent traffic. On the topic of ballast bed cleaning, an FRM 802 a shoulder cleaning machine was exhibited.

The great interest of the many visitors showed that the machine designs on show and innovations made by Plasser & Theurer are significant factors for a modern and cost-efficient track maintenance strategy. v

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The 18th International Permanent Way Convention of the Working Committee on Railway Technology (Infrastructure) of the Austrian Society for Traffic and Transport Science (VG) was held for the fourth time in succession in Salzburg, Austria, on the theme: Optimising the Wheel-on-Rail System Traffic-based Infrastructure technical-economic network strategies.

Three-day international VG Convention for optimising the track infrastructure was a great success

The convention attracted around 500 participants from 50 different countries. In the presentations and discussions the focus was placed on the topics: market, strategies, technologies and cost-efficiency. 31 experts from a total of 11 countries presented a global overview on the topic of track mainte-nance from both the technical and the commercial point of view. These topics

27.29.09.2011,SALZBURG,AUSTRIA

ranged widely from recording technology to track data analysis, and from mechanised track maintenance to the deployment of heavy-duty machines. Not only for high per-formance and high-speed lines, but also for heavy haul traffic.

There were also reports about the latest components for the track and the present de-velopment concerning LCC calculations of the track system, the user-related track access charges and noise protection.

Modern track maintenance machines in operation. During the VG convention there was an excursion to a track relaying site on the railway line Steindorf Braunau. On this excursion the participants were able to see a track relaying machine with an inte-grated ballast bed cleaning system and a supply of new ballast in working operation. The RU 800 S is the first machine in the world that combines both work processes in one machine system and achieves substantial savings in time and costs. 3


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11.14.10.2011,DANZIG,POLAND

cerned the extensive topic of track construc-tion and track maintenance.

Plasser & Theurer exhibited the most up-to-date technology in this respect and presented amongst others the following machine designs: the ballast distributing and profiling machines of the USP 2005 series, the RM 80 UHR ballast cleaning machine for tracks and turnouts, the APT 1500 R rail welding robot and the EM 140 track record-ing car.

At the 2011 event TRAKO underlined the necessary European positioning of the Polish railways impressively. v

International Railway Fair TRAkO 2011 The ninth edition of the International Railway Fair TRAKO brought together over 500 exhibitors from 16 countries. This pres-tigious trade fair for rail transport systems in Eastern and Central Europe was organised together with the PKP Group, the Polish State Railways AG, and enjoyed the patronage of the Polish Minister of Transport.

In the choice of seminar themes and papers, the Polish railway industry focussed on international topics. The increasing inte-gration of the Polish network in the EU area and consequently the necessity of a uniform regulation was emphasised again and again.

Besides numerous product presentations in the exhibition halls, there was an opportu-nity to see at close range various types of vehicles for passenger and goods traffic and many work machines on the nearby show grounds. One focus of the exhbition con-

An additional machine demonstration was held in Braunau station where several track maintenance machines were present-ed: an 09-4X Dynamic Tamping Express, a Unimat 09-32/4S Dynamic continuous action track and turnout tamping machine, the BDS 2000 ballast distribution system, an EM-SAT 120 track survey car and a ditch pro-filing machine. The convention attendees were also given a viewing of the latest mobile flash-butt welding robot, the APT 1500 R. v

ExcursiontoseetheRU800StrackrelayingmachinewithintegratedballastbedcleaningandsupplyofnewballastontheSteindorf-Braunauline

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18.19.11.2011,MOSCOW,RUSSIA

well as representatives from the railway ad-ministrations, official institutions, the State Duma, universities and the working staff. Representatives from Plasser & Theurer were also able to attend the 40 lectures held in the course of this congress.

The efficient functioning of the railway traffic is extremely important for a stable development of the economy and to increase the living quality of the population. In its resolution the congress underlined the importance of innovations, upgrading of the railway infrastructure and the consistent ful-filment of the measures for implementation of the Development Strategy of the Russian Railway for Rail Transport up to 2030. It is planned to improve the operational situation

Some 3,000 delegates and around 1,000 guests took part in this event. Guests from major firms in Russia and abroad came as

04.06.10.2011,JNKPING,SWEDEN

In addition to this, Plasser Scandinavia and Deutsche Plasser, the service partners in this region, presented their extensive range of services. v

Numerous visitors from Scandinavian railway administrations, construction firms active in these countries, consultants and the supply industry came to Jnkping. As well as the current developments in the sectors of track and turnout tamping machines, bal-last management, formation rehabilitation, ballast bed cleaning and track relaying tech-nology, Plasser & Theurer presented above all the cost-efficient solutions in the sector of permanent way motor vehicles and motor tower cars.

through consolidation of the 1,850 wagon operators and the introduction of infrastruc-ture access charges. The infrastructure will remain under the Russian Railways RZD.

Apart from solutions to technical prob-lems, proposals were also discussed above all for the better utilisation of existing resources and the mobilisation of funds for the imple-mentation of large investment projects. At the forefront here is the development of in-ternational corridors such as the expansion of the broad gauge network in the East-West direction as far as Vienna and in the North-South direction with the construction of a new link west of the Caspian Sea towards Iran. v

Successful railway trade fair in ScandinaviaNordic Rail, the well established trade fair, was held in Jnkping, Sweden, from 4th to 6th October 2011 together with a lecture event.

Second railway congress in MoscowOn 18th and 19th November 2011 the Second Railway Congress was held in the Manege, the large exhibition hall in the centre of Moscow.


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EXPO Ferroviaria 2012 At the end of March this important Italian railway exhibition was held for the fifth time. Turin was again the venue for this bi-annual fa

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