New technology trialled in war against autumn rail conditions
NETWORK RAIL has trialled two new technologies in its efforts to combat poor railhead conditions caused by seasonal leaf fall during the autumn months.
In recent years NR has operated an intensive timetable of Railhead Treatment Trains and Multi-purpose Vehicles across the rail network between the beginning of October and mid-december (Railways Illustrated issue 238) to combat the problem of leaf fall, which causes poor adhesion for trains operating throughout the network.
The current method of dealing with the mulch that forms and accumulates on the railhead – creating similar conditions to black ice on roads – has been to use high-pressure water systems on the RHTT and MPV fleets to clear it.
However, Network Rail is now investigating other types of technology to tackle the annual problem in a more sustainable way, with the infrastructure company carrying out trials of lasers and plasma jets throughout October on the East Lancashire Railway heritage line.
The systems of two different companies – Laser Protection Solutions and Plasmatrack – have been tested there to see if their solutions are as effective at cleaning the rails as the current systems.
Laser Precision Solutions’ Lasertrain technology uses three high-powered beams per railhead to treat the rails. When the intensity of the lasers hit the railhead, the contamination instantly vaporises – without heating up the rail.
Plasmatrack’s system involves direct current plasma technology, which uses heat and active electrons to split things apart. The high-energy electrical plasma beam tears apart the leaf layer, as well as heating and burning it off.
NR states that each year the autumn railhead treatment circuits cover more than a million miles between October and December, with the entire network treated over 50 times.
However, the current preferred method of treatment uses about 200 million litres of water, and the use of alternative technology could reduce the need for such a large amount of water, as well as the cost of fuel for transporting it around the country. NR said this would benefit both the environment and reduce the cost to the taxpayer.
Results of the laser and plasma technology tests will now be analysed to see how successful they were, but further development work would be required to ensure that the systems can work on the live rail network as well as the current water-based system. NR project engineer Suhayb Manzoor said: “Leaves on the line are often seen as a joke on the railway but they can cause serious problems and we are always looking at new ways to tackle this age-old problem.
“It’s also not unique to Britain, with railways all over the world having issues when trees shed their leaves. For that reason, it’s exciting to be putting some of the newest technology out there to the test, with the hope that one day it could help Network Rail keep passengers and freight moving safely at this operationally challenging time of year.” ELR chairman Mike Kelly said: “When people think of heritage railways, they probably think they just look at preserving the past, but here at the East Lancashire Railway we want to be a moderniser, too. “We are very proud to be able to play our part and provide our tracks and infrastructure to allow Network Rail to do its important research and development and excited to be at the forefront of technology which could make millions of future journeys better for passengers around the country.”