RU 800 S – performance comparison after three years which a conventional ballast-cleaning machine would not have been able to get past. We were actually awarded the contract on the basis of an alternative proposal to do all the relaying work with the RU 800 S and we succeeded in completing it using the fully mechanised method in the course of just one weekend’s possession. Deutsche Bahn’s saving was two complete weekends, including one relaying weekend for maintenance work that was urgently needed. 3.2 Line between StuttgartEndersbach and Waiblingen The original plan for this line was to relay around 5700 m of track and to clean the ballast, reverting to conventional relaying methods along the length of two platforms. Four weekends were to be set aside for the work. Once again, it was an alternative proposal to use the RU 800 S throughout that was accepted, and the time required to complete the work was reduced to two weekends. 3.3 Line between Regensburg and Passau With this engineering project too, it proved possible to save two weekends thanks to the use of the RU 800 S. Given the local conditions, including closely spaced tracks and supporting walls at one side of the tracks, the call for tenders had, once again, envisaged the use of conventional relaying techniques. It proved child’s play for the RU 800 S to complete the work using a ballast cleaning chain with a width of only three metres. The two weekends now not needed for relaying work on this extremely busy line then became available for an urgently-needed rail-replacement job. 3.4 Line between Germersheim and Wörth This engineering project extended over a distance of 42 km, and, being granted total possession, we were again able to prove the capabilities of the RU 800 S. It needed only 21 shifts for relaying the track and cleaning the ballast along the whole length of the line. At the end of each machine shift, around 2000 m of track had been cleaned and relaid, ready for the removal of the old rails, final tamping and welding. This represents a big gain in time compared with conventional mechanised methods which, in this specific case, meant that work was completed on schedule, despite needing to be interrupted for nearly two weeks on account of several munition finds. 4 Conclusions The experience accumulated over these three years on railway lines belonging to the networks of Deutsche Bahn and the Austrian Federal Railways provide undisputable evidence that the machine concept underlying the RU 800 S constitutes a milestone in the technology of big machines and that it has, moreover, been implemented successfully in practice. Considering technical and financial aspects, as well as the time requirements for carrying out projects, shows that there are virtually only benefits to it. Fears that there would be limitations in implementing the necessary logistics in support of the machine have turned out to be unfounded. Looking at its individual dimensions, it is actually no longer than conventional systems. The marginally longer setup length required for the RU 800 S at the beginning of work on a new site is more than offset by its higher power density and the lower number of threading-in and threadingout operations compared with the use of separate machines for track relaying and ballast cleaning. Railway Transformation Setting the course for a new direction! Railway companies around the world are being transformed from public-sector monopolies into service-oriented companies with a strong customer focus, operating in liberalised markets. Outlining the current position and major challenges for the rail sector, this handbook is an essential read. Using examples of the best practice, it provides a unique look ’behind the scenes‘, to show how operators can benefit from the experience of the leading players in the market. Technical Data: ISBN 978-3-7771-0406-5, 264 pages, size 170x240 mm, Price: € 54,- + postage Contact: DVV Media Group GmbH | Eurailpress Telephone: +49 (40) 237 14 - 440 · Fax: +49 (40) 237 14 - 450 · email: book@dvvmedia.com Save your copy today! Visit www.eurailpress.de/rt
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjY3NTk=