today

High-Capacity I Precision I Reliability

published by Plasser&Theurer | Year 41 Issue 122

FOKUS

Vorlage mit Schrift

FOKUS

deutsch vektor
engl/ital/frz
Rail Welding:
technological advance in mobile flash-butt welding
BDS: first ballast management system in Switzerland | PUMA 2000 in operation for the
spanisch
Olympic Winter Games 2014
| World first: 09-3D tamping simulator

FOKUS

Vorlage mit Schrift

Contents

today

deutsch vektor

Rail Weldingengl/ital/frz

High-Capacity I Precision I Reliability

published by Plasser&Theurer | Year 41 Issue 122

03 The APT 1500 R welding robot a technological advance in

mobile flash-butt welding

spanisch

08 Development of the APT 1500 RA

trkisch

News from around therussisch

world
FOKUS

Vorlage mit Schrift

FOKUS

deutsch vektor
engl/ital/frz
Rail Welding:
technological advance in mobile flash-butt welding
BDS: first ballast management system in Switzerland | PUMA 2000 in operation for the
spanisch
Olympic Winter Games 2014
| World first: 09-3D tamping simulator
trkisch
russisch

Cover photo: APT 1500 R welding robot

10 First BDS system in Switzerland

12 Mechanised maintenance train for metre gauge
13 Narrow gauge railways are being built again

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 development, 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 hesitate to contact us.
Plasser & Theurer

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

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.

for track measuring (Part 5)

34 Continuing development of the 3-rail lifting unit

Fairs, congresses and seminars

35 Reports from fairs, congresses and seminars around the world

engl/ital/frz
spanisch

Rail Welding

trkisch
russisch

The APT 1500 R welding robot

a technological advance in mobile
flash-butt welding
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.
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

many years of experience with this type of

track have shown that the electrical flashbutt 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

03

European welding standard EN 14587-2

This 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.
For example the clamping devices that are used to hold the rails firm: they should not
cause any damage that might subsequently lead to the formation of cracks in the rail.
During the welding process it is not permitted to interrupt the burn-off once the process has
begun and upsetting must be performed immediately with the sufficient upset force.
The excess upset must be trimmed automatically and the weld must be in compression
during removal of the excess upset.
All welds must be carried out according to programmed and automatic sequences. The
welding parameters are determined by means of welding tests and should not be altered
once approval has been given.

Higher quality criteria. The increased

quality requirements to be met by a mobile 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 advance 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 automatic work process begins, starting with the
height alignment of the rails. To do this, the
auxiliary clamps raise the rails to the highest points which immediately achieve the required slight upward inclination. The clamping 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 completed. 3

top: Finished welded joint, performed accurately

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

04

engl/ital/frz

Rail Welding

spanisch
trkisch
russisch

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 immediately 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 recorded during the welding. 3

The principle of flash-butt welding

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
rail cross-sections are heated to melting temperature due to the high input of current. 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 crystalline structure.

left: alignment cylinder

right: trimming device

05

 Integrated closure welding. Another

advance in technology is the ability of the
APT 1500 R to perform closure welds without an additional pulling device. Responsible
for this are several constructional features
and the three most important are: the maximum pulling distance of 200 mm. This ena-

bles closure welds to be performed under a

wide variety of conditions. Then the tractive
force: which at 1500kN 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.

Closure welding
the requirement for continuous welded track
The long rails supplied by the welding factory are welded together directly on the work
site. During work, welds are left out at regular intervals, for example every 720 metres.
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 temperatures, 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

However, the trimming process must be carried out immediately after the upset stroke.
Clamping jaws and trimming tools are therefore 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 temperature, the rail must be stretched in longitudinal direction to compensate the change in
length caused by the temperature. Preparatory work is required for uniform stretching
of the rails. Rail fastenings must be loosened
over a defined length of track.

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 temperature 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).

The pulsation welding process with uniformly 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 performed 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

06

engl/ital/frz
spanisch

Rail Welding

trkisch
russisch

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 technology also enables far smaller transformers to
be used.
The welding robot has additional equipment for temperature-guided cooling of the
finished weld according to TTT diagrams
(time-temperature-transformation). This includes the integrated, non-contacting temperature measurement. High-alloy rails are
cooled down more slowly by applying postheating using current pulses so that no undesirable microcrystalline structures form.
For the accelerated cooling of head-hardened
rails, there is a device incorporated that supplies a stream of air directly to the area of the
rail head (air quenching). Due to the incorporation 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

Preparing the weld the slight inclination

Due to the shape of the rail, there is an irregular distribution of material over the crosssection. Due to the effect of the electric current during flash-butt welding the rail is heated
up 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 consequence 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.

07

The development of the APT 1500 RA

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.
In the development phase the first priority 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 importance 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-performance 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 improved.
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 APT1500RA
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 conditions. 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

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.

08

engl/ital/frz

Rail Welding

spanisch
trkisch
russisch

Technical and commercial advantages of the APT 1500 RA

Reduction of the preparatory work
Fully automated alignment process and welding process
Incorporation of closure welding without an additional pulling device
Separate trimming process and clamping process
Optimised, highly wear-resistant trimming cutters (welding also possible over the

Today we are proud to present to you a

product that represents an enormous technological advance in this sector of track
maintenance the APT 1500 RA.

sleeper), fast conversion for varying rail cross-sections

Incorporated accelerated cooling for head-hardened rails (air quenching)
Computer-controlled cooling process (post heating with current pulses)
for high-alloy rails
Pulsation welding for the highest quality with shorter burn-off lengths and less time

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

required for welding

Welding current conditioning with a mid frequency of 1,000 Hz using
smaller transformers
Current transmission independent of the clamping jaws
Documentation of the weld incl. all operational parameters

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.

09

SWITZERLAND / Austria

First BDS system in Switzerland

The BDS ballast distribution system made by Plasser & Theurer is a system of
ballast management which uses the available resources in a unique way.
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 management system revolutionises track maintenance. 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 turnouts 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 correct quantity to the right place thus guaranteeing absolutely precise placement of ballast. 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

top left and right: The photos show the

ballast management system BDS 2000
and MFS 100 operated by Sersa.
bottom: BDS 2000 with MFS unit attached

10

News from around the world

Operating experience in Austria. Since

2005 Swietelsky Bahnbau has been operating 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 reliable not only for long operating shifts but
also in very short track possessions. On long
workdays it was possible to achieve total outputs 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.

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 experience 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

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 connecting sections adjacent to fixed structures with
lengths of 40 m and more.
The 09-4X Dynamic Tamping Express,
together with the BDS 2000 ballast management system, achieves a rise in productivity

top left: MDZ 3000

top right: 09-4X Dynamic Tamping Express
sets new standards in track maintenance
bottom: The BDS 2000 system ideally matches
the output of the tamping machine.

11

SWITZERLAND

Mechanised maintenance train for metre gauge

The Swiss contracting company MEVA has invested in a modern mechanised
maintenance train for operation on metre gauge railways.
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 profiling and consolidating machine, type PBR-V
500 ZW. In combination with the tamping

machine the PBR-V 500 ZW forms a mechanised 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,
Wynental-Bahn, Suhrental-Bahn, Zentralbahn
and Transports publics fribourgeois). v

Plassermatic 08-275/4 ZW-Y

Two tamping units with a total of eight
tilting tamping tines
Displaceable tamping unit for
maintenance work on Y-type sleepers
Synchronous 3-rail lifting device with
slewing limitation
Sleeper-end consolidators
ALC automatic guiding computer
CAL curve laser
Electronic 8-channel recorder with
evaluation software
Device for self-loading onto flat-bed trailer

PBR-V 500 ZW
Frontal plough
Shoulder ploughs suitable for both
directions of travel
Powerful sweeper unit with transverse
conveyor belt
Rail fastening brushes
Consolidating units for the sleeper cribs
Device for self-loading onto flat-bed trailer

top: Plassermatic 08-275/4 ZW-Y operating on

Swiss lines
bottom: PBR-V 500 ZW ballast regulating and
consolidating machine on a flat-bed trailer for
transfer travel and turning for re-railing.

12

News from around the world

Austria

Narrow gauge railways are being built again

Commissioned 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.
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.

Optimum plain line tamping including consolidation of the sleeper ends. A

mechanised maintenance train, consisting of
a Plassermatic 08-275/4 ZW universal tamping machine and an SSP Junior ballast profiling 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

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 maintenance on around 23 kilometres of track. v

Pinzgau local railway

The tracks and the track substructure

were renewed, four bridges were newly built
and substantial funds invested in the improvement of the signalling installations. Ten
kilometres of track were completely newly
laid and the remaining 15 kilometres of existing 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.

Built: 1898
Track gauge: 760 mm (Bosnian gauge)
Route length: Zell am See Lb
Krimml station: 53 km
Height difference: Zell am See Lb (752 m)
Krimml (911 m): 159 m
Maximum speed: 80 km/h
Stations and halts:
Zell am See Lb Krimml: 38
Vehicles: diesel and steam-driven vehicles

top: The two 08-275/4 ZW tamping units

also allow turnouts to be tamped.
bottom: Plassermatic 08-275/4 ZW and at the rear the
SSP Junior ballast profiling machine with shoulder
ploughs, centre plough and sweeper unit performing
plain line tamping on the Pinzgau local railway

13

Saudi Arabia

Up-to-date track maintenance using

Plasser & Theurer machines
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.
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 turnouts. 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 machines 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 modern machines. Contracts were awarded to
Plasser & Theurer and other firms. The
twelve machines were shipped from Hamburg 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 maintenance machines are stationed. A symbolic
presentation of the machines took place during 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

top left: Symbolic presentation of machines to

Dr. Rumaih AL-Rumaih, CEO Saudi Railway Company
SAR, by Mr. Gerhard Moor, Plasser & Theurer
top right: Plasser 08-16 SH tamping machine for
tracks and turnouts
bottom: DGS 90 N dynamic track stabilizer

14

News from around the world

Ireland

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.
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 commission. Training of the operators was carried
out in Ireland by Plasser UK who is also responsible for the further technical assistance
of all Plasser & Theurer machines in Ireland.

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 distributing system and the modern machine
control system. Geotextiles can also be
installed using this machine. v

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 capabilities 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 provided 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 position and/or with the required displacement.

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.

15

Australia

Expansion at Rhomberg Rail

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

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 maintenance 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 tamping 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 maintained 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 connection, opened in 1927, will be completely
rebuilt on concrete sleepers. The aim is to
increase the capacity so that it will be possible 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: 09-3X Dynamic Tamping Express 3-sleeper

tamping machine for Rhomberg Rail Australia
bottom: SSP 305 ballast distributing and profiling
machine

16

News from around the world

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 attended 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 Director of Rhomberg Rail Australia Pty Ltd, was
presented with the commemorative plaque.
v

Presentation of the new machine (from left to right):

Garry Thuer, Managing Director, Rhomberg Rail
Australia; John Ajaka, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for
Roads and Transport; Greg Davies, Mayor of Penrith

17

Mauretania

Ballast cleaning in North West Africa:

SNIM puts RM 76 U into service
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).
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 Nouadhibou on the west coast, in order to be able to
process and export the ore deposits in the
north of Mauretania.

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.

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

High output and high quality of the

work performed. Therefore, the management of SNIM decided to procure an efficient

machine to restore the ballast bed to the

required condition as quickly and cost-efficiently 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

top: RM 76 U ballast cleaning machine with high

driving output of the excavating chain and triple-deck
screening unit
bottom: SSP 203 PDB ballast regulating machine with
ploughing equipment and integrated trailer with two
sweeper brushes

18

News from around the world

Algeria

RM 80 UHR for Infrarail

Large 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.
Plasser & Theurer has been represented
on the Algerian market since 1972 and enjoys an excellent reputation with its Algerian
customers. In 2005 Infrarail, the infrastructure 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 rehabilitation programme in Algeria, there is a lot
of activity for Infrarail. Besides a large number 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.

conditions in the Algerian railway network.

The RM 80 UHR is able to work on both
tracks and turnouts and attains an excavating 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 userfriendly control system with a touch panel, a
hydraulic cutter bar fastener to minimise the
time needed to insert and remove the excavating chain, a device for ballast cleaning in
turnouts and a triple-deck vibrating screening 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.

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

Ballast bed cleaning on plain line

track and turnouts. For this reason, Infrarail 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 ballast cleaning machine

19

Spain

DGS dynamic track stabilizer in operation

on the Iberian Peninsula
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.
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 application of track stabilisation immediately after
tamping and ballast bed profiling work. Nowadays these railway administrations stipulate
the application of the track stabilizer for all

DGS 62 N
The DGS 62 N with its two stabilising
units is the standard machine made
by Plasser & Theurer for dynamic track
stabilisation.
Total mass
60 t
Length over buffers
17250 mm
Distance
between bogie pivots
12000 mm
Engine output
370 kW
Travelling speed under
own power and towed, max. 100 km/h

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 machines 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 required in addition to the two already mentioned (the Iberian Peninsula has around
1,500 kilometres of narrow gauge tracks).
3

top: DGS 62 N dynamic track stabilizer

bottom: DGS 62 N dynamic track stabilizer with
600 kW engine output, Voith gearbox and full
covering at the side

20

News from around the world

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. Moreover, 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.

box power one bogie each). On ballast cleaning 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 models of the dynamic track stabilizer such as
Dynamic models on tamping machines or stabilisation trailers on ballast ploughs. v

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.
Hydraulic cylinders apply an exactly metered vertical load in addition to this. So the track is
loaded 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.

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-

DGS 62 N dynamic track stabilizer, equipped

with an enclosed cabin and a separate storage
room with a sliding door at the side

21

Russia

PUMA 2000 in operation for the

Olympic Winter Games in 2014
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.
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 region 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.

Technology and know-how from

Plasser & Theurer. Track correction, restoration 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 features of the PUMA 2000 (Putevaja Universalnaja MAschina) guarantee a high-quality performance 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, various equipment for treating the ballast crosssection with the option of loading ballast into
a hopper and a dynamic track stabilizer. 3

top and bottom:

The PUMA 2000 in operation: sections of the new
line are elevated on concrete piles five to six
metres high along the mountain river Mzimta.

22

News from around the world

In the period of seven months on the

South-East Railway, the following work was performed
using the PUMA 2000:

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 individual 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 produce 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 transverse 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.

track correction
95 700 m
ballast regulating for track correction
88 650 m
track stabilising
31 350 m
final treatment of track using the ballast regulating device 27 250 m
loading ballast into the hopper/ballast metering
(ballast out of the hopper)
1 134 m
turnout tamping
42 turnouts
stabilisation of turnouts
8 turnouts
final treatment of turnouts and addition of ballast
13 turnouts
New design of track curves in order to raise the speed
of the passenger trains
29 track curves

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

important sections of line of the South-East

Railway and on high-speed lines of the Gorky
Railway. Their deployment has made it possible that the maintained sections of track
can be reopened for traffic at full speed
immediately after operations have been completed.

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

left: Twelve tunnels with a total length

of 26 km will be built.
right: For intermediate storage of ballast,
the PUMA 2000 carries a hopper with a
storage capacity of 9 m3.

23

China

Mechanised track surveying

in China
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.

The decision was taken by Chinese State

Railways some time ago to carry out track
maintenance according to the precision technique 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 mechanised method using the EM-SAT .

With their integrated fixed-point measurement, 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 deployment of the valuable tamping machine
resources. A total of eight EM-SAT 120
machines with integrated fixed-point measurement will carry out these tasks, three of
these have already commenced service to the
full satisfaction of the operators. v

top left: Fixed points on the catenary mast

top right: Screens for monitoring the
integrated fixed-point measurement
bottom: EM-SAT 120 in operation
on Chinese State Railways

24

Turkey

News from around the world

Unimat MF multi-purpose machines

for all-round operation
The Turkish railway administration TCDD is placing its trust
in the latest machine technologies for track maintenance.
Besides numerous other machines made
by Plasser & Theurer, a total of nine multipurpose 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 important jobs on the track (measuring, lifting,
lining, tamping, ploughing, sweeping, recording the track geometry). The machine is
equipped with heavy-duty, laterally displaceable 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 basis for controlled work sequences and assure
the good quality of the track geometry.

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 measuring 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.

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 shoulders and the ballast crown plough distributes
the material uniformly over the entire width.

top: Unimat MF during test operation in Linz, Austria

bottom left: Heavy-duty tamping units and the lifting
unit assure the good quality of the track geometry
bottom right: Direct view onto the tamping area

25

Welding and testing technology in

the production: every welding seam
is the most important
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.
Around 80 welders are employed by
Plasser & Theurer. These welders work in
three welding shops where small components, machine frames and bogie frames are
manufactured. They also work in four assembly 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 absolutely 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 equipment, etc., is provided by the firm which
goes to show how highly these specialists are
valued. 3

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.

26

Plasser & Theurer Quality

Comprehensive system for consistent

high quality. This large investment in qualification and equipment of the employees is
part of an integrated system that encompasses the entire welding and testing technology
workshop at Plasser & Theurer. The philosophy 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 comprehensive 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 conditions, checking that the specifications are
met and performing the regular tests.

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

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 expanded and updated continuously. A task that
demands a great deal of effort but whose
value cannot be appreciated highly enough.
3

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

top left: Preparation of the welding robot

top right: Robot welding arm
bottom left: Apprentice in training
bottom right: Ultra-violet crack testing

27

 Tests every two years. A very important element of the quality system in the
Plasser & Theurer welding and testing technology workshop are the regular examinations 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 certified 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 testing 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 quality 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.

28

Plasser & Theurer Service & Support

World first:
the 09-3D tamping simulator
On 1st December 2011 the worlds first 09-3D tamping simulator
was opened in Bingen on the Rhine and presented to the public.
The invited speaker, Dipl. Ing. Manfred
Kehr, Vice President of the Union of European 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 development 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 imitation of the surroundings in the work cabin
provide a realistic impression of a true working situation. This is augmented greatly by
numerous original components such as the
operating panel, the work seat with operating controls installed in the armrests, a touch
panel for the CWS computer working system

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 renewal 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.

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

The 09-3D tamping simulator assures:

tamping under realistic conditions
intensive training without disruption of
rail services or risk of damage to the track
recording, analysis, evaluation and therefore a quality control of the training sessions
attended
better trained staff for a higher availability
of the machines in operation
no need to keep a machine specially for
training purposes
an increase in the overall machine output
thanks to highly qualified and specialised
machine operating staff

top: Training on the equipment

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

29

USA

Dynamic track stabilisation

under close scrutiny
New series of tests carried out in America by Union Pacific (UP) Railroad
confirm yet again the effectiveness of this technology.
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 durability of the track geometry following construction 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 performed 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 lateral 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 displacement. The Single Tie Push Test (STPT)
is a measurement of the force required to
displace an individual tie laterally in the ballast section. The tie is unfastened from the
rail and there is no bending or vertical load.

Test procedure for stiffness measurement of the track

Vertical load 20,000 lb per rail

The results confirm the advantages of

dynamic track stabilisation. The existing lateral 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

Lateral force
0 40,000 lb
Measured lateral tie displacement

Lateral displacement

top: Work unit of the dynamic track stabilizer

bottom: Test procedure for stiffness
measurement of the track

30

Plasser & Theurer Technology

Use of the dynamic track stabilizer increased 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. However, 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.

Combination machines with DTS

Stabilisation units can also be found in other machines, above all in continuous action tamping
machines such as the 09-3X Dynamic Tamping
Express, the Unimat 09-32/4S Dynamic or the
09 DYNA-C.A.T. series. The test section for the
measurements described was prepared using a
DYNA-C.A.T. machine.
09-16 DYNA-C.A.T.

The diagram shows that the stiffness of

the existing track was very high and this was
reduced by surfacing. Here too, dynamic stabilisation achieved a substantial improvement: the residual lateral tie displacement
was reduced from 0.22 to 0.07 inch.

Average STPT force (lb)

10000

9075

9000
4000

2750

3000

3050

2775

1850

2000
1000
0
nonsurfaced
track

surfaced track

surfaced track
after 0.1 MGT
of traffic

surfaced and
stabilized track

surfaced and
stabilized track
after 0.1 MGT
of traffic

Stiffness measurement after a train load of 0.1 GMT

Lateral force (klb)

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 subsequent 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 logical 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

50
40
30
20
10
0

top: Results of the measurement

of the resistance to lateral displacement
bottom: Stiffness measurement before and
after a train load of 0.1 MGT. The train load has
practically no influence on the stiffness of the
track, but dynamic stabilisation does.

0.07

0.1

0.2 0.22

0.3
Lateral tie displacement (inch)

nonsurfaced track
surfaced track
surfaced and stabilized track

surfaced track
after 0.1 MGT of traffic
surfaced and stabilized track
after 0.1 MGT of traffic

Source: Technology Digest, TD-11-004, February 2011

31

Networked measuring technology

integrated overall solutions for track measuring
Part 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

sequence. A track maintenance operation

will serve here as an example of such a maintenance 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.

This meets all the requirements from a technical 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 quality of the tamping work is not deficient due
to lack of ballast.
Maintenance work. The machine operations manager responsible at Austrian Federal 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 machine. 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

top: Track maintenance and stabilisation using the

09-3X Dynamic Tamping Express
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
measuring systems. The DRP electronic data processor
records the corrected track geometry.

32

Plasser & Theurer Technology

When the tamping machine arrives at the

work site, the data only have to be retrieved
from the system and the machine can commence 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 comprehensive and automatic control of the measuring systems. This ensures that the tamping
machine is utilised highly efficiently for tamping work without being held up by measuring
runs, correction value calculations and suchlike. 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 measuring 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 evaluation.
It goes without saying that the sequence
described in the example of a track tamping
job can also be modified for other construction and maintenance jobs, with all the benefits 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

Networked measuring technology complete sequence of work

1. Regular measurement of the track geometry over the entire track network
2. The measured data are transmitted to the infrastructure data base
3. Analysis of the measured data
4. Compilation of a maintenance plan
5. Maintenance as an example for preparation and implementation of track surveying
using the EM-SAT
6. Transmission of the surveying data to the infrastructure data base
7. Analysis of the surveying data and preparation of the tamping machine operation
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. Simultaneous measurement of the corrected track geometry by the tamping
machine or the dynamic track stabilizer
11. Transmission of the corrected track geometry into the infrastructure data base for
acceptance and evaluation

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 determine the new design geometry.
Networked measuring technology
complete sequence of work. This completes the Networked measuring technology, 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 scheduling, a specific planning of the existing
maintenance budget is possible. The mechanised performance of all measuring tasks and
maintenance work using reliable track technology guarantees an effective implementation 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.
33

Continuing development
of the 3-rail lifting unit
To 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.
The equipment is placed in position on
the respective side and then works fully
automatically: the lift is carried out automatically 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 synchronous supplementary lift at the diverging
rail, a uniform lift is achieved because the
lifting forces are distributed on three points

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.

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 lifting 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

top: 3-rail lifting unit of the Unimat 08-475/4S

bottom: New constructive design variation on the
Unimat 09-32/4S Dynamic

34

Fairs, congresses and seminars

18.20.09.2011, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Railway Interchange 2011

In 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.

Over 570 international exhibitors presented 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 information 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 solutions that counter the challenges caused by
varying tie spacing and ties that are sometimes in slanting position in a cost-efficient
and technically precise way.

halves to be able to react to the constructional differences between wooden and concrete 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 costefficient track maintenance strategy. v

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 horizontal displacement of the tamping unit

35

27.29.09.2011, Salzburg, Austria

Three-day international VG Convention

for optimising the track infrastructure was a great success
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 technicaleconomic network strategies.

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 maintenance from both the technical and the
commercial point of view. These topics

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 performance and high-speed lines, but also for
heavy haul traffic.
There were also reports about the latest
components for the track and the present development 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 integrated 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

36

Fairs, congresses and seminars

An additional machine demonstration

was held in Braunau station where several
track maintenance machines were presented: 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 profiling machine. The convention attendees
were also given a viewing of the latest mobile
flash-butt welding robot, the APT 1500 R. v

Excursion to see the RU 800 S track relaying machine with integrated

ballast bed cleaning and supply of new ballast on the Steindorf-Braunau line

11.14.10.2011, Danzig, Poland

International Railway Fair Trako 2011

The ninth edition of the International
Railway Fair TRAKO brought together over
500 exhibitors from 16 countries. This prestigious 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 integration of the Polish network in the EU area
and consequently the necessity of a uniform
regulation was emphasised again and again.

cerned the extensive topic of track construction 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 recording car.
At the 2011 event TRAKO underlined
the necessary European positioning of the
Polish railways impressively. v

Besides numerous product presentations

in the exhibition halls, there was an opportunity 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 con37

04.06.10.2011, Jnkping, Sweden

Successful railway trade fair in Scandinavia

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

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, ballast management, formation rehabilitation,
ballast bed cleaning and track relaying technology, Plasser & Theurer presented above
all the cost-efficient solutions in the sector
of permanent way motor vehicles and motor
tower cars.

In addition to this, Plasser Scandinavia

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

18.19.11.2011, Moscow, Russia

Second railway congress in Moscow

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

Some 3,000 delegates and around 1,000

guests took part in this event. Guests from
major firms in Russia and abroad came as

well as representatives from the railway administrations, 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 fulfilment 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

38

through consolidation of the 1,850 wagon

operators and the introduction of infrastructure access charges. The infrastructure will
remain under the Russian Railways RZD.
Apart from solutions to technical problems, proposals were also discussed above all
for the better utilisation of existing resources
and the mobilisation of funds for the implementation of large investment projects. At
the forefront here is the development of international corridors such as the expansion
of the broad gauge network in the East-West
direction as far as Vienna and in the NorthSouth direction with the construction of a
new link west of the Caspian Sea towards
Iran. v

Fairs, congresses and seminars

08.10.03.2012, Istanbul, Turkey

Eurasia Rail Turkey 2012

The second edition of the only railway exhibition in Turkey was a great success for the organiser and for the exhibitors
and attendees. More than 5,500 specialists visited the 187 stands of firms from 21 countries.

Not only the decision to transfer this

event to Istanbul brought an increase in exhibitors of almost 30%. Also the efforts by the
Turkish government in the next 12 - 15 years,
apart from many other projects, aiming to
construct 10,000 km of high-speed lines and
the associated infrastructure have brought
positive impulses.
As the Minister of Transportation and
Communication of the Republic of Turkey,
Mr. Binali Yldrm, emphasised, the great
investment of around 25 billion euros for the
expansion of the Turkish railway is an
important requirement to guarantee the
economic growth of the country and ensure
that it continues.

Plasser & Theurer presented the

RM 80 UHR ballast cleaning machine and the
mechanised maintenance train (MDZ) which
are intended for a comprehensive improvement of the existing railway lines (approx.
12,000 km) and optimum maintenance of
the future railway tracks. The MDZ presented consists of one Duomatic 09-32 C.A.T.
Centertool tamping machine, one USP 2005
ballast distributing and profiling machine and
one DGS 90 N dynamic track stabilizer. v

27.29.03.2012, Turin, Italy

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 fair where products and innovations from all
sectors of railway technology are on show.

The high standard of this years event

could be seen in the tailored programme of
seminars, the product presentations and the
theme-related excursions which were fully
booked far in advance.
At the exhibition stand showcasing both
Plasser & Theurer and Plasser Italiana, the
expectations as regards the number of visitors and the quality of the discussions held
were fulfilled to great satisfaction. The new
APT 1500 R rail welding robot was presented
as the most important technological innovation. Using this automated flash-butt welding

process it is possible to produce continuous

welded track to the highest technical standard.
Apart from the proven and continually
improved standard machines for tamping
tracks and turnouts (e.g. Unimat Combi
08-275) and the EM-SAT electronic track
survey car, this year the focus was placed on
the programmes for training and instruction
of machine crews, based on many years of
experience, as well as on the spot servicing
for the machines at work. v

39

Plasser & Theurer

Export von Bahnbaumaschinen Gesellschaft m.b.H.
Johannesgasse 3, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Tel.: +43 1 515 72-0
Fax: +43 1 513 18 01
E-mail: export@plassertheurer.com
www.plassertheurer.com

Plasser&Theurer and Plasser are internationally registered trademarks.

Illustrations and descriptions may contain optional equipment. We reserve the right to make alterations in line with further technical developments.
T05-E-1836