Yellow's just the thing
The equivalent for the bullet train tracks in Japan is also painted yellow.
It has a nickname "Doctor Shinkansen", which or more explanatory than NMT... They run it over the entire bullet train network every day.
This 125mph train is fitted with LASERS. Sadly no sharks, though
The men – and woman – in orange explained to me that the Network Rail “New Measurement Train” isn’t new. It’s a converted Intercity High Speed Train which has been in operation for more than ten years in this form, and it is used for running new tests for checking the condition of the track. Measurement train NETWORK RAIL …
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Monday 10th November 2014 22:04 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Yellow's just the thing
" I'd rather find out what other county's rail networks do, especially the majority of ones where things are done better."
German public TV (specifically, SWR) has a marvellous TV series called Eisenbahn Romantik. It has a website, and episodes that aren't on the website are probably on Youtube. It's in German but pictures are universal. Occasionally they cover the gizmos that do automated maintenance in many parts of Europe. Have a look, see what you can find, don't be too surprised if it involves the names Plasser and Theurer (who are Austrian, not German, but their kit is in lots of places).
e.g.
http://www.swr.de/eisenbahn-romantik/archiv/umbauzug-sanierung-mittelrheinstrecke-eisenbahn-romantik/-/id=2250046/nid=2250046/did=3635170/1u1gffn/index.html (2004)
In fact Plasser and Theurer's website now seems to have some TV-type snippets and programmes too, in English.
If you're into mobile flash-butt welding, that's the place to be, missus.
Go to
http://www.plassertheurer.com/en/aktuelltv/player.htm
and click on aktuellTV for the TV stuff, lots of other stuff too, some of which is (as always) available on Youtube in case anyone wants to be a commentard there too.
Those of you not aware of Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland (and also those of you who are) need to check out AktuellTV episode 12 on that page.
How do we get this stuff on TV in the UK occasionally, instead of 57 channels almost all repeating exactly the same frequently-American (or American-inspired) dross as is on every other channel all the time?
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Monday 10th November 2014 09:50 GMT John Smith 19
Just getting these trains running at normal network speeds is a *big* step forward
Otherwise you have to run it at ungodly hours.
IIRC one of the big issues with the UK rail infrastructure is that when BR was chopped up the replacement infrastructure company lost the temperature records for large parts of the network.
The temperature exposure pattern to the steel in the rail (and making sure the steel is the right grade to begin with) have major effects on rail life and replacement frequency.
It's a pretty amazing train and I just hope the follow up remedial work is as effective.
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Monday 10th November 2014 22:04 GMT Gordon 10
Re: Just getting these trains running at normal network speeds is a *big* step forward
Re timing. I've seen these trains running in early commuting hours on one of the busiest lines into London - 6.30am or so. Given that I don't believe there's much problem with getting them on the network.
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Friday 14th November 2014 18:01 GMT Number6
Re: Just getting these trains running at normal network speeds is a *big* step forward
That's probably the peak time for needing such trains - overnight maintenance needs to be checked, so they run the train over the bit that's been worked on overnight. In theory it's the last bit of the job, assuming no problems were detected.
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Monday 10th November 2014 09:50 GMT Voland's right hand
Good, but not good enough
A lot of what they are measuring can be picked up using a trivial black box style sensor package mandated to be attached to every train.
1. Missing clips - trivial image recognition.
2. Vibrations, etc - indicating the early stages of deformation in the rails - accelerometer and GPS.
3 ...
In fact, you can probably do most measurements using 200£ worth of off the shelf phone hardware with a couple of extra cameras. It will not replace the "proper" measuring train, but it will vastly improve the track safety. It will also mean that track is inspected every 5-10 minutes, on every train not once in a few months when the budget has allowed one of the few precious yellow trains to run a particular track. Actually - I take my words back - this should be enough for a lot low speed sidings and local lines which never get a seeing using the precious "yellow train" anyway.
Yeah, I know - while the technology to fit such realtime ongoing inspection to all engines is there already, because of the way railways are deregulated, making their owners fit it is nearly impossible without legislation.
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Monday 10th November 2014 11:43 GMT streaky
Re: Good, but not good enough
"you can probably do most measurements using 200£ worth of off the shelf phone hardware with a couple of extra cameras"
You're going to need a high frame rate camera for one so not really.
In a way you're right though - the major accident-related issues on the track in recent years are cracks that aren't obvious on visual inspection and in one incident I believe the problem was what we former engineers call a non-metallic inclusion, which is code for "oops we didn't make it right".
If they can fit the train with high speed x-ray cameras and get it doing it's thing it could be a whole different world of useful. Machine vision of cracks on x-rays should be reasonably simple compared to the other stuff the train is doing. The tracks on the high speed lines in this country are work hardening so they have to be replaced over time - if we can decide what to replace based on evidence (by being able to actually see inside that rails) as opposed to on a schedule we can save money *and* make the lines safer at the same time.
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Wednesday 12th November 2014 01:55 GMT Vic
Re: Good, but not good enough
"You don't need X-rays for finding cracks in rails, eddy current detection is far easier."
At line speed?
I'm surprised they don't use TDR. That wouldn't even need the train[1]...
Vic.
[1] You'd need some cleverness to ignore all the points, and to make sure you run tests at appropriate times to ensure coverage of all the switched bits - but that's the sort of problem easily fixed with a moderate confuser and a big database.
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Monday 10th November 2014 15:45 GMT Adam Foxton
Re: Good, but not good enough
You're moving along at 125mph, and producing a phenomenal amount of wide-band noise. Plus with steel rails and pulsing through the air there'd be multipath errors galore- the steel can conduct sound faster and re-radiates it efficiently so you can get 'phantom' readings.
Sonar isnt practical on trains. Laser measurements maybe, but high frame rate optical measurement is probably easiest.
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Monday 10th November 2014 15:53 GMT Vic
Re: Good, but not good enough
I'd be surprised if detecting missing clips visually at that kind of speed is that easy
It's not too tricky.
The very first linescan camera I found on Google gives a rate of up to 80k lines/second. At 125mph, that gives you a peak resolution of ~700um without magnification (how's that for mixed units?).
Given the fairly repeatable nature of clip positioning, and the fact that they are bounded by the sleeper image, it shouldn't be a big job to detect missing clips.
Vic.
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Monday 10th November 2014 15:53 GMT theModge
Re: Good, but not good enough
TRIME is an example of a project on in-service trains: it does requires cooperation between TOCs (southern in the case of TRIME) and Network Rail, but it can happen. TRIME is looking at the state of the third rail (which is used extensively in Southern's area). It uses laser displacement measures rather than highspeed cameras for that task, and much like the NMT is a "flag a fault and we send a man to look at it" type of system.
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Monday 10th November 2014 18:32 GMT Mikey
Re: Good, but not good enough
I used to frequently see this beast, and it's loco hauled sister every time they passed my old depot in Reading, and the one thing they do well is the job they've (funnily enough) been designed to do. While I'm sure there are some good suggestions here and well meaning thoughts on the subject, your £200 equipment idea and the like isn't going to improve this already amazing marvel. Given the job it does, it does extremely well, they've got all they need it to do already. And if not? Well, they'll put top grade gear on it to improve it, not some arduino-based bodge from the shelves at Maplins.
I feel good it's not you lot running it, is all ;O)
As for the sonar option, the loco version does indeed have a small platform under one of the coaches that has a couple of ultrasonic wheels on it (gell filled wheels and transducers that can detect internal cracking and defects while in motion, up to about 40mph) which will be used in areas with suspected rail issues. After that, they send out the manual teams to get an even better picture of what the issue is. It's all covered, so don't you go trying to make it 'better' unless you designed it, y'hear?
Bloody IT types, always trying to 'improve stuff, I dunno... XD
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Monday 10th November 2014 11:40 GMT Khaptain
I read through the article thinking to myself, how much I would love to go to work like this. it's techy, it's fast, you get to travel (lol), you change locations each day but come back to base in the evening ( I presume).
Yes, definately looks interesting,a little bit unique and would certainely make a welcome change from my daily BAU office environment...
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Monday 10th November 2014 09:51 GMT Anonymous Coward
Anybody from the IET News reading?
Well no, reading involves words, and those folk largely given up on words in favour of "design" (no table of contents, articles varying between landscape and portrait, and other such fashionista delights).
Anyway, maybe someone could suggest to the IET News folks that *this* is the kind of **engineering** and **technology** thing that might interest the readers of IET News, rather than the kind of second-rate T3 stuff that their rag has been publishing for the last few years.
Thank you Simon.
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Monday 10th November 2014 10:03 GMT Anonymous Coward
To get a true sense of the commuter's journey...
Surely to get a true sense of the commuter's journey, they need a few suitcases on the tables, next to the monitors and to be standing in the aisle the whole journey. Have the exorbitant fare deducted from their wages each time they travel, add in a bit of BO, smelly shoes, babies nappies and a general piss smell from the nearby toilet, plus a stale sandwich for lunch, along with a very weak cup of tea.
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Monday 10th November 2014 11:39 GMT Slx
It's just a pity that the UK (and also Ireland although the population density there excuses it somewhat) didn't put more investment into electrification of railways.
Seems daft that the governments are pushing sustainable energy policies while railways are operating significant numbers of trains on diesel instead of electricity.
Rail is the ideal platform for electric transportation and realistically all but the most underused rural lines should be electric.
Diesel Intercity shouldn't really have ever been necessary in Britain on busy lines.
In France and elsewhere that's the case because they've access to abundant locally generated power and they use it for ensuring they've alternatives to petrol, diesel and aviation fuel where possible.
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Monday 10th November 2014 12:09 GMT Steve Davies 3
Errr What about the Electrification schemes being done now?
The GW Mainline
Midland Mainline
Manchester - Sheffield - Leeds
Edinburgh - Glasgow via Falkirk
I agree these are decades overdue but at least this Government (love or loathe them) has started a good number of projects off. The OHL Masts at Reading are evidence of this.
The special train that cost around a million squid that can put up a mile of masts a night without stopping existing services is evidence of the investment being put into Leccy Railways.
It is not all good though. The Dept of (no) Transport seem to have got it into their heads that it would be a good idea to replace all of the 3rd Rail with OHLE in Southern England & Merseyside.
Daft buggers.
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Monday 10th November 2014 15:47 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Errr What about the Electrification schemes being done now?
you'll note SOD ALL FOR DEVON AND CORNWALL. We're soon going to be the only place left in the UK running 40yr old HST on Victorian track. HS2 and HS3 a fecking joke if you live in the SW. Plymouth to Penzance 80 miles takes 2h!
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Tuesday 11th November 2014 15:37 GMT MaÅopolska
Re: Errr What about the Electrification schemes being done now?
As much as it pains me to defend the DfT I don't think what you're saying is accurate. A trial conversion of third rail to overhead from Southampton to Basingstoke has been discussed. If it goes ahead the costs of it will be used to estimate how much it would be to convert the rest of the network. I wouldn't get too concerned because it probably won't happen very soon, if at all.
However, it is not daft at all. 25 kV AC overhead is a superior and more modern system that allows more power to be delivered and speeds above 100 mph with less energy wasted as heat. It could be cheaper in the long run because it doesn't require massive rectifiers to convert AC to DC like a 750 V DC third rail system does. The route selected would provide a 25 kV electrified route all the way from Southampton to Sheffield, possibly further.
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Tuesday 11th November 2014 21:34 GMT x 7
Re: Errr What about the Electrification schemes being done now?
"A trial conversion of third rail to overhead from Southampton to Basingstoke has been discussed"
Thats totally daft. You'd either need new dual-voltage rolling stock, or have to reengineer the current trains, or else end up spliitting the London-Weymouth route into three broken sections with no through trains to London from west of Basingstoke.
Anyway the trial is pointless - the costs are known from the work done converting the North London line to allow 25KV AC freights
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Monday 10th November 2014 15:48 GMT Anonymous Coward
@Six
"Seems daft that the governments are pushing sustainable energy policies while railways are operating significant numbers of trains on diesel instead of electricity."
If you're playing the "sutainability" card, what's sustainable about electricity from coal or gas? And where will renewables be when you need to run trains in winter, or even to a timetable? You also need to factor in the circa 11% system losses in electricity, compared to around 0.5% in transport fuels. I might also remind you that we're facing a "capacity gap" where forced retirement of existing fossil fuelled electricity plant is dramatically reducing the reserve margin.
The last thing government should be doing is pushing for rail electrification because this encourages the use of more electricity biased towards existing demand peaks.
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Monday 10th November 2014 15:53 GMT John Brown (no body)
"In France and elsewhere..."
...across Europe, most of the rail networks were destroyed during WWII so there was huge incentive to rebuild more or less from scratch with the newest and bestest while here in the UK with the economy in tatters and huge war debt it was simpler to continue with the existing steam trains using the huge resources of local, cheap coal. After that, there was no incentive to invest the vast sums to electrify when they could do a cheap and gradual evolutionary step to diesel electric on the existing infrastructure. Governments rarely look further into the future than 4 or 5 years.
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Tuesday 11th November 2014 10:47 GMT Anonymous Coward
" Governments rarely look further into the future than 4 or 5 years."
Most don't. When it came to the French government, the original decision to go nuclear for everything was a long game, and originally came from the issue that they had few domestic fuel sources, and unreliable relationships with former colonies that did have energy reserves. With no worthwhile gas, and very limited coal, the opted to electrify France, railways, heating and all. That's why French railways are electrified, not because the railways had been given a modest pounding during the war.
This nuclear bet placed them superbly for the post fossil fuel world, but in a remarkably short-sighted move they signed up for EU policies demanding uneconomic levels of "renewable" power, and Hollande is currently letting the French power industry atrophy. The French nuclear programme is bogged down by the far-too-expensive Areva EPR, where they foolishly tried to be technologically too ambitious, and by the lack of a rolling programme to new build reactors, and rather than simplify the design and look to replace the existing nuclear fleet as it comes to the end of its service life, they have idiot politicians telling them that wind and solar will keep them warm and their trains running through the winter.
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
