International Railway Journal - August 2007 - (Page 40) Measuring & testing A measure of success New technology is enabling operators to monitor track condition with ever-increasing speed, accuracy and safety. Keith Barrow looks at some of the latest products in this sector. Accurate measuring over long distances W ITH a network stretching to more than 52,000km, Union Pacific (UP) is the second largest railway in the United States. Organising track inspection over this vast territory is an enormous task, and UP has invested in a Plasser & Theurer EC-5 Universal Track Inspection Vehicle to help it plan its track maintenance. The 160km/h EC-5 is equipped with a noncontacting inertial measuring system with integrated GPS navigation and dual optical track gauge measurement. The track geometry measurement system produces a space curve, which generates data on parameters including track gauge, longitudinal level, rail alignment, cross level, curvature, and gradient. These parameters are plotted automatically in reference to their position using GPS navigation. The EC-5 also scans the rails using a fully-automatic laser measuring system to record rail profile. This detects the type of rail in real-time, calculates deviation from the target profile, and marks the location. It can also measure height, headwidth and inclination of the rails, as well as rail head wear. An onboard video inspection system allows optical inspection of track, rail fastenings and sleepers, and enables automatic recognition and evaluation of any faults detected. The track surroundings can also be monitored using a visual inspection system with zoom lenses for detailed viewing. According to Plasser, UP’s EC-5 and the preceding EC-4 cover an annual measuring programme equivalent to more than five times around the equator. www.plasseramerican.com 40 IRJ August 2007 http://www.plasseramerican.com http://www.eurailscout.com http://www.eurailscout.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of International Railway Journal - August 2007 Contents This month News Market News Transit News News Analysis Voith Goes For Maxima Impact First Gauge-Changeable Loco Under Test Power Surge China Feels the Need For Speed A Firm Foundation For Chinese High-Speed Testing Times on the Betuwe Route Tough Tests For Mass Transit Software A Measure of Success Rendezvous Full Contact List Advertisers Index The Last Word International Railway Journal - August 2007 International Railway Journal - August 2007 - (Page Cover1) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - (Page Cover2) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Contents (Page 1) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - This month (Page 2) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - This month (Page 3) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - News (Page 4) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - News (Page 5) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - News (Page 6) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - News (Page 7) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - News (Page 8) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - News (Page 9) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Market News (Page 10) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Market News (Page 11) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Transit News (Page 12) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Transit News (Page 13) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - News Analysis (Page 14) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - News Analysis (Page 15) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Voith Goes For Maxima Impact (Page 16) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Voith Goes For Maxima Impact (Page 17) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Voith Goes For Maxima Impact (Page 18) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Voith Goes For Maxima Impact (Page 19) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - First Gauge-Changeable Loco Under Test (Page 20) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - First Gauge-Changeable Loco Under Test (Page 21) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Power Surge (Page 22) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Power Surge (Page 23) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Power Surge (Page 24) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Power Surge (Page 25) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - China Feels the Need For Speed (Page 26) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - China Feels the Need For Speed (Page 27) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - China Feels the Need For Speed (Page 28) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - China Feels the Need For Speed (Page 29) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - China Feels the Need For Speed (Page 30) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - China Feels the Need For Speed (Page 31) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - China Feels the Need For Speed (Page 32) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - China Feels the Need For Speed (Page 33) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - A Firm Foundation For Chinese High-Speed (Page 34) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - A Firm Foundation For Chinese High-Speed (Page 35) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Testing Times on the Betuwe Route (Page 36) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Testing Times on the Betuwe Route (Page 37) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Testing Times on the Betuwe Route (Page 38) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Testing Times on the Betuwe Route (Page 39) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Tough Tests For Mass Transit Software (Page 39a) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Tough Tests For Mass Transit Software (Page 39b) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - A Measure of Success (Page 40) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - A Measure of Success (Page 41) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - A Measure of Success (Page 42) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Rendezvous (Page 43) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Rendezvous (Page 43a) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Rendezvous (Page 43b) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Rendezvous (Page 44) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Rendezvous (Page 45) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Rendezvous (Page 46) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - Advertisers Index (Page 47) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - The Last Word (Page 48) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - The Last Word (Page Cover3) International Railway Journal - August 2007 - The Last Word (Page Cover4)
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