International Railway Journal - October 2008 - (Page 47) trains with an MMD of 7.1m through trials as it does not exist anywhere in the world. The Jakhapura - Tomka section of East Coast Railway was selected. It was a challenging task to develop a suitable design of high overhead line equipment (OLE) and a high-reach pantograph. MMD for DSCs necessitated an entirely new design of OLE and pantograph as existing designs could not meet our requirements. We developed high OLE after an intensive study of its stability under all possible adverse conditions and its interaction with the new high-reach pantograph. OLE design involved selection of important parameters such as span, pre-sag and stagger taking into account the effects of blow-off by wind, stagger, mast deflection, depression of track at joints, track slewing, and pantograph oscillations under dynamic and static conditions. Masts and foundations were decided using bending moment calculations based on the soil condition of the area and the expected load on the mast. We also considered the transition zone between normal-height OLE and high OLE so that the pantograph could negotiate it smoothly in both directions. A maximum gradient of 5.64mm/m was adopted for the OLE transition zone. The mast drilling schedule was recalculated and the number of OLE cantilever supports in various portals was reduced to suit the requirements of high OLE. A 24km section of 7.45m-high OLE was installed. This challenging task of erecting and commissioning the OLE was completed in just 125 days, despite adverse weather conditions and a lack of track possessions. IR designed a vehicle to monitor the OLE under live conditions and to facilitate maintenance. The high-reach pantograph was designed by IR to meet international standards and to provide satisfactory current collection under both normal and high OLE. The pantograph has state-of-the-art air-operated actuators, while raising and lowering the pantograph head is pneumatically controlled to ensure improved dynamic behaviour during current collection. The pantograph can provide satisfactory current collection at varying heights of contact wire ranging from 4.69m to 7.6m for speeds up to 160km/h under all weather conditions including wind speeds up to 250km/h. It can also cope with sway resulting from track slewing and locomotive oscillations. It is also more reliable and maintenance friendly than conventional pantographs as it uses fewer components compared with a springoperated pantograph. Repeated trials were conducted between July 7 and 9 using the highreach pantograph with different combinations, such as operation with the locomotive alone and hauling loaded and empty trains. During the trials, the locomotive successfully negotiated the transition portion of OLE in both directions. Current collection was smooth and practically without any sparks along the entire section, including the transition zone, and no abnormalities were observed. The trials on the Jakhapura - Tomka section of the East Coast Railway have established the suitability of running of electric locomotive-hauled trains under high OLE for the movement of DSC on flat wagons on the proposed Western DFC. As a result, IR decided in August that the Western DFC will be electrified. IRJ The ASI & Marketforce's 4th Annual Conference THE FUTURE OF RAIL FREIGHT IN EUROPE 25th & 26th November 2008 Le Méridien Brussels • How are liberalisation and competition progressing in the different European markets? • What needs to be done to ensure the future growth of rail freight? • How can interoperability be sped up to enable effective competition with other modes? • What impact will oil prices have on the economic viability of different transport modes? • Which case studies provide the best examples of countries preparing for the growth of rail freight? • How can regulators work together to make international rail freight traffic more simple for operators? Discuss these issues with leading industry figures at The Future of Rail Freight in Europe. Call Marketforce on +44 (0)20 7760 8699 to book IRJ October 2008 Find out more by visiting www.marketforce.eu.com/RF 47
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