Railway Track & Structures - November 2008 - (Page 27)

Switch on Switch stands and switch machines continue to evolve to meet railroading needs in design, safety and appearance. VAE Nortrak switch stand on track. by Mischa Wanek-Libman, managing editor hether they are thrown manually or by remote, found in a tie or by the side of the track stands and switch machines continue to play their integral part in railroading. Here is an update on what manufacturers of switch stands and machines are producing and what they think of the current market. ALSTOM offers a line of switch machines that includes the GM4000A, a wayside machine; the TM100, an in-tie machine and the Model 6, a fully-trailable yard machine. “The key factors driving switch machine customers are the experience and familiarity with the brand and model. Most customers in the market are adverse to risk and change. In a level playing ﬁeld, features like ease of maintenance, safety and cost all play a part,” said Barry Wharity, vice president sales and marketing at ALSTOM. Wharity continued, “We are consistently getting more requests from our customers for switch machines with enhanced remote monitoring capabilities. In response to this, we have engineered some basic switch components that can be used to develop improved condition monitoring now and in future machines. We see a need for smart machines or for machines that can feed a smart interface to provide more condition monitoring information.” NORTRAK-DAMY® manufactures a variety of switch stands for Mexican Class 1 and select foreign markets. The company’s product line includes the semiautomatic 22-E low stand with ergonomic handle, the rigid 51-A low stand, the 56-B high column stand and the 112-D a rigid high column stand. The company is working continuously with its suppliers and VAE Nortrak to reﬁne components for better performance and durability. “Cost and ease of use have always been critical parameters guiding our customers’ selection of manual switch machine equipment. More recently, equipments’ resistance to vandalism has become a consideration for Mexican railroads,” said Alex Damy, chief executive ofﬁcer at NORTRAK-DAMY. According to Damy, Mexican railways have indicated that they would like to see the development of switch stands with autonomous power supply (photovoltaic energy) to provide a www.rtands.com W ALSTOM power throw and the capability for remote control. To meet this request, NORTRAK-DAMY is now poised to introduce the RACOR Automater® into the market. “The increasing integration of North America’s rail network triggered by NAFTA and Mexican port development has driven a shift towards higher quality track components. Customers are now demanding trackwork products equivalent to those utilized by U.S. and Canadian railways,” said Damy. GE Transportation Global Signaling notes that 2008 has seen growth for its model 3000LP Hydra-Switch. The HydraSwitch is a microcontroller-based, hydraulically operated, mechanically trailable point machine with a self-adjusting throw length and operates on a range of power interfaces from solar, AC and DC inputs. Stephan Koller, director of communications, cites GE’s commitment to operator safety as the Hydra-Switch expands its presence in the marketplace. “Over the past year, we have partnered with Class 1 and industry customers to advance the way that we interface to the rail, taken best practices on installation techniques,” said Koller. “We are currently discussing advancing the Hydra-Switch’s software-driven ﬂexibility when being used as a derail device.” Koller notes that GE’s customers are also handling an increasing amount of trafﬁc at a faster rate. “This pressure is evident as the number of yard automation projects grows each year. Large scale customers are ready to introduce full scale systems with distributed control in towers and panels, while others look to start with the expandable base and grow the automated control system year over year,” said Koller. “Our goal is to make the Hydra-Switch ﬁt the design of our customers’ yards. Our open system approach allows customers Railway Track & Structures November 2008 27 GE Transportation NORTRAK-DAMY® http://www.rtands.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Railway Track & Structures - November 2008

Railway Track and Structures Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D TrainingVvital in Shaping Future of Railroad Industry Switch Stands, Switch Machines Automation Offers Improvements in M/W Planning AREMA 2008 Conference Report Products and Literature People Calendar Advertisers Index Sales Representatives Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - November 2008

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