A Round up of Recent Activities in Our Sections the Journal October 2017
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Section Activities A round up of recent activities in our Sections AS PUBLISHED IN The Journal October 2017 Volume 135 Part 4 Sections BIRMINGHAM CROYDON & BRIGHTON DARLINGTON & NORTH EAST EDINBURGH Our online events calendar holds all GLASGOW of our Section meetings. IRISH LANCASTER, BARROW & CARLISLE You’ll also find full contact details on LONDON our website. MANCHESTER & LIVERPOOL MILTON KEYNES NORTH WALES NOTTINGHAM & DERBY SOUTH & WEST WALES THAMES VALLEY WESSEX WEST OF ENGLAND WEST YORKSHIRE YORK SECTION ACTIVITIES and riverside trust. Clive showed an interesting for many years and he knows of at least one example of how the volunteers of the trust had still in existence at Willesden. 1990 saw the A round up rebuilt a canal overbridge in complete faith to introduction of the first Road Rail Vehicle the original on a series of volunteering camps. (RRV) excavator by the Network South East Moving on to the Gloucestershire and part of BR. of recent Warwickshire railway Clive talked about restoration works at Toddington and Cheltenham Racecourse Stations; aspects This was manufactured by GESIMAR to a activities in that went well and some that didn’t. Clive then design by a Frenchman whose initials were moved on to talk about the station at Broadway KGT and so the early versions were known as and the significant effort that had been made KGT’s. The initial KGTs were operated under a our Sections. to keep this true to the Brunnelian heritage of contract by Gamble. KGTs were classed as the the line. first On Track Plant (OTP) and can only operate in a possession and have to be taken on track Reports may be abbreviated for Clive’s talk concluded with a section on at an access point within the possession and publication in the Journal. Full restoration of carriages and how the work similarly off track at the end. versions can be downloaded of volunteers over decades had restored an original Great Western coach to original This is different to an On-Track Machine from our website: condition on The Severn Valley Railway. (OTM) such as a tamper which runs under its own power on rail to and from site outside the www.thepwi.org/technical_hub/ CROYDON AND BRIGHTON possession. section_activities 11th May 2017 1995 to 2005 OTPs increased in number from Quattro Plant approximately 35 to 1079 units of various types BIRMINGHAM Bob Browning, Quattro Plant owned by a variety of firms; some with a few machines up to those like Hydrex and BCL with over 100 machines. 6th April 2017 The April meeting is traditionally the Section’s The East West Rail Project Annual Meeting but it was found in 2016 that A down turn in the rail maintenance market and Andrew Free, (Programme Engineering May proved to be a good month for the Section therefore the requirement for OTPs from 2006 Manager, East West Rail Alliance) AGM and therefore in future it will be held in May. The normal AGM business was dealt with, onwards lead to a reduction in cost for hiring and OTP per shift. BIRMINGHAM with the usual commendable speed, for the first time assisted by a power point presentation format from at PWI HQ. Thanks, was extended There are now two very large suppliers: TXM 8th June 2017 to Mott Macdonald who host our meetings and which was formed from the HYDREX business Competing Priority’s Preserving Railway provide refreshments and the members of the and Quattro that bought out BCL in 2008, Heritage vs running a Tourist Railway committee for their work throughout the year. one large supplier Ready Power and about Clive Hawkins Volunteer Gloucestershire The continuing Chairman Mike Curthoys then 14 medium size suppliers together with a few and Warwickshire Railway welcomed the evening’s speaker Bob Browning construction companies who own a few of their Corporate Strategy Manager for Quattro Plant. own OTPs. David Webb Section Chairman welcomed the members and introduced Clive. Bob opened his talk by explaining that Road The major development recently has been Rail plant has a history going back to 1986 in the braking and drive systems of the rail Clive’s talk began with a look back on his when British Rail (BR) purchased 36 Bedford wheels. The rail wheels used to be driven and career, before moving on to talk about the BRUFF vans for dealing with derailments and braked by friction from the rubber road wheels. origins of volunteering which was in the canal similar incidents. These vehicles were used This was replaced by braking systems being retrofitted to the rail wheels. Now driving and braking is provided directly from the engine with a hydrostatic drive. Bob showed three short videos of OTPs in action. The first showed a tandem lift of an OLE gantry. The importance of the OTP’s being the same was emphasised to ensure a balanced lift together with radio communication between the machine controller and both drivers. The next video showed the latest mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) which has a platform capacity of 400kg which equals 2 men with kit or 3 men only. The final video was of the RRV Malvax which can excavate 6mᶾ of ballast or similar in 22 minutes. Bob concluded his talk by mentioning Quattro Plant’s latest RRV acquisition which is an invasive plant incinerator. Mike Curthoys gave a vote of thanks for a most informative talk and all those present applauded warmly. LANCASTER, BARROW & CARLISLE SECTION: From left Tom Wilson, centre Jim Watson and right John Oates with the Hadrian Shield. Photo credit to Ann-Marie Wilson. 2 SECTION ACTIVITIES GLASGOW SECTION Following the successful use of the system On the descent, a further site visit was made throughout PaCE the piling system has been to Bungalow station, where Jeremy Reece 19th April 2017 used on a number of projects including EGIP, pointed out the rotating stretcher bars on the EGIP Mechanised Plant Walsall to Rugeley in the West Midlands and switches and crossings which have been Calum Oates, Mechanisation Manager, Mid Calder Junction Remodelling where it was installed in recent years and also explained Babcock Rail used under existing OHLE to install new piled how the service is modified operationally at the foundations as part of the remodelling works. time of the TT races. This meeting was also the Section Annual General Meeting of the Glasgow Section. After a period of sightseeing in Laxey the group Once the piling system was established and made its way to Ramsey for the evening. Tom Wilson our Chairman opened the meeting with EGIP committed to using the system along and welcomed those present. Under the with interest from other electrification projects The final morning of the visit was occupied with election of Section Officials for 2017/18, the it was decided to transfer the system from the a return journey from Douglas to Port Erin on following were elected, all of whom were temporary arrangements on a Salmon wagon the Steam Railway, where several members properly proposed and seconded, Chairman to a permanent solution on purpose built of the group visited the railway museum – Tom Wilson, Vice Chairman – Eric Ryder container flats mounted on KFA wagons. contained within the station. and Secretary - Jack Scott. Committee – Tom Wilson, Eric Ryder, Jack Scott and John Oates. These required similar bending moment On returning to Douglas the group made its calculations carried out to confirm the way to the Sea Terminal for the mid-afternoon This was the winning presentation at the deflection was within the allowable limits of departure by catamaran for Liverpool Pier recent REF Scotland Developing Professionals ISO 1496-5:1991 Specification and testing of Head, where arrival was in the early evening. Presentation Competition. The paper can be platform and platform-based containers. found on Page 40 of the July 2017 Journal. NORTH WALES Although more detailed and not time sensitive. Babcock and its joint venture partners have As part of their ongoing contracts, Babcock been proactive in developing and assisting in 11th May 2017 have been working with the ABC consortium, the introduction of new plant to capitalise on Eddy Current Inspection who have the Overhead Electrification the focus on electrification in the rail industry Bob Hardwell, Senior Engineer (Rail), contract for EGIP, the Edinburgh to Glasgow within the UK. Network Rail Improvement Project. This work has been crucial to increasing The evening began with the section’s AGM. The UK government is currently investing efficiencies in electrification projects, The committee will remain as before, except in electrification of the rail network with 850 minimising the number of machines required for the loss of Chris O’Keefe to the Manchester route miles currently planned for electrification on site which in turn has reduced the risk of and Liverpool Section. and £38 billion of investment. The increased incidents between personnel and machines. investment in electrification means new Bob began by explaining that eddy current plant has been developed to support the LANCASTER, BARROW & technology is in use throughout much of electrification projects. CARLISLE our lives and described how eddy currents are generated through a process of Babcock, in conjunction with their plant 6th – 8th July 2017 electromagnetic induction. Crack detection joint venture partner Swietelsky, have been Visit to Isle of Man is a primary use of eddy current inspection; proactive in this through the modification of cracks cause a disruption in the circular flow their Kirow 250 to allow it to be used for pile in On Thursday 6th July a group of seven patterns of the eddy currents and weaken their overhead mast bases during installations. In participants assembled at Lancaster station strength.