SB Rail and Rail Infrastructure have eachdeveloped significantly over the last 99

issues of this magazine, which perhapsexplains the relationship between the editorialteam and one of the most innovative on-trackplant suppliers in the UK today.

One has found its way on to the desks (andinto the hearts) of railway engineeringprofessionals up and down the country, and theother has been at the forefront of introducingthe very latest on-track technologies to the UKrailway. This magazine has expertly chronicledSB Rail’s new introductions and innovationsover the years and we would like to take theopportunity of summarising theseachievements in this special 100th issue.

Pioneering new machinesSB Rail traces its lineage back through theFirst Swietelsky Joint Venture partnershipformed in 2004. First Engineering introducedthe first new generation of on-track machinesbuilt to the GM/RT 2400 requirementsordering three Unimat designs from Plasser &Theurer, beginning with the Unimat 08-4x4/4S-RT in August 1997. Not only was thisthe first Unimat in the UK, it was also the firstpost-privatisation purchase of an on-trackmachine demonstrating early leadership in themarket. This machine design rendered allother S&C tampers in the UK and a largeportion of the plain line fleet obsolete.

The new machine was capable of tampingboth S&C and plain line track, equipped withfour tamping units each carrying fourindividually tilting tines. The tamping units couldeach be lifted and lowered independently andtraverse 930mm laterally allowing the straightand turnout sections to be tamped in a singlepass with a synchronous three-rail lifting unitproviding additional lift.

The 08 tampers were soon followed bythe introduction of the first purpose-built forthe UK mobile flash-butt welder in August1998. The APT 500L, otherwise known as‘Sparky’, incorporated a number of designfeatures unique in the UK at the time,including the transfer gearbox allowing thewelding head’s generator to be driven from thetruck engine and improved track access and

operational capabilities without the need foroverhead line isolation. Previously, theprocess of flash-butt welding had beenconfined to factory conditions and the use ofan aging fleet of long-welded rail trains. Duringthe rolling contact fatigue eliminationprogramme in the late 1990s, Sparky provided

a remote CWR production depot in the centreof Glasgow to provide almost all of the CWRrequired by the Scottish rail network.

Companies join forcesNow working in co-operation, First Engineeringand Swietelsky carried out the first tandemtamping of S&C in the UK on ‘throughalignment’ works to a ladder of eightcrossovers at Bourne End on the West CoastMain Line during Christmas working in2004. Two 08-4x4/4S machines were linkedin a master/slave arrangement and controlledby a single geometry design source usingLeica on-track telematics.

Following the formation of the FirstSwietelsky Joint Venture, a further wave ofinnovative new equipment was soon on its way.The first Plasser & Theurer AFM 2000 RT wasdelivered in March 2006 and offered a completetrack-finishing system combining ballastregulation and stabilising work processes in asingle system. At that time, Rail Infrastructuredescribed the AFM as a ‘stretched limo’version of the USP 5000 RT with the

A centenary of firsts

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE 43

First Engineering’s Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT Unimat tamper ispictured during acceptance testing at Derby. This was the first post-privatisation on-track machine to be delivered.

First Engineering was an early purchaser of the Plasser & Theurer Compact

type of tampers.

The First Engineering mobile flash-butt welder‘Sparky’ is pictured in production mode.

On-Track Plant

SB Rail’s Gordon Suthorn discusses a reputation that has been built on innovation and ‘firsts’.

addition of a Dynamic Track Stabiliser(DTS). The enhanced regulation capability

was enabled by a larger 18 tonne hoppercapacity coupled with an advanced ballastprofile measurement system used to preciselydetermine locations of heavy or deficientballast. The AFMs support the UK tamping fleetcomprising mainly of tampers without DTS units,however when an AFM is combined with an 09-3X or 09-4S it creates a world class trackmaintenance system. AFM remains the highestperformance track-finishing system availableanywhere in the world.

The award of a five-year track renewalscontract prompted the development of andinvestment in more reliable plant to modernisethe operation of removing and relaying track.First Swietelsky’s purchase of three Kirow KRC250UK rail cranes, the first arriving in thesummer of 2006, represented a step-change incapability. Improvements to the KRC 250design for introduction in the UK included60mph running in train formation, 15 tonneslifting capacity at 16 metres radius andoutriggers for heavier loads. SB Rail has sincedeveloped a series of unique attachments andenhancements making its fleet of KRC 250UKsthe most capable in the market and first choice

for S&C relaying and, in particular, modularS&C. SB Rail’s KRC 500S and SG systemcomprises two KRC 250UK cranes deployed ina single formation with an integrated wagonand tandem tensioning system. This negatesthe need for down-rating and is capable ofinstalling all modular track designs and panelsup to and including ‘SG’ switches. Furtherenhancements enabled by a unique robotic arminclude a 28 sleeper fully automatic relayingbeam and high output piling system.

High outputThe First Swietelsky Joint Venture (JV)partnership (now SB Rail) won the highlycoveted inaugural contract to commission,operate and maintain Network Rail’s high outputtrack renewals fleet beginning in 2004. The JVbegan the introduction of the first RM 900 RTballast cleaner and support MFS wagons inAugust 2004, followed by the first P 95 UK trackrenewal train in April 2005 and a second RM900 RT and support MFS wagons in June of thesame year, bringing all these systems up to fulloperational service on behalf of Network Rail.The main systems were supported by a fleet of09-3X-D-RT Dynamic tampers and USP 5000 RTregulators. The introduction of the RM 900 RTand P 95 UK heralded a step-change in plainline track renewals capability in the UK, allowingthe team involved to deliver up to 300% output improvements over conventionalsystems and methodologies.

Whilst SB Rail was not the first tointroduce the 09-3X, it was the first to bring inthe Dynamic version. Swietelsky did lateracquire the only other 09-3X-RT machines inthe UK and brought these up to their intendedlevel of per formance in Network Rail’sNational Plant Contract. The three-sleepertamping banks and continuous action of the09-3X enables performance increases of upto 40% over conventional machines andincreases tamping quality. Further featuresinclude split design banks to allow singlesleeper tamping in the case of irregularspacing, something the company certainlymade use of during the first high outputballast cleaning campaign on the Midlandmain line! The introduction of the Dynamicversion efficiently incorporated the tampingand stabilisation work processes in a singlepiece of equipment for the first time and hasbeen put to extensive use ever since.

Establishing the project infrastructure andsafe working methodologies for the deploymentof this fleet of new equipment was aconsiderable challenge. It included creatingseveral high output operations bases,establishing and continually improving thelogistics and maintenance regimes,implementing Adjacent Line Open (ALO) working,introducing Curve Alignment Laser (CAL) and‘Tandem Drive’, raising hand-back speeds from50mph to 80mph and driving the improvementof track quality to the first ever 100% scoreconsistently achieved in the UK.

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE 43

One of SB Rail’s two Plasser & Theurer AFM2000 RT track-finishing machines.

Two Plasser & Theurer 09-3X-RT machines arewithin SB Rail’s resources.

The SB Rail fleet includes three Kirow KRC250UKcranes, one of which is pictured here

undertaking piling operations.

On-Track Plant

Over the course of the first highoutput contract, the team created and

refined best practices and a blueprint enablingthe future expansion of the project whilstdelivering circa 300 miles of track renewalsactivity with associated tamping, stabilising andballast finishing works on the Great Western,East Coast and Midland main lines.

High Speed 1Now to the Plasser & Theurer 09-32/4SDynamic, the most advanced highperformance tamping system available. ThisSwietelsky machine is based in mainlandEurope, but since 2010 has been used by SBRail and Network Rail (HS1) working inpartnership to plan and deliver the tampingand regulation campaigns on High Speed 1infrastructure. The advantages of using the09-32/4S Dynamic over conventional UKmachines include:n Continuous action tamping for both plainline and turnouts.n Integrated track stabilising unit.n Three rail lifting and four rail tamping.n High output capacity - plain line rating1,400m/h.n Reduced track occupation of high speed

turnouts (1/46 turnouts on HS1).n Sleeper end consolidator (increasesresistance to lateral displacement circa 4%).

In another first, this system has beenused on HS1 to maintenance tamp and DTSS&C in one continuous cycle with significantsustainability benefits.

It is not all about bigger and faster intamping though. In conjunction with HS1, SBRail introduced new technology for shortwavetamping to complement its high output

campaign work and the concept of ‘Sprinter’tamping was born in the UK. For anyone whohas not heard of Sprinter tamping yet, it is amechanised means of repairing shortwavedefects including faults within horizontaltransitions. The software targets only smallareas in need of geometrical repair, but sincethis will be the subject of a detailed article in afuture issue of Rail Infrastructure we will leave‘whistles wetted’ for now! Currently, SB Railhas two UNIMAT 08-4x4 machines fitted towork either in conventional or ‘Sprinter’ modes.

Recent developmentsSo here we are in 2014, 17 years after the first08 UNIMAT and history is repeating itself withSB Rail’s most recent fleet addition, the 09-4x4/4S Dynamic. This is the ‘brother’ of the 09-32/4S and another first in the UK. The 09-4x4is equipped with the latest Plasser & TheurerIntelligent Control System (P-IC 2.0), ‘intelligent’DTS, DRP, CAL and RLD (Resistance to LateralDisplacement) technologies. The tamping banksare operated in manual, semi-automatic or fully-automatic modes, depending on-site conditionsand the synchronous three-rail lifting unitprovides additional lift to S&C. The WIN ALCcomputer provides complete guidance to themachine’s levelling and lining systems whilstthe multi-channel DRP captures a series of trackquality measurements.

Designed and built for working in the fieldfor extended periods, the 09-4x4/4S tampsS&C up to 40% faster and plain line up to 30%faster in comparison with older machines. Theintegrated intelligent DTS unit achieves rapidand measured consolidation of the track,restoring resistance to lateral displacementand making higher speed hand-backs overS&C a reality.

ConclusionThe last 99 issues of Rail Infrastructure haveintelligently informed the industry on a greatmany new or improved items of plant andequipment being put to use on Britain’srailways. SB Rail is proud to have taken aleading role developing and introducing thevery latest on-track technologies in the UK.

We look forward to pushing backboundaries further and bringing in many more‘firsts’ in the pursuit of ever more efficientrailway engineering methodologies in thefuture. Our heartfelt thanks to Roger and Alexand here’s to the next 100 issues!

Additional contributors: Craig Goldieand Matt Whiting, Swietelsky.

44 RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE

On-Track Plant

SB Rail’s state-of-the-art Plasser & Theurer09-4x4/4S Dynamic tamper.

Above: Plasser & Theurer 09-32/4S Dynamic tamper as first used on High Speed 1.

Below: Also first introduced on High Speed 1 by SB Rail has been Sprinter tamping.