Achieving new levels of performance in track renewals

Working on the rail network requires highly specialised – and often extremely large and costly – machines or ‘plant’. Jarvis is at the forefront of specialised railway engineering equipment technology. The machines that the Company commissions, designs and develops drastically reduce the time taken to complete renewals operations. This is particularly critical because these operations are so dependent on ‘possession times’, the windows of opportunity when normal train services are not running on the lines. The faster the plant can be brought onto the track and deployed, and the higher the productivity it can achieve, the lower the overall costs to both the supplier and the customer.

Faster delivery for lower cost and risk
The innovative ‘Slinger’ sleeper delivery train – introduced by Jarvis in 2002 – has helped to make track renewals safer and more efficient, because all the necessary steel or concrete sleepers are delivered and installed within the same possession. In one renewal near Southport in Lancashire in early 2003, the Slinger delivered 1,400 yards of sleepers in just over three hours, compared to the nine hours it would have taken using traditional equipment.

Jarvis now has three types of Slinger train in operation across the UK rail network, each capable of different functions and all offering the potential for significant, industry-leading productivity improvements. For example, the Slinger is the first on-track machine on the UK rail network that can remove old track and sleepers, as well as delivering new sleepers on site. One of the lateslatest versions is capable of removing 250 yards of old rail and sleepers in a single lift.

The high levels of automation built into the Slinger mean that fewer people are needed to load and unload the sleepers, saving costs and speeding up delivery. Radio-controlled hoists, mounted onto side-loading cranes, are used to lift up to 140 steel sleepers or 70 concrete sleepers in a single operation.

Contributing to a safety culture
Using the Slinger on rail renewal work has additional safety benefits, for rail engineering workers and the public alike. Because the sleepers are used as soon as they are delivered, rather than being stored for any length of time alongside the track, there is much less of a temptation to vandals. In the past, loose sleepers beside the track were often used to damage rail property, block pathways and even derail trains.

The likelihood of accidents due to rail workers tripping or stumbling over sleepers stored alongside the track is also drastically reduced. And the risk of injuries from handling sleepers is virtually eliminated.

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Factfile

• Over £1 million invested by Jarvis in developing this innovative on-track machine
• ‘Slinger’ is capable of carrying up to 2,100 steel sleepers or 608 concrete sleepers
• Features 10 3.2 tonne radio-controlled hoists to automate lifting
• Independent, self-contained power supply runs all Slinger’s on-board equipment and lighting
• Three different train variants available to handle virtually any type or scale of rail renewal work