Reducing Track and Wheel Wear - Wheel Flange Lubrication at Railtex

BURY, ENGLAND, April 29, 2011 (Press-News.org) IRIS Certified rail systems supplier Rowe Hankins return to Railtex (Stand A15) with products designed to enhance safety, reliability and maximise uptime for high speed rail, commuter and tram services.

A pioneer of wheel flange lubrication in the UK, the company report growing interest and acceptance of the concept of their on-train lubrication controller - iWFL (intelligent Wheel Flange Lubrication). Operators welcome the ability to reduce wear to wheel sets and subsequent downtime for maintenance. Furthermore, a reduction in noise on tight radius curves, common at station entrances and urban tramways, has been proven in recent trials.

Rail network companies benefit from reduced track wear and the opportunity to dispense with expensive and maintenance intensive trackside lubrication systems. The benefits to be gained from the use of iWFL are increased by the use of lighter, water based, lubricants that are less persistent and friendlier to the environment.

In the iWFL package, speed and distance sensors are allied with global positioning systems (GPS), gyroscope tilt detection or trackside transponders to map and store the precise location and severity of all track sections and curves that need lubrication.

The iWFL is available as a complete lubrication package or as a control unit that can be mated to the operator's preferred lubrication system for easily retro-fitting to existing rolling stock. Control options can also be varied according to user requirements. On underground systems or longer tunnels, for example, the GPS unit may be substituted for a fixed position transponder from which the control unit can calculate the distance to and duration of the curve.

One of the core technologies for Rowe Hankins, is the Hall-effect based speed direction and distance sensor. The company has unrivalled experience derived from the supply of many thousands of these systems that are in daily use throughout the global rail industry.

In addition to iWFL and speed sensors, Rowe Hankins will be showing the NIC361 Series Monitor. Suitable for non-intrusive monitoring of DC current, the units have trackside applications in monitoring plant and can be used on vehicles to protect against reverse polarity in supply. Output signals from the unit can be configured to give visual indication, record or interrupt supply depending on the nature of the event.

For over 20 years Rowe Hankins has been supplying the high integrity Eaton hydraulic magnetic circuit breakers to the UK rail industry. Noted for their tolerance to temperature extremes, vibration and dust, these breakers discriminate between transient conditions that pose no real threat and genuine hazards. These properties make them ideal for rail where reliability and avoiding nuisance tripping are essential for maximum uptime.

Developed with electrical protection specialist Eaton, Rowe Hankins' residual current breaker overload RCBO ensures life protection from earth leakage with precise operation. A push button enables a trip condition to be simulated so that the RCBO can be periodically tested. Units can be reset immediately.

As the UK partner to several leading international rail systems companies, Rowe Hankins will also show on-train monitoring and recording equipment (OTMR's) from HaslerRail, contactors from Secheron and circuit breakers from Eaton.

More Information
Peter O'Neill, Tel. +44 (0)161 765 3000 Fax. +44 (0)161 705 2900
E-mail: sales@rowehankins.com Web: http://www.rowehankins.com
Rowe Hankins Ltd, Power House, Parker Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0RJ, UK

High resolution images are on the web at http://www.ainsmag.co.uk/rh109/4903rh1a-railtex.htm