RM 95

High capacity ballast cleaning machines with supply of new ballast

This two-section high-capacity ballast cleaning machine for switches, crossings and plain track was developed for operation on the Railtrack network (England). The Railway Group Standard GM/RT 2400 has been in force there since 1996. These norms are obligatory for all new track maintenance machines which are intended for travel on Railtrack lines outside the track possessions. The machine concept of the RM 95 meets these requirements completely.

The RM 95 is the most powerful ballast cleaning machine in the Plasser & Theurer production range for W6a clearance gauge with a single vibration screen.

The machine consists of two permanently coupled vehicle sections, the drive car and the excavating car. The drive car at the front of the machine carries the diesel engines, the hydraulic plant, the tanks and the spoil conveyor belts. One rigid, one slewing and one longitudinally displaceable conveyor belt ensure transport of the spoil to the material car in front of the ballast cleaning machine.

The second machine section carries the excavation equipment, the lifting and slewing equipment, the vibration screening unit, the ballast distributing unit and a drive cabin. One work cabin in front of the excavating area and one in front of the new ballast supply guarantee an excellent view onto the working area.

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RM 95 - This Machine "copies" the track

The track geometry is measured 3-dimensionally immediately before and after ballast cleaning. The lengthwise and crosswise inclination of the bogies to the frame are measured by inclinometers. Every metre the main parameters are calculated mathematically from the data collected. These are passed on to the control of the cleaning machine and subsequently to the track laying device. It is of course also possible to carry out alterations of the track geometry.

PC-Compatible 8-channel recorder DAR

To record all parameters which are required for the report and also for acceptance of the work performed, the industrial plotter DAR equipped with 8 channels is used on the ballast cleaning machines, as on many other Plasser & Theurer track maintenance machines.

The data are recorded on paper and data carriers and so they are reproducible at all times. A serial interface permits direct connection with a PC. Display and evaluation of the data is possible on a PC monitor.

Condition-related placement of new ballast

Due to the high portion of spoil, it is often necessary to place additional ballast in the track after the operation of the ballast cleaning machine.

To achieve this, Plasser & Theurer has developed and built the latest generation of ballast cleaning machines, the RM 802, the RM 900 and the RM 95 presented here. These machines are capable of adding new ballast carried in the material conveyor and hopper units type MFS (or a system of ballast management BDS) together with the cleaned ballast. The quantity of new ballast can be dosed accurately according to the prevailing situation. The track is well filled immediately with the level of ballast for the first tamping pass.

It is of course also possible to perform total excavation of the polluted ballast bed using the RM 95.