Railgrinder
Encyclopedia
A railgrinder is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn rail track to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track.
Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than one hundred, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.
The machines have been in use in North America, UK and Europe since the early 20th century. They are made by specialist train maintenance companies who may also operate them under contract.
The early 2000s saw several advancements in rail maintenance technology, most notably the introduction of track re-profiling by rail milling
trains for which advantages in accuracy of the profile and quality of the processed surface are claimed. A second technology which is gaining widespread acceptance in Europe, Germany in particular, is "High Speed Grinding
". While it cannot re-profile rails like milling or other grinding trains, its working speed of approximately 80km/h allows defect removal and prevention to be achieved with little or no impact on other scheduled traffic.
Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than one hundred, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.
The machines have been in use in North America, UK and Europe since the early 20th century. They are made by specialist train maintenance companies who may also operate them under contract.
The early 2000s saw several advancements in rail maintenance technology, most notably the introduction of track re-profiling by rail milling
Milling machine
A milling machine is a machine tool used to machine solid materials. Milling machines are often classed in two basic forms, horizontal and vertical, which refers to the orientation of the main spindle. Both types range in size from small, bench-mounted devices to room-sized machines...
trains for which advantages in accuracy of the profile and quality of the processed surface are claimed. A second technology which is gaining widespread acceptance in Europe, Germany in particular, is "High Speed Grinding
High Speed Grinding
High Speed Grinding is a rail care concept developed by the company Stahlberg Roensch from Seevetal, Germany. It is based on the principle of rotational grinding and serves to grind rails at up to 100 km/h .- Background :...
". While it cannot re-profile rails like milling or other grinding trains, its working speed of approximately 80km/h allows defect removal and prevention to be achieved with little or no impact on other scheduled traffic.