The modern SES 170 sleeper exchange system installs special sleepers efficiently.
In western Japan, special sleepers for guard rails are used to protect trains from derailments caused by earthquakes. The modern SES 170 sleeper exchange system by Plasser & Theurer installs these sleepers efficiently
Earthquakes in Japan – safe railway infrastructure
There are approximately 2,000 earthquakes in Japan per year. Most of the earthquakes are minor tremors and go unnoticed, but even larger earthquakes are not uncommon and cause damage. They also affect railway infrastructure. We can’t control earthquakes. This is why Japan puts preventive measures in place to prevent damage, for example, in the Western part of the country on the San'yō-Shinkansen line.
Installation of guard rails
This high-speed line operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) is 553.7 km long. The trains on this line transport more than 230,000 passengers per day. The San'yō-Shinkansen line plays a vital role in terms of Japan’s mobility. To make travelling safe and minimize damage, JR West is taking various structural measures, including special guide rails which are installed using a new type of sleeper. The plan is to exchange the sleepers on the entire line as quickly as possible. For this, the SES 170 is used.
"So far, we have been able to replace a maximum of 40 sleepers per shift with manual labour and excavators. More was not possible. With the SES 170 from Plasser & Theurer, we can now achieve five times the output."
Nozomi Kitamura
Shinkansen Operations Division, Shinkansen Track & Structures Department, JR West
After the site has been prepared manually, the SES 170 suction units clear away the ballast surrounding the sleepers. Now it is possible to move them. At the start of operation, the sleeper manipulator pulls twelve old sleepers forwards in the working direction. In order to create an open space of 2,400 mm, the manipulator removes four sleepers. The manipulator rotates the sleepers by 90 degrees. It then lifts and transports them to the rail lift, which takes them to the first level of the machine. Then, the removed sleepers are transported to a sleeper conveying system and deposited in groups of five. The machine’s gantry crane can transport up to five sleepers at once. It takes them from the sleeper conveying system to the transport wagon.
After the open space has been created, the system switches to continuous operation. One sleeper is removed from the front part of the open space. At the same time, a new one is installed at the rear. A fixing unit steers the newly laid sleepers to the correctly centred position. Then, it fastens the sleepers to the lifted track. Now, the ballast hopper supplies the correct quantity of ballast. The ballast is then stabilized. The gap in the open space is closed with new sleepers to allow opening the line for rail traffic during the day.
"We have been using the SES 170 since September 2016. So far, the machine has been in operation for over 300 nights."
The SES 170 sleeper exchange system
The sleeper exchange system SES 170 is 94 m long. It consists of three main components: a transport wagon with gantry crane and crew cab, a main machine with sleeper manipulator, suction unit with ballast hopper and ballasting unit, and a power wagon. Basically, the SES 170 exchanges sleepers and restores the track geometry. Apart from the start and end of work, the sleepers are exchanged semi-automatically. The system can exchange approximately two sleepers per minute.
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