Efficient snow removal on Croatian tracks
Right on time for the cold season, the Croatian state railway put new snow removal vehicles into operation. They keep tracks snow-free more efficiently.
Between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps – clearing snow for Croatia's rail network
Croatia’s network is around 3,000 km long. This well-developed rail infrastructure runs through the Dinaric Alps – one of the highest mountain chains in Europe. Due to the climatic conditions between the Adriatic coast and the mountains, the railway lines have to cope with large quantities of very wet and heavy snow.
To ensure more efficient snow removal on its network, the Croatian state railway decided to reinforce their fleet of snow removal vehicles with new powerful machines. The machines are operated by HŽ INFRASTRUKTURA (HŽ Infrastructure Ltd for the management, maintenance, and construction of railway infrastructure).
Turning the OBW 100.256 S into a snow cutter
Two new OBW 100 track motor vehicles were chosen as winter service vehicles Our powerful traction vehicles have been fitted with high-capacity snow blowers ("snow cutters"), snow ploughs, and track clearing ploughs. Their enormous snow clearance capacity at high clearing speeds makes it possible to clear the track quickly and efficiently.
The hydrostatically powered snow blower extension is fitted with two augers working in opposite directions. By extending the extension halves, the excavating width can be expanded from 3,000 to up to 6,000 mm. Each auger housing is fitted with a tangential chute ejecting the snow to a distance of up to 40 m. The clearance output is 3,500 t per hour. Even under the most difficult conditions, the OBW 100.256 S enables the track to be cleared in one pass, ensuring unhindered rail traffic at all times.
Sophisticated technology for any type of operation
When there is light snowfall, a snowplough at the other end of the carrier vehicle keeps the track clear. The variable snowplough has two blades. It can be used both as a wedge-shaped plough with snow ejected to both sides and as a single snow plough with snow ejected to one side only.
Track clearing ploughs efficiently remove snow between the rails, completing the winter service equipment A turntable for changing the machine's direction of travel is located between the two bogies in the centre of the machine. It allows the machine to be lifted off the track at the end of the worksite or the shift. Using a cogwheel system, the machine is turned hydraulically.
Powering through winter
The drive and the hydraulic components of the main vehicle have been enhanced, ensuring high-capacity snow removal and high clearing speeds. The hydrostatic drive for working and transfer travel acts on all axles of both bogies. The design of the cab insulation and heating as well as the work units and the engine adapted, in particular, to handle harsh weather conditions in winter (up to -30 °C).
The two new snow clearing vehicles are stationed in Ogulin, the central hub between the line to the north-east (Zagreb) and the mountain lines to the south of Croatia and the west to Rijeka.
OBW 10 Sprinter universal track motor vehicle rounds off the delivery
As early as in spring, a universal track motor vehicle for transporting staff and material has been supplied to Zagreb. The OBW 10 Sprinter carries out valuable work in the background, providing support in many maintenance tasks.
Its design is based on the well-proven OBW 10 series. The machine has been adapted to meet common European standards and emission regulations. The machine can transport up to 10 people (including two drivers’ seats). An integrated loading platform of around 12 m² is used for material transports. The hydraulically operated heavy-duty crane can be equipped with different gripping devices.
The Dinaric Alps – traffic and weather
The Dinaric Alps (or Dinarides) extend for 600 kilometres along the east coast of the Adriatic Sea from the Julian Alps in northeastern Italy and Slovenia, through northwestern Croatia to the south to northern Albania. The main obstacles for the traffic are canyons, deep river valleys, and mountain chains, running crosswise to the track.
At the highest points, trains must travel 1,000 metres high passes and high karst plateaus. Precipitation falls mostly in the cold season, causing vast quantities of snowfall that covers the ground until late spring. In the winter season, this obstructs or even interrupts traffic.
*Based on the German language Wikipedia article on the Dinaric Alps
Image source: © Ekem, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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