Fugro - RILA track geometry system seen in Devon

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Spotted on the front of 153333 at Exeter St David's (not by me) - a Fugro RILA track system (leaflet at https://www.fugro.com/docs/default-source/Industries/Business-Infrastructure/rila-track-geometry_2018.pdf )

Our innovative rail infrastructure alignment acquisition platform - RILA - measures absolute track position, track geometry and the wider rail corridor to millimetre accuracy. Train-mounted RILA systems quickly and efficiently measure the track and rail corridor, avoiding disruption to rail services and removing the risks associated with trackside working.

Is this the equivalent of the Flying Banana for branches, or something else?

[martyjon]

Spotted on the front of 153333 at Exeter St David's (not by me) - a Fugro RILA track system (leaflet at https://www.fugro.com/docs/default-source/Industries/Business-Infrastructure/rila-track-geometry_2018.pdf )

Our innovative rail infrastructure alignment acquisition platform - RILA - measures absolute track position, track geometry and the wider rail corridor to millimetre accuracy. Train-mounted RILA systems quickly and efficiently measure the track and rail corridor, avoiding disruption to rail services and removing the risks associated with trackside working.

Is this the equivalent of the Flying Banana for branches, or something else?

From what I have read following your post Grahame I would say the answer is more YES than NO !

[martyjon]

Lets see it in use on the Severn Riviera Line with good PR^▸ (Public Relations) to show Bristol Folk how their local railway is using the latest technology to keep their local railway line safe.

I think the FB keeps the Transwilts line safe as its on the FB's scheduled circuit.

[martyjon]

By the way Grahame, were you on the night shift last night, many posts from you between 02:09 and 05:57   

[grahame]

By the way Grahame, were you on the night shift last night, many posts from you between 02:09 and 05:57  

We stayed up waiting for the "Trick or Treat"ers who never came ... and now it's light again 

More seriously, a couple of very long and activity filled days ... and I fell asleep early.  Hence a couple of hours up quietly tapping away.   Not that unusual for me - see attachment / my posting profile.

[stuving]

Is this the equivalent of the Flying Banana for branches, or something else?

Well, IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) (a fraction of them anyway) have:
 Pantograph Camera System
 Unattended Overhead Line Measurement System (UOMS) (provison for future fit only)
 Unattended Track Geometry Measurement System (UGMS).

So in the sense that there are branches IETs won't venture down, maybe it answers more to that. 

[martyjon]

By the way Grahame, were you on the night shift last night, many posts from you between 02:09 and 05:57  

We stayed up waiting for the "Trick or Treat"ers who never came ... and now it's light again 
More seriously, a couple of very long and activity filled days ... and I fell asleep early.  Hence a couple of hours up quietly tapping away.   Not that unusual for me - see attachment / my posting profile.

Perhaps the trick or treaters still thought your abode was still a hotel.   

[Electric train]

NR^» (Network Rail - home page) have some very effective track recording trains, the best known is the NMT (flying banana) based on an HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)), there are other trains either loco hauled or D/EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) based.

These trains are expensive to operate and maintain hence there are fewer of them than is liked, in this day and age of elf n safety staff patrolling is becoming more and more diffcult, also whilst a patrol can record data there is a limit to how much they can do.

This looks like a practical way to carry out asset checks, data gathering etc on branch lines with the added benifit of being done in service and not as an additional timetabled ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock)

[TonyK]

Very sensible.