 |
Test reports |
"The new snow protections have increased the operation
safety and simplified the snow clearance!"
I am positively surprised and very pleased, says Raimo Kajén,
Track Engineer at Banverket in Gävle. I have been working
and evaluating the Snow Protection system since the first test
brushes were assembled in 2003. From the beginning I was certainly
sceptical to the technology, but after reviewing the evaluaton
results taken over the last 3 years - I really can see the obvious
benefits.
Raimo tells us that he has had earlier experience of snow protection
with cover principal. These other systems are also to a degree
effective in retaining the heat from the prewarmed switch which
helps to increase the rate of snow melt, but they are not particularly
good at protecting against drifting snow. Indeed the problem actually
becomes even worse with the sheets placed along the tracks. With
SnowProtec Brushes the problems arising from drifting snow decrease
substantially, resulting also in the reduced frequency of having
to sweep the switches clear of snow.
We have saved time and money, says Raimo. He also explains that
the installation of the Snow Protec system has been completely
straight forward. The brushes were delivered in 3 metre sections
that were easily assembled on site.
When the system is positioned in place there is absolutely no
need to dismantle the brushes because of impending snow sweeping
or track inspections. The brushes can be left in situ all year-around,
and do not require servicing or general maintenance. Only occasionally
might there be a need to check that brushes have not become loose.
The most important key issue is of course, operational safety,
and Raimo can confirm that it has been considerably improved with
SnowProtec Brushes. We have had fewer stoppages due switch problems
where we have used filament brushes as snow protection
|
The upward brushes efficiently protect against snow-drift and at
the same time hold the heat from the pre-warmed switch on the rail
– in this way increasing the snow melt.
The downward brushes flexibly seal around embankment and sleepers
- which prevent the snow from blowing into the track. |
