Modern Methods of

Track Maintenance

Mechanized Methods of Track

Maintenance
The need to switch over from manual to mechanized
methods of track maintenance is progressively being
felt due to the following reasons.
Beater packing is a very hard and strenuous job
It is difficult to ensure the uniform quality of the compaction
under the sleepers carried out by manual means
The intensity of the pressure and shock that the ballast is
subjected to when the beater is being used is very high.
Traffic densities, axle loads, and speeds have increased
considerably on Indian Railways considerably in the recent
past.
The retention of the packing done via manual maintenance is

 Manual maintenance is not much suited to the modern track.

With the increase in traffic density, the time available
between trains is becoming progressively short
When a track is maintained manually, it takes considerable
time for it to get fully consolidated
Manual methods do not emphasize on the identification of
defects and monitoring of the work being done

 On railways, the mechanized maintenance of tracks

normally involves the use of mechanical tampers, which
are used to tamp or pack the ballast. Mechanical
tampers are generally of two types
Off-track tamper
On-track tampers.

Off-track tampers
Off-track tampers are portable and can be quickly taken off the track
by just two people.
These tampers work during the interval between the passage of trains
and do not require any traffic blockage
Off-track tampers are portable and can be quickly taken off the track
by just two people.
These tampers work during the interval between the passage of trains
and do not require any traffic blockage.
They consist of tools driven by compressed air, electricity, or petrol.
There are generally two types of tampers
Self-contained tampers
Working from a common power unit.

 Tampers may be vibratory or of the percussion type or a

combination of both.
In the vibratory type, tamping is achieved by vibration
as well as by the weight of the tamper itself
In percussion type. tamping is achieved by imparting
blows.
The important off-track tampers tried on Indian
Railways are Cobra tampers, Jackson tampers, Shibaura
tampers, and Kango tampers.

Use of Off-track Tampers

Off-track tampers are placed diagonally under the rail and
worked in pairs from the opposite sides of the sleepers in
order to ascertain the maximum consolidation of the
ballast.
Using beaters, the ballast is first loosened around the rail
seat in the crib for a length of 450 mm (18") on either side
of the foot of the raft
The tamper is then inserted vertically and the tamping tool
blades are kept about 75 to 100 mm away from the sleeper
so that enough ballast is available between the two

Limitations of Off-track Tampers

The maintenance of these tampers has been found to be extremely difficult
because of the non-availability of spare parts, which are mostly imported.
Transporting off-track tampers along with their power units to the site of work in
the mid-section is quite problematic.364 Railway Engineering
Tamping with off-track tampers is very strenuous and a worker normally gets
fatigued after 3040 minutes. The quality of work done after this duration is
likely to deteriorate.
Intensive supervision is required to ensure the correct use of these tampers so
that the work done is of the desired quality. This type of supervision becomes
particularly difficult in the mid-section.
The quality of tracks maintained using tampers is not very high compared to
those maintained by manual methods.
The use of off-track tampers following deep screening and relaying work has
been found to be very unsuitable for the early restoration of normal speed.

On-track Tampers
On-track tampers are self-propelled vehicles which facilitate
automatic tamping of sleepers through the controls provided
in the operators cabin.
Heavy on-track tampers weigh 20 to 30 t and cannot be easily
removed from the track. It is therefore vital that the work be
done after putting up the necessary traffic blocks.
However, the tamper can be put off the track using special
equipment, provided that there are adequate bank
extensions available.
These tampers can automatically and simultaneously
perform the tasks of lifting, aligning, levelling, and tamping.

Principles of Working of On-track

Tampers
Tamping
Aligning the track
Levelling

Tamping
Tamping is the most important application of tie tamping (TT) machines.
Tamping consists of packing the ballast under the sleeper. This is
achieved by vibrating the ballast, thereby making it fluid, and then
compressing it by squeezing
Tamping is done with the help of either 16 or 32 tamping tools,
depending upon whether single or double sleepers are to be packed at a
time.
Tamping is done by either the synchronous or the non-synchronous
system of vibration. In the synchronous system, the movements of the
two tamping tools on either side of a sleeper are similar and
simultaneous, synchronizing with each other. In the case of nonsynchronous systems, the two tools work independently.

Aligning the track

The alignment of the track is corrected by the two-chord
system in the case of machines manufactured by
Messrs Plasser and Theurer. In this method, two chords
of lengths 24 m and 12 m are taken and placed in the
area between two rails, where they are stretched
parallel to the track and kept a certain distance apart
from each other.

Levelling
Longitudinal levels are corrected on the basis of the
principle of proportional levelling with the help of
tampers along with an infrared transmitter, a board, and
photocells.
The distance between these three units is fixed and is
so arranged that any error in the longitudinal level is
reduced to one-fifth of its value

Future of Track
Machines on Indian
Railways

INTRODUTION
Indian Railways is systematically introducing long
welded rails and concrete sleepers on high-speed routes
and tie tamping machine is ideally suited for the
maintenance of such tracks.
However, the following points require special
consideration for the successful implementation of
mechanical methods of maintenance on Indian
Railways.

 Blocks Adequate time blocks of about 3 to 4 hours/day should be made

available so as to make mechanized maintenance effective and economical.
Ballast cushion A clean ballast cushion of a depth of about 20 cm (8") should
be available below the sleeper bed of each track that is to be maintained
mechanically.
Repair facilities Adequate facilities for repair and overhauling should be made
available at the site and in the workshop.
Spare parts A good stock of spares should be kept ready at hand to ensure
that the machines are always in good working order.
Training of staff The staff employed for working the tie tamping machine
should have thorough knowledge of the principles and method involved in its
working. A full-fledged training school equipped with the necessary models and
equipment should be made available to train the staff hired for the mechanical
maintenance of tracks.

Tier System of Track Maintenance

With the introduction of concrete sleepers and on-track
tamping machines on Indian Railways, three-tier system
of track maintenance is being adopted on all sections
nominated for mechanized maintenance. This system
consists of the following three tiers of track
maintenance.
On-track machines units (OMU)
Mobile maintenance units (MMU)
Sectional gang

Tier 1: On-track machines unit

The work of systematic mechanized maintenance of
track is done with help of heavy on-track machines,
which include tie tamping machines for plain tracks as
well as points and crossings, shoulder ballast cleaning
machines, ballast cleaning machines, ballast
regulating machines, and dynamic track stabilizers.

Tier 1: On-track machines unit

These machines are used when the following tasks are
to be performed.
Systematic tamping of plain track as well as of points and
crossings
Intermediate tamping of plain tracks as well as of points and
crossings
Shoulder ballast cleaning, ballast profiling/redistribution, track
stabilization, periodical deep screening

Tier 2: Mobile maintenance units

Picking up of slacks and other related works are done with the
help of mobile maintenance units (MMU). The Railways use two
kinds of MMUs whose functions are as listed below.
MMU-1 (Rail-cum-road vehicle based) One such unit is provided
to each PWI in charge of a 4050 km long double line or a 90100
km long single line with a view to carrying out the following work.

Need-based spot tamping

Casual renewal and repairs, except planned renewals; in situ rail welding
Overhauling of level crossings
Replacement of glued joints as well as rail cutting or drilling and
chamfering

Tier 2: Mobile maintenance units

Permanent repair of fractures
Creep or gap adjustments involving the use of machines;
destressing of LWR/CWR
Loading/unloading of materials and other miscellaneous
functions

Tier 3: Sectional gangs

Under the three-tier system of track maintenance the section
gangs are required to perform the following functions.
Patrolling of the track, namely, the keymans daily patrol,
hot/cold weather patrolling, monsoon patrolling, patrolling of
vulnerable locations
Dealing with emergencies by carrying out temporary repairs as
in the case of fractures
Giving need-based attention to bridges, turnouts, SEJs, and
approaches to level crossings
Greasing of ERCs, lubrication of joints, casual changing of
rubber pads and other fittings

Tier 3: Sectional gangs

Minor cess repairs, cleaning of drains, and boxing of
ballast
Paying attention to loops
Creep and gap adjustment not involving the use of
machines
Cleaning of crib ballast for effective cross drainage
Pre- and post-tamping attention
Assistance in the working of MMU and OMU as required

TRACK RENEWAL

INTRODUCTION
The dynamic impact of running trains causes heavy wear and
tear of the track.
It becomes necessary to rehabilitate or renew the track
periodically to ensure that it continues to be safe and
efficient.
Heavy track renewals are carried out on Indian Railways
every year to keep the track safe and in a good running
condition as well as to bring down the cost of maintenance as
much as possible.
The cost of track renewals carried out on Indian Railways runs
into several thousand million.

Classification of Track Renewal

Works
Track renewals can be broadly classified as under.
Complete track renewal
Through rail renewal
Through sleeper renewals (renewal of the ballast and
the provision of a full ballast cushion is also done)
Casual renewal
Primary renewals
Secondary renewals

Criteria for Rail Renewals

The need for rail renewal can be felt because of any one
of the following reasons.
Incidences of rail fractures or failures
Wear of rails
Maintaining tracks at the prescribed standards
Shortened service life of rails
Plan-based renewal

Incidences of rail fractures or

failures
The most important factor as it have vital bearing on
the safety of track.
Ultrasonic test done and results scrutinized
4 % per year, 10 % overall

Wear of Rails
Rail renewals may also become necessary because of
excessive wear. This wear can be of various types as a
result of the following.
Limiting loss of section

Wear of Rails
Wear due to corrosion
Vertical wear

Wear of Rails
Lateral wear

Maintaining Tracks at the Prescribed

Standards
There may be situations in which renewals become necessary even
though the service life of a rail has not yet expired, due to local factors
such as curves, steep gradients, high speeds, heavy axle loads, burrs,
scabbing, and wear of rails that have the following adverse effects on
the track.
Poor running quality of track in spite of the extra maintenance labour
engaged on the section.
Disproportionate cost of maintaining the track under safe conditions.
Poor condition of the rail due to hogging, battering, scabbing, wheel
burn, etc. and other causes such as the excessive corrugation of the
rail and which make track maintenance difficult and uneconomical
and affect riding quality.

Shortened Service Life of Rails

Due to the passage of moving loads, alternating
stresses are created in the rail section.
The number of reversals in the stresses are directed to
the weight in gross million tonnes (GMT) borne by the
rails.
The majority of rail fractures originate from fatigue
cracks, which develop after a rail has borne the
threshold GMT approved for it.

Plan-based Renewals
Plan-based renewals are planned with the objective of
modernizing the track structure on selected routes in
the quickest possible time.
It may sometimes involve a premature renewal of the
track also.

Through Sleeper Renewals

Through sleeper renewals should be done when the
percentage of unserviceable sleepers is equal to 30% on
trunk routes/main lines and 35% on branch lines.