Resources

2005 – March – Jehan – 150 Years of Passenger Car Development

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

David Jehan BE (Hons), MBT, MIEAust., CPEng. Business Development ManagerPassenger Services, Southern RegionEDI Rail Passenger car design in Australia has evolved from the small wooden four wheel 'dog boxes' of the past to the air conditioned stainless steel trains we now see in various parts of the country. This paper briefly covers the innovation of Australian passenger car'design as it has progressed over time. Australia has had a very unique network of state based rail systems that have developed differently over the years due to various factors including climate, terrain, rail gauge, loading gauge and politics. The last decade have seen a great uniformity develop in the freight sector of the rail system, which has been primarily driven by the private sector. However, the development of the passenger sector, particularly suburban passenger vehicles, continues to be unique to the state in which it operates.

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2005 – March – Allison – 150 Years of NSW Railway Signalling

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Warwick Allison FIRSE RailCorp When I was first approached to present a signalling paper to celebrate the 150th anniversary of railways in NSW, it was thought that an analysis of the various technologies used could lead to an understanding of what drove the changes. Personalities, politics and opportunities were all important drivers in change. Understanding of why we have what we have is an important element in understanding where we should be going. While the development of the technology was largely performed overseas, in general the colonies were not averse to adopting it. But it was more than the technologies, and the opportunities. The important consideration of signalling philosophy under pinned how the technology was applied. In some cases this was ad hoc, or simply what someone else had done. In other cases (and particularly in NSW) it was a fresh beginning. The opportunities aligned with the technology and the vision to provide a system that would cater for the long term traffic demand and operation of the railways occurred conjointly with the needs for duplication and later, electrification. I have tried to tie developments together with the other states to give an overall picture of what was happening at the time. However there is a clear NSW bias, and as this is being presented in NSW 150th rail year, I make no apology for it.

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2015 – March – Ramsdale – Transforming V/Line’s Regional Rail Network

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

David Ramsdale B.Bus, CPA, MBA Senior Associate - Advisian This paper articulates how Regional Rail Link (RRL) significantly transforms V/Line’s Regional Rail Network. Regional Rail Link provides dedicated regional tracks from West Werribee Junction to Deer Park, then along the existing corridor from Sunshine to Southern Cross Station. The project has delivered approximately 90km of new tracks for Melbourne’s regional rail network providing Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong services with their own dedicated Up and Down track pair to Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station. The project provides two new stations, being Wyndham Vale and Tarneit, removal of two level crossings at Anderson Road in Sunshine and 13 road and rail grade separations on the greenfield corridor section between West Werribee and Deer Park Junction. The project also delivered upgrades to stations including Footscray and Sunshine, a new stabling facility in Melbourne for V/Line trains, and other associated infrastructure.

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2004 – October – Short – The Aftermath of Salisbury

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Peter Short Bachelor of Engineering, Civil Department of Transport and Urban Planning, Transport SA This paper details the events following the tragic accident of 24 October 2002, when the Ghan passenger train collided with a car and public transport bus at the Park Terrace level crossing, Salisbury. Four people died and 26 people were injured in the accident. The State Government initiated a number of investigations into the cause of the accident, and to identify safety initiatives that could be implemented at and around the level crossing to reduce the risk of a similar accident occurring in the future. The key safety initiatives were trialed over a six-week period and showed to significantly reduce the risk of a traffic queue forming on the level crossing. Following the trial further works were implemented to improve efficiency of the road network in the immediate vicinity of the level crossing and to further improve safety. Since the implementation of the initiatives, the Department of Transport and Urban Planning, Transport SA has received no incident reports relating to traffic queues on the level crossing.

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2004 – March – Earl – Remote Level Crossing Monitoring

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Cameron Earl BE Elec (Honours), GradIEAust Works Infrastructure Remote Monitoring technology has become commercially viable to the Victorian rail industry over the past 10 years, due to the availability of small, cost effective industrial microprocessors, coupled with the expansion of mobile phone coverage in country areas. Isolated locations such as active level crossings now have a reliable, longer-range medium that allows the transmission of timely and useful quantities of data. The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has approved a project for the remote monitoring of all 132 level crossings on the ARTC Victorian Standard Gauge Rail Network. This is based on the desire to detect crossing faults, and to implement the National Code of Practice (NCOP) for inspection frequencies. Monitoring equipment will be installed at each level crossing location, which would monitor the crossing control circuits.The monitoring system will be designed to allow for future expansion, to enable data collection from other signalling infrastructure if required. This also ties in with the possibility of satellite technology becoming a viable medium for the improved control of rail traffic, which would rationalise the present signalling system.

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2004 – July – Piper – Train Detection System Used On The KL Monorai

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Zachary Piper IRSE Student Member B.Eng Electrical Ansaldo Signal Union Switch and Signal Pty. Ltd. Traditional means of vital train detection used on railways are unable to be applied to the KL Monorail, which runs on pneumatic tyres, therefore an alternate means of detection is required. The TDS (Train Detection System) used on the monorail was adapted from a platform door alignment system designed specifically for the driverless Copenhagen Metro by US&S Inc. The TDS used on the KL Monorail utilizes AFO-IIC (Audio Frequency Overlay) equipment that is typically employed as a track circuit which is superimposed over other types of track circuits. The AFO system consists of a transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx). The Tx units produce a amplitude modulated waveform at a particular frequency to which the Rx unit is tuned and will respond to. The units used on the monorail have been specially modified to increase the output from the transmitters and the sensitivity of the receivers. This includes additional impedance matching components to optimize energy transfer between the coil antennae that are connected to their output/inputs. This TDS comprises a transmitter unit and antenna which attaches below the vehicle skirting at the front and rear of the train. This couples with a fixed antenna mounted on the side of the monorail beam which is connected to a receiver. When trains pass over the fixed wayside antennae the receivers detect the AM waveform from the trains and indicate to the Processor Based Interlocking. The PBI uses these indications to count trains in and out of track sections, in a similar fashion to an axle counter, so the track section occupancy status is always known. Because the equipment has never been applied this way before, all parameters that affect the overall performance of the TDS had firstly to be identified and then tested in the factory and field to establish the installation parameters of the system. Specific issues included: vital input processing of the PBI, positioning of both onboard and the wayside antennae, wayside cabling effects upon received voltage. All items were carefully tested to determine the maximum train speed under which the TDS could reliably detect. A maximum running speed over detection points of 45Km/h was achieved by the TDS. A higher running speed sort by the client at a site of a future station saw an increased detectable speed of 65Km/h by modifying the interface between the AFO and the PBI.

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2013 – March – Aitken – Communication in Emergency: Success or Failure?

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

John Aitken BE MIRSE MIEEE Aitken & Partners Emergency implies urgency. Not just urgency but abnormality. We have no difficulty dealing with what is normal, routine. However, when an emergency arises our systems are often found wanting.Communication systems are not just collections of technology but are interactions between people, with technology interposed. The systems are inherently complex and over time they change: through changes in people, in organisations and in technology. The change may be subtle, an unnoticed drift from safe operation. Sometimes the change is only evident when an urgent, abnormal situation arises. Incidents from around the world form the basis of this paper. In each of these incidents the communication system has failed those who depended on it in a time or emergency. In few of these incidents did the technology require repair: rather, a defect in the complex system of communication was exposed. Myth and legend are inadequate substitutes for thorough training, system analysis and testing. Too often the consequence has been fatalities. This paper seeks to address some of the causes and suggest solutions.

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2003 – July – Costa and Ursich – Westnet Rail Processor Based Interlocking Project – Western Australia

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Lido Costa Union Switch & Signal Pty Ltd John Ursich WestNet Rail Pty Ltd The Processor Based Interlocking "PBI" Project commenced in October 1999 and included the control of 40 stations extending from Coolup 40 km south of Perth through to Koolyanobbing East, which is 400 km east of Perth in the rail network. Figure 1 shows the extent of the WestNet Rail mainline routes. The project has successfully delivered a new Train Control System, PBI's and a variety of interface designs to new and existing equipment. This paper discusses some of the engineering challenges, achievements, safety benefits and future opportunities such a project brings to the railway operation.

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1993 – July – Revell – A Microlok Plus Configuration for the Antiene to

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

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2010 – July – Taylor and van der Merwe – Protection of Track Maintenance Equipment Final Format

Author(s):

Date presented: December 27th, 2015

Barry Taylor and Henk van der Merwe Rio Tinto In the past 10 years, throughput on Rio Tinto's iron ore railways in the Pilbara has more than doubled. To address this rapid increase in traffic, the Integrated Control Signalling System (ICSS) with Automatic Train Protection (ATP) and in-cab signals that was introduced on the Hamersley Iron main line in 1998 now covers all main lines. This provides drivers with information on their route many kilometres ahead, with the confidence that their speed and authority limit will be supervised by ATP. On most railways, movement authority information and protection afforded to rail mounted maintenance equipment falls well below this standard. This wide gap in the level of protection for different types of movements had become unacceptable. Therefore, Rio Tinto has recently upgraded its Train Control System to improve the protection for hi-rail (road/rail) vehicles and track maintenance equipment moving on the main line. While this has not yet achieved an equivalent standard of protection as for main line trains, it is a significant advance from previous practice. This paper examines the various steps involved in the development of this project, improvements that were found necessary along the way, and opportunities for further enhancements to provide a safe working environment for operators of track maintenance and inspection equipment.

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