Question

1. Discuss three different methods of lubricating rail and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
2. Wayside :
3. Onboard
4. Vehicle Hy-rail

Answer 1

Wayside Lubrication System:

Both schemes refer to rail treatment of the gauged nose, top-of-line and controlling track. Effectively, Wayside lubrication systems add a constant and regulated amount of lubricant to the rail and keep the grease or friction additive in place, enabling the wheels to catch and move it around the curve. Track-mounted wheel sensors are found in wayside lubrication systems that move through trains. Passing wheels pick up the applied lubricant and bring the lubricant through the upcoming curve. Small volume high-pressure pumps efficiently coat the rail with only enough lubricant to reduce emissions. Drilled lubrication spaces or applicators need to be clamped onto the board, requiring precise metering of grease. It helps ensure that each lube port automatically gets the same tiny amount of grease each time. The devices can pump long distances as well as lubricants with high viscosity. There are dual-track systems and tailor-made solutions.
Advantages:

• Free track survey to locate trouble spots
• "No-clog" lube via high-pressure pumps
• Exact grease metering
• Cost-effective, hybrid indicator face and top-of-rail network configurations are feasible

On-board Lubrication Systems:

Such tire flange lubrication and railhead cooling devices are mounted on the first leading axle of the vehicle ashore. The on-board lubricating system uses two lubricants; grease and solid adhesive.
Spray (grease) system; Generally used in Europe. Fine-tuned control and a single application are available per train. With a control unit with an embedded curve sensor or TCMS (Train Management Monitoring System), the system can track and handle this. Air and lubricant are fed from a grease tank to the spray nozzle when the device is triggered. The lubricant is sprayed in a thin film onto the Wheel flange and passed by direct touch to the rail's gauge nose. It is available to vehicles without air supply aboard.
Solid stick system; train fixed solid stick in which a lubricant stick is placed against the wheel flange has the following advantages:

• Continuous application
• Specific application — no lubricant migration to TOR
• Easy, secure, low maintenance specifications
• Safe, non-toxic, non-flammable
• Proven track record

Benefits of on-board lube system over wayside lubrication systems

• Reduced health chance of employee contact during deployment, testing, and repair.
• Simpler testing and repair (performed in more controlled circumstances).
• The rail shall provide some defense against traction control in the case of an individual breakdown on board a lubricator.

Hi-rail Lubrication

Hi-rail lube systems use a specially built mobile truck like a thin bead around the rail gauge face for grease deployment from the nozzle.