| Leaves on the Line |
| Thursday, 27 March 2008 | |
|
Autumn is the season when
incidents on the rail network increase. Whilst the media make a joke of
it, leaves on the line, or even morning dew, can have a serious effect
upon the braking speeds of trains. That is why at this time of year
Scientifics sends out its Rail Head Swab kits and its laboratories gear
up for incident investigation analysis. Every time there is an incident on the railway or a train passes a signal at danger (SPAD) an incident investigation team is despatched to find out why it occurred. It is no surprise then that Network Rail is the principal user of the swab kits and its investigation teams often use them following rail incidents and SPADs. Analysis of the samples may help identify the possible causes of loss of wheel-rail adhesion and therefore provide vital information that might prevent a similar incident occurring in the future – but the samples have to be accurately captured first. So, the investigators using the Rail Head Swab kits all have to be fully trained to use them effectively. Scientifics undertakes many training courses throughout the year to ensure that investigators are using the swabs properly – if they do not, then the data they collect might not be valid and an opportunity to improve safety on the network will be lost. The kits themselves are designed to contain all the equipment an Investigator should need specifically to collect samples to investigate the cause of wheel/rail adhesion problems. Everything from a pipette, filter papers, scalpel and gloves through to sample bottles, labels, forms and a reply paid envelope. Once the samples have been collected, the forms completed with as much information as possible they are sent for analysis at the laboratories at Scientifics. Only then will the investigators discover that the incident or SPAD was due to leaf debris, some other physical remains – cream from a dairy was one source of an incident – or oil, or some form of inorganic element such as sand. Many factors reduce wheel-rail adhesion and it is vital that all of the risks are investigated, analysed and plans made to avoid a recurrence of the incident again. To that end, Scientifics’ forensic expertise is playing a very important role. Not just in providing off the shelf swab kits for use by investigating teams, but also in researching the causes of loss of wheel-rail adhesion. Currently, its team of professionals is working with train operators to determine the effect of dew on the rails as well as undertaking continuous tests on various forms of debris that can cause an accident and delay the thousands of commuters every morning in the UK. |
