AUSTRIA: Track machine specialist Plasser & Theurer has completed a prototype fitment of Austrian measurement technology specialist PJM’s vehicle status diagnostic tools on a ballast management train.
The Plasser & Theurer BDS 2000 E3 has been fitted with PJM’s automatic brake testing, brake monitoring and real-time axle bearing temperature monitoring equipment. These digital tools complement Plasser & Theurer’s Datamatic and tmOS digital machine management platforms that are already fitted to the company’s latest machines.
According to Plasser & Theurer, the PJM tools will facilitate more efficient and reliable movement of these highly complex machines to and from worksites; in the case of the BDS 2000 E3, its complex operating workflow is exacerbated by the need to insert or remove conveyors and hoppers from the formation between or during jobs.
The partners say the digitalisation initiative aims to facilitate the exchange of status and logistics information between worksites, enabling a swift transition to the next site. An axle bearing generator provides a high-level, autonomous power supply during work on track or during transfer moves.
The PJM system is a functional addition to the Datamatic and tmOS systems, integrating the PJM subsystems into Plasser & Theurer’s full-scale digitalisation suite. In the future it would offer a more complete package of functions, the companies say.
‘With this first prototype, Plasser & Theurer is testing an innovative solution for monitoring the braking system when transporting special vehicle combinations. The aim is to provide train drivers with accurate real-time information, enabling them to intervene promptly. This represents a further step towards greater operational safety and efficiency’, says Bernhard Antony, Head of Strategic Product Development at Plasser & Theurer.
‘Our solutions are highly flexible and suitable not only for all types of freight wagons, but also for other vehicles in the train formation. The entire range of monitoring functions, including automatic brake testing, is available for all rail vehicles. We have established a benchmark in this regard’, adds Günter Petschnig, Chief Executive of PJM.
