Hi Geoff. Great to see your rail videos like this one and the one you did with the NR Air Ops (Helicopter team). I actually work for one of a limited number of companies on the Air Ops Drone framework. It would be great to chat some time!
To elaborate on this: The method used here is know as 'classic' renewal, if the to be renewed track is long enough (say, 5 kilometres) a track renewal train is more efficient. These trains are hundreds of metres long and can completely renew the ballast, sleepers and rails at a slow walking pace. (For some example images, search for RU800S.) As for lifespan, it really depends on the use of the line and the used track parts. For example, concrete sleepers have a much longer lifespan than wooden sleepers. Generally, anything that needs to be replaced within 20 years is quite early and after 50 years is quite late, but I have seen rails that have been in use for even over a hundred years!
Geoff, can we have more of this type of video. Would love to have seen a second part with the rail being installed and ballast laid and tampered. I was fortunate to get in invite to walk the new Stevenage turnback with the contractors back in February, having documented the project from the start (check out the vloggs on my YT channel) and found the process really fascinating. Regretfully I had to edit out conversations with the lovely people form Spencers due to privacy reasons, but it still gives an interesting viewpoint.
I remember when I was waiting for a train on one platform with trackwork on the other. They had just replaced the old wooden sleepers with concrete ones. A side effect of this is that you cannot have gapped rails-the shock from the train will damage the sleepers over time. So anytime you see concrete sleepers, the track is necessarily continuously welded, or CWT I believe it's called. Anyway, I showed interest in what they were doing, and they brought me down to have a closer look. That wasn't the best part though. The best part is that they let me do a weld! They basically attach single-use ceramic pots to the track ready to be welded, then fill the pots with thermite. They light the thing with a huge torch (can't remember if it's propane or oxy acetylene, though) which I got to do, which melts the whole thing and leaves behind a big chunk on the rail. The ceramic pot is smashed off with a big sledgehammer and you're left with a big chunk on the rail. This is cut off and the surface of the rail ground smooth with a rail grinder, although it still takes several months of track wearing and probably several grinder passes in order to completely smooth out the bump after welding has been complete. Track grinding can sometimes be done while the line is operational, or at least overnight. There are some high speed rail grinders out there which will do the job at something like 60-80km/h, while the line is operational. But long story short, I got to do a weld on a main line that has had thousands of trains go over it since, and probably even a million passengers. It hasn't caused a derailment yet and this was a good decade ago, so I'm guessing I didn't screw it up, which is nice. What an experience though. Even in "winter" (Australian winter, so maybe like 5-10c), the heat from the torches and the welding was enough to keep you relatively toasty. Was a pretty awesome experience as a kid.
Great video. As ProRail employee (The Dutch Network Rail) I recognize the pride of these guys. These works aren't seen much by public but it is really great to see all the plans made in advance work out so very well in just a few days. All the machines, trains and people operating like a giant ballet performance. By the way, Geoff, congratulations on 200K subscribers!
Very interesting look at what is going on when the railway is closed for track work. Would have liked a question about how much of that removed material gets recycled (or even a whole video).
That sounds like an interesting topic for a whole video. Maybe starting with quarrying the new material, then its transport to site and the removal of waste followed by its recycling.
I would guess the old fill goes to a dump site as "suitable cover" for the daily operations, as it is otherwise classed as hazardous waste from the bacterial counts. But on a dump perfect to cover the current working layer.
@@dan30308 You can do that, but the old rail is generally melted down as high grade steel scrap, and might end up as new rail, though it is far more likely to end up as reinforcing steel, a vehicle body or as part of a building instead. Steel is eminently recyclable, and has a large use base.
Some insider knowledge here : ) all the ballast and spoil that is removed during works like these is taken away and recycled and used for other projects in the country. Things like creating wildlife reserves, building up embankments that sort of thing. A number of things can happen to the rails, switches/points. They could be melted down and resused if appropiate, donated to railway charities/trusts that run their own private tracks, sold on to make some money back or used in sidings.
My parents were from Workington. I always look out for Workington made rails. Back in 2005 a colleague said he wanted to show me something, drove me about six miles out from the office we worked at to a remnant of an abandoned line, cleared a length of rail and sure enough there was the stamp of the Workington steelworks. The thing is, this was on the Laguna Indian Reservation in the New Mexico desert, 50 or so miles west of Albuquerque, and about 5500 miles from Workington.
Increasingly rare now, except on the quieter rural lines. There was also Glengarnock and Colvilles rail, before BSC, Corus and TATA rolling mill impressions replaced them.
From what I remember of Ballast Sampling there was little if any biological material - the bacteria have destroyed it. As one of the people from Thames Water said when I was working for Metronet the ballast is very similar to what happens in a Sewage Farm the surfaces are coated with bacteria and eat the human waste quite quickly. The danger was the other materials in the dust - lead, phenols and remains from ash from coal trains amongst other things
I'd tend to agree with this, as the problem is just as great if not more so on North Am railways, and perhaps it's lax health and safety regs (whether they'd be state/provincial or federal would be a good question, as most mainline rail is regulated federally in both Canada and US) but I've yet to see masks used for sanitary purposes in that application. Only reference I can find, and it's from the UK! [Effluent is just as much of an issue for the rail industry as for any other industry sector. Contaminated with cleaning chemicals, fuel and lubricants from rolling stock maintenance and human waste from trains, this wastewater can pose a hazard to the environment, as well as to health and safety, if not correctly treated.] www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-Industry-Focus-/eliminate-rail-track-pollution-and-protect-your-railway-ballast-and-our-environment- And for Rails to Trails: (North America) [...] Types of Contaminants The type and extent of contamination along rail corridors fall into two general categories: residual contamination that may be found along any stretch of corridor and contamination associated with industrial uses alongside it. Before and after acquisition, you should be aware of the following potential contaminants: Railroad ties, usually treated with chemicals such as creosote Coal ash and cinder containing lead and arsenic Spilled or leaked liquids such as oil, gasoline, cleaning solvents, etc. Herbicides Fossil fuel combustion products (PAHs) Roofing shingles (asbestos) Air compressors Transformers and Capacitors Metals [...] www.railstotrails.org/build-trails/trail-building-toolbox/acquisition/environmental-contaminants/ Curious...
I really like the difference between the blue and white helmets. Here in America, a lot of drivers would need the "blue helmet" on top of their cars because they're completely incompetent.
It is! As well as a partially removed Metronet logo. There was previously a contract between GBRF* and TfL for works trains on the Metropolitan/Picc branches towards Uxbridge, which are accessible to a Class 66 Loco + ballast wagons. You can also get a 66 into LUL Ruislip Depot, but only on the ballast reception road.
lot of the roads in Ruislip Depot should have clearance for National Rail trains though I am not sure if the track would stand the axle loads. There was a rail exhibition at Ruislip 20 - 30 years ago and a lot of British Rail vehicles were parked in the depot - if I remember correctly this included the APT.
My guess is that that's a leased cart, but licenced for use also in underground. Doesn't worth it to get it mainly just for underground use since there's only so much rail renewal works there anyway...
@@PrograError There were several locomotives as well as a couple of trains of wagons that had Metronet & LU logos on them. They were the result of the contract between Metronet & GBrf to provide works trains for track renewal. ON one of the first weekends Metronet arranged for all sorts of important people to attend - the idea was that publicity pictures would be taken with the 'Metronet' trains in the background. The plan went well until GBrf pointed out there was nothing in the contract to specify that these wagons must be used on the Metronet contract and their present plans would result in a scatter of Metronet wagons among others. It took quite a bit of work for GBrf to marshal all the Metronet Branded wagons into a train and ensure it was on site when the pictures were taken.
The still functioning mainline rail in my old college town (where we walk the track on football Saturdays to get to the stadium) bears the date "1938."
Thanks Geoff for a brilliant insight to the work of Network Rail, 3 trains in one possession takes some working out and needs everybody working well together
Sorry I still do t get it. The nighttime bit was a dream inside another dream and then you dreamt the day bit again after that? Or is this not a Christopher Nolan film?
Spoilt buggers, we did all that by hand. When I were a lad lol. Loved working on Pway. Nothing like ducking, as the Efluvia was flushed as the train approached at 75mph. Passengers never appreciate any Pway work . Great vid Geoff. 👍
In additon to Geoffs answer, some of the big termini that are used by multiple rail companies, such as London Liverpool Street or Edinburgh Waverley, are also looked after by Network Rail.
I remember oh so well going to the beach at the bottom of the road where we lived and crossing over the line to reach the beach and the trains discharging the effluent between the rails plus we used to dive off the sewage pipe that also discharged the waste into the sea , it’s a wonder we survived as kids the amount of stuff we swam through and trod through, much better system now, no sign saying do not use when the train is at the station 💩
Recycled and used on non railway project, ballast works due to the sharp lines and edges to hold the track in place, after a few years the edges round off and it’s no good for railways after that
Curious as to what happens to the rail when it's lifted and taken away, is it melted down and used in another industry, reused in the rail world or just scrapped?
some of it will be good enough to reuse on the network, some will be suitable for use as sidings and the rest is sold or scrapped. www.networkrail.co.uk/stories/recycling-recovered-railway-materials-at-our-whitemoor-facility/
Sidings and check-rails (on bridges etc) are often built from reused rails. You can swap left/right and reuse for repairs/upgrades on lines with less traffic. Museum railways are often looking for used rails of the right vintage. Other than that rails get sold for scrap value and recycled in a steel works.
Fun fact, rails on high-speed lines in France are changed more frequently (every 15~20 years instead of the usual 40) and after a thorough inspection they are reused on branch lines. As there are still a few lines with rails dating from the 1930s (though they're becoming rare nowadays), even 20 year-old rail is a major safety and reliability improvement.
@@altair738 pêle-mêle "Le Ferrovipathe" et "Urban Traveler" (et j'ajoute "Parigo" qui parle pas mal de ferroviaire) mais aucune chaine n'a la quantité de vidéos ni la diversité de lieux que propose Geoff. Les vidéos de la Vie Du Rail/Rail Passion dans la presse sont d'excellente qualité (beaucoup de "cab ride" avec moults explications)
Yeah, rail from 1972 ain't that old lol. I noticed while stopped at a siding that had been built in 2012 that rail in the siding was from 2011, and the main line rail was from 1941. The oldest rail I've seen still in use on a 10 mph branch line was from 1898.
When I was little I always thought it was scary when you "flushed" the toilet and could see the tracks fly by underneath. Didn't help that my older siblings told me stories about how you could get sucked down through the toilet when the train went fast. In Denmark they started rebuilding the train toilets in the late 1980s to use a contained system instead of dumping it on the tracks, but that meant there were still a lot of cars with the old toilets till well into the 90s.
In 1929, my grandfather worked on a track crew at Union Station, in Toronto, Canada. No fancy machinery, just picks, shovels, and sledgehammers. And a racist, abusive foreman, who was so obnoxious to the crew (who were immigrants who spoke minimal English), that, on the third day, my grandfather had had enough. He raised his mighty shovel, and hauled off and nailed the foreman in the stomach with it, as hard as he could. The foreman was sent to the hospital, and my grandfather was sent packing.
I love this so much. Thank you Geoff, and thank you Network Rail for allowing him, and therefore us, access to the behind the scenes work [ex BR family]
What a brilliant, informative video. Wouldn't it be useful playing in waiting rooms across the country giving regular users a better understanding of what happens. Great job Geoff, there's a series here - high output ballast cleaner, tamper, flying banana, etc.
Fascinating! I'm a resident of Whitstable, was a regular user of the amazing high-speed Javelin trains, but that was before the Pandemic ... so I had no idea that this was going on. Quite reassuring to know what's under me when my train is doing 140 mph.
Dear Geoff, Loving your videos so far! I am in the midst of producing London Buses/Tube and National Rail timetables (see www.scotbus.com for more in the coming days/weeks). However, one thing struck me as I know I like your tube trivia… Between which two Underground Stations is it quicker and more often by bus… not even a TfL bus either?... (scroll down) …Chesham and Amersham! Met Line Chesham half hourly, change Chalfont & Latimer. Arriva or Carousel Bus Services 1/1A, every 15 minutes (daytime) or hourly (early evening/Sundays), with the journey time being 8 - 11 minutes. Food for thought… Did do scheduling for Tiger Line who ran services in and around Chesham for a year (when living in Herts) before doing timetable books self-employed. I also worked on the Tube for a few months in 2000/2001.Moved back to my native Dundee 2 and a bit years ago… Where we have a dense (but often criticised) set of bus services (as we Dundonians can be cynical)...
You know what's ironic In China, we import and upgrade rail maintenance vehicle technology from Europe, particularly fully automated rail & sleeper replacement train. And in Europe it's done by manual labor?
Cheers Geoff - Surely there is more nerdy equipment out there that would speed that process up? From a ballast removal machine to laying ballast sleepers and 500m of track at a time. Oh the Chinese railway probably Intellectual Property taken from another company and tweaked. It all looks so slow. Oh NewChinaTV on U Tube for short clips on Chinese Infrastructure and other projects.
Awesome! As a kid, I used to watch the orange army doing track maintenance from my bedroom window alongside the ECML. Where was the yellow 'killdozer' all-in-one machine that does the digital rail alignment?
Thing's to also consider the planning and preparation that goes into these jobs. It' isn't just P-Way staff, but Lineside S and T and Electrical and Plant. You have to find access points for the staff and machinery, to getting the line shut down to permits and licenses. We don't just turn up on track. 20k of track on the whole network, 2500 stations etc.
Fascinating video, but I wonder why the machinery isn't more efficient? At road replacements, you see machines grinding the old surface and moving the spoil up a conveyor belt onto a truck moving alongside. Surely they could use a similar machine on rail, which would be much quicker. And then have dropside wagons to do the replacement. Much better then a single bucket loader!
When Chris is in the black floppy hat and coat, you'd want to take him seriously when describes the purpose of the spider. It's the theatrical air of dastardly authority. A man who loves his job. He'd just look silly threatening you with it when he's in his dayglo gear and he probably wouldn't be allowed any more coffee at tea break. Is he a fan of Terry Pratchett?
Kiwirail in New Zealand needs this, they are replacing this during no lockdown in Central Auckland while juggling a City Tunnel Boring for new rail in peak time.
Watching trackbeds being constructed, rails and sleepers aligned, yellow (they always are) engineering trains rolling slowly by just two feet away... It just never gets old, or what? The complex profile geometry between wheelsets and rails is poetry in motion...! 👍
