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Another one bites the dust: a roaring success for our wagons

25 February 2020 | 

Today’s scoop is about our dust suppressing ballast train. For the very first time, it is introduced abroad. Nearby Cologne, in the Hoffnungsthaler tunnel to be more precise, where activities will take place during February.

What’s the story? Our German client KAF SigBahnTec GmbH was looking for a health-and-safety-proof system for the task of unloading ballast material. This had several reasons. First of all, operating the lower release valves during the unloading process could only be done by the leaves on the  platform. Furthermore, other activities on and around the wagons also involved a lot of risk for the operating staff. In addition, other activities on and around the wagons also involved risk for the personnel. And last but not least, working with (quartz) dust is a hot topic.

Dust suppressing ballast train – in a nutshell

Our dust suppressing ballast train,  or in short SALT, is an innovation of our Fccpps wagons. The wagons are specifically made for unloading rough ballast material, both within and outside the track. The SALT ensures that during the process of unloading ballast, the release of (quartz) dust is reduced to a maximum of 20% of the permeable amount. The built-in vaporizing system creates a mist that catches the dust particles and transports them to the ground. As a result, the inhalation of dust is significantly decreased, which is beneficial for the health of the employees and for the condition of the immediate vicinity.

Furthermore, owing to the remote control and the hydraulically steered release valves, the SALT has turned out to be a very safe unloading machine in terms of health and safety standards. By using the remote control, it is no longer necessary to climb up and down the wagon, while the manual operation of the valves is now a thing of the past.    

Stricter safety rules in tunnels

Both in the Netherlands and in Germany, the strictness of the rules for hazardous quartz dust in the working environment has considerably increased. However, in de Hoffnungsthaler tunnel, dust is not the only problem. Long-term soil pollution and a large water usage form an undesirable combination. We embraced this challenge and demonstrated the qualities of our dust suppressing system under strict supervision of our client EBA (Eisenbahn-BundesAmt) and the Labour Inspectorate. The fine mist produced by our spraying installation enabled us to not only solve the dust problem but to fix the water balance in the tunnel as well.

More information?

We now have 226 SALT-wagons available. If you would like to receive more information of if you have other questions regarding this type of wagon, you are welcome to contact René Harkema.