From concept to trailblazing success. Last winter, we added another 36 SALT-III wagons to our fleet. SAL is the Dutch abbreviation for ‘Dust Reducing Ballast Train’. Each wagon is fitted with a hydraulic unloading and high-pressure water spraying system which suppresses dust particles with a water mist sprayed over the ballast as it leaves the wagon. This effectively minimizes exposure to hazardous ballast dust for the workers.
In 1947, the idea originated to build 176 two-armed self-discharging wagons that could be connected in pairs. The maximum speed of these wagons was 65 km/h. In 1979, it was decided to sell the wagons. This meant going back to the drawing board, since the Eds-wagons – which had been proposed to substitute the two-armed wagons – proved to be a good replacement. After a development trajectory of a few years, the first eight hundred Fccpps-wagons were launched in the late eighties. Let’s travel in full speed to 2005.
After the shift from Maas-grind to quarry stone, the question arose how to solve the problem of quartz dust, which is released when unloading ballast. This resulted in the design and construction of the SALT-I in 2005. In 2013, the SALT trust was established through a collaboration between ProRail, the contractors, and Railpro to fund the conversion of the wagons. Meanwhile, further step-wise enhancements were made to the SALT-I wagon, which ultimately resulted in the SALT-III wagon.
Various improvements have been made to the wagons since 2013. Currently, hydraulic valves have been added, so that the unloading process is no longer executed manually. This means that stepping on and off the train does now belong to the past. Furthermore, the water reservoir has been adapted, and the unloading activities in switches and crossings are now much easier. Moreover, a water misting spraying system has been added, which prevents dust particles from lingering in the air, so that railway workers do not inhale them. Imagine: a steel wagon converted into a sophisticated computer-steered machine. A great new asset for the rail-infra industry.
We intend to have 220 SALT-III wagons at our disposal next year. In this way, we can guarantee the Dutch rail-infra market healthy working conditions during the unloading activities on our SALT wagons.
The success has not gone It also reached our neighboring countries. Recently, our SALT-III wagons were deployed in a tunnel in Germany, a remarkable event that we recorded on video. We have received several requests from Germany for the delivery of SALT wagons since then. Watch the video below.
Has this article sparked your interest? Do not hesitate to contact ourBU Manager Rail Logistics & Rail Equipment René Harkema or our international sales department for more information.
