A state-of-the-art Points Converter, designed to improve safety, efficiency and traceability in Railway Maintenance & Storage Depots has been launched by Sheffield firm Zonegreen in response to demand for a cost-effective automated solution.
The new converter will be exhibited at the Rail Alliance’s Macro Rail exhibition on Friday 16th September.
The Points Converter enables the automation and remote operation of any manual points, switches and rail road crossings, and has been designed specifically to help modern train care facilities and depots to further streamline operations and maximise safety.
Zonegreen’s Technical Director Christian Fletcher explained:
“The system is made up of two parts: a points converter device and an intuitive handset that allows the operator to remotely control the points system.
“The converter device attaches to an existing manually-operated switch without compromising the integrity of the existing mechanism and, crucially, it requires no civil works or changes in the operating procedures for its installation.
“Each converter can be used alone or multiple units may be installed, operating together with routing.
“The handset can be either hand-portable or cab-mounted. A centralised control system is also available via a Windows PC interface that offers route planning and visualisation.”
The benefits of the system are:
- Enhanced safety as potential for falls is reduced,
- Increased efficiency as many stops and starts are eliminated,
- Greater traceability due to an in-built event logging feature, which allows the depot manager to keep a record of operation,
- Greater flexibility as routes can be pre-set, reconfigured and upgraded at any time.
Pre-orders have meant the Points Converter has already been installed by Zonegreen at one major train care depot and will be introduced at a second in the coming weeks.
The exhibition is open from 10am to 4pm and is free to attend with free parking for companies in the rail industry, anyone wishing to attend simply has to register their details by emailing [email protected] or calling 01789 720026.
