Written for the rail engineer
HoldFast has supported the rail engineer in every issue for the last seven consecutive years. Here, we take a look back on selected HoldFast developments over those years.
Level crossings are tricky things. The outwardly simple process of having a road cross a railway line is actually more difficult than you might think.
For a start, the road surface has to be safe. It should have the same skid resistance as the rest of the road. It has to take line markings and those shouldn’t wear off particularly quickly.
From a railway point of view, the crossing should be quick to install, and easily removed so that track can be maintained.
Traditionally, various solutions have been tried. Asphalt can’t be removed easily, and if laid into trays or troughs it can break up. Wood can be slippery when wet, and is time-consuming to remove and replace.
Early rubber
Around 30 years ago, rubber-faced crossing panels started to appear. One of the original manufacturers of these was the US company Omni Rubber Products, and from 1988 their distributor in Europe was HoldFast Level Crossings Ltd, based in Cheltenham.
Peter Coates-Smith, HoldFast’s Managing Director, was attracted to the concept of using rubber as it was a flexible material which provided better shock absorption and trackbed protection than traditional concrete and asphalt surfaces. It saved the rail from electrolytic corrosion, it was safe on electrified lines, did not crack or crumble, and was less costly to install than other surfaces.
However the basic design of materials, panel, fixings, surface and system structure limited these advantages.
The Omni system was designed for low-traffic intensity freight crossings in America and failed to meet European safety expectations for traffic-intensive locations and different rail gauges. During the lengthy evaluation process, several distinct disadvantages were identified with the system.
Improved system
In 1997, HoldFast ended its distribution agreement with Omni in order to develop a new system suited to the European market. Railtrack (now Network Rail), track management organisations, civil and subcontractors, potential customers and track gangs contributed valuable feedback from a range of perspectives.
HoldFast is now widely recognised within the industry as being instrumental in turning round the reputation of rubber level crossings.
In 1998, it launched its innovative new UK-manufactured system which featured significant design improvements developed in direct response to suggestions from the customer base.
As Peter later explained, “An inherent weakness of early rubber systems was the need for a surface layer which was a weakness and could peel. Small panels and complicated fixing systems further weakened the crossings.
“We engineered production plant to manufacture panels as 100% solid recycled blocks of rubber. We also made the decision to reduce the number of components and make the panels larger to reduce the number of joints and improve stability. This does make the panels very heavy but we introduced special HoldFast Lifting Pins to counter this.”
Installation
The new HoldFast crossings were an immediate success. The modular rubber panels simply dropped into place. A 40 metre crossing could be installed or replaced in three hours without the need for overhead electrical isolation.
Crossings could be delivered and off-loaded direct from the manufacturing plant to the installation site on the day (or night) of installation.
HoldFast’s standard installation process is very straightforward. The HoldFast Crossing System consists of panels which are 1.8m in length. Two panels are designed for the four-foot, with cess, field or six-foot panels placed outside the rails and retained by either a concrete or PVC edge beam.
The panels are held together by a baseplate with ‘turrets’. A different baseplate, with legs and turrets, is then placed over a sleeper at the centre line of the road, retaining the crossing in place. At either end, a deflector plate is placed in the middle of the gauge area.
The HoldFast panels can be removed for track maintenance, such as tamping, just as easily. The speed of routine removal and replacement of rubber crossings is no better illustrated than at a particularly complex crossing at Gloucester.
The five track crossing comprised many full depth panels, but it took just two and a quarter hours to remove and stack two of those tracks prior to tamping them and no longer to replace.
The contractor lifted out the panels using a pry bar on each of the panels and, with just one man on each, they levered the panels out without any mechanical assistance.
They were then numbered and stacked and with a little lubrication (soap) the panels were easily re-inserted, without the need of even a JCB. As those of you who have been involved with tamping through concrete crossings, there is no comparison.
Other challenges and applications
Challenging situations occur at depots as well as on underground and metro systems. Variations in track gauge, fastener type, rail type, sleeper design and materials can present formidable difficulties. In addition, the position and angle of the crossing relative to the road is critical. Crossings on curves create further problems, but HodFast has solutions for all these applications.
Following on from the success of the level crossing system, HoldFast developed their rubber panels for other applications. Track access points were an obvious one as, in a way, they are mini level crossings.
HoldFast Emergency and Track Access Points (ETAP) were chosen as a key element of the West Coast mainline modernisation programme, for which over 100 single-track 25-metre crossings were supplied in single, double and treble locations.
The Chief Maintenance Engineer of Newcastle’s Metro Network, Sid Lewis, after he replaced 12 concrete Track Access Points with HoldFast systems, commented, “HoldFast is the most efficient, flexible system we could find on the market today.”
Czech Crossings
The reputation of HoldFast’s crossing system was spreading, and they have been working in the Czech market since 1994. Its leading customers are Czech Railways and Prague Metropolitan Tramways.
The company’s unique solutions for municipal tram systems are particularly effective as they do not move and cause gaps between units, therefore reducing the risk of heavy footfall, bicycle and stiletto-related injuries.
This feature is particularly important in municipal tramway crossings as they are commonly located within road intersections.
The interlocking systems easily withstand the longitudinal forces applied by car wheels when accelerating, braking or turning within the crossing area.
Jan Jezek, Consulting Engineer for a project to install HoldFast crossings in Ostrava and Pilsner, said:
“We found the HoldFast Crossing System more than satisfactory, fulfilling all our customers’ demands and remaining durable even with heavy loads applied.
“The ability to remove and reinstall random panels of the crossing remains the greatest advantage of the HoldFast system. The ease of installation and flexibility of the product exemplifies our recommendation to switch to interlocking systems within all applications in the urban area.”
Heavy skews
Despite this success, development of the Holdfast system has not stopped. The company, now run by Peter Coates-Smith’s son Mark, has developed a method of installing rubber panels on heavy skew crossings. This prevents the problem of panels sliding along the rails due to forces imparted by crossing traffic.
Two oversized panels are compressed to 1800mm and then held under tension by steel rods. This rodded system has been installed in many countries including France, Portugal and Australia.
When the DLR was remodelled at Canning Town Junction, Holdfast crossings and pedestrian walkways were specified. The driverless nature of the DLR required channels to be cast in the top of the panels for data cables, enabling vehicles to send and receive positioning information.
Adam Jones of Carillion Rail who worked on the project, said:
“HoldFast was chosen over other systems due to the ease of construction, customisability – inclusion of a slot for signal loop cable – and also previous experience with installing HoldFast Crossings.
“As expected, installation of the panels was straight forward and the client is pleased with the finished product.”
HoldFast has indeed improved railway crossings around the world. In addition, Holdfast advertised in the very first edition of the rail engineer seven years ago and has done so ever since – that’s 84 continuous issues. Both HoldFast and the rail engineer look forward to the next seven years.
