| To minimize running and maintenance costs, and | | | | can cause rail temperature to widely vary from |
| also to maximize safety, many rail organizations | | | | night to day. These features ensure the Weighline |
| are setting more stringent weight | | | | transducers deliver reliable, repeatable results and |
| regulations—requiring precise rail vehicle | | | | are capable of tolerating high dynamic overloads. |
| weighing. Gross weight and weight distribution are | | | | Plus, the transducers are IP67 rated, making them |
| important for ensuring reliable operation, since | | | | suitable for harsh environments. |
| overweight vehicles require more fuel, making | | | | The Weighline solution also meets OIML R60 and |
| them more costly to run, and cause more wear | | | | R106 requirements while delivering minimum |
| on the wheels, axles, trucks and track. | | | | installation time and expense. Typically, Weighline |
| Underweight or imbalanced vehicles, on the other | | | | installations involve primarily replacing existing rail |
| hand, can prove dangerous, as they increase the | | | | sections with Weighline transducers, and the entire |
| risk of derailment. | | | | process is generally completed in three or four |
| Bombardier Transportation, headquartered in | | | | days. This design saves significant time and labor |
| Berlin, Germany, tests and weighs rail vehicles in a | | | | costs over a traditional pit-type rail weighbridge |
| controlled environment to attain the most | | | | installation—which involves excavation, pouring a |
| accurate results. This includes placing vehicles on a | | | | concrete foundation and transferring a scale |
| straight and level track (within +/-0.04 inches) in a | | | | platform by crane over to the appropriate |
| building—a test laboratory at the company's | | | | location—that typically takes at least two or |
| Derby site in the United Kingdom—where | | | | three weeks to complete. |
| external factors such as wind, rain and rough | | | | With the Weighline solution, Bombardier |
| terrain cannot affect the test results. Here at the | | | | Transportation can measure static weight within 5 |
| Bombardier Derby Test Lab, the company checks | | | | lbs. loading on each wheel—resulting in an |
| vehicles for gross weight and the weight of each | | | | accuracy of 0.05 percent per wheel, based on a |
| wheel, axle and truck. | | | | 4-axle car weighing 45 tons. Data captured and |
| To weigh rail vehicles with the high degree of | | | | reported includes the vehicle number, ID input, |
| accuracy required, Bombardier Transportation | | | | wheel, axle, truck and total vehicle weight, plus |
| selected the Weighline WI 1310 static rail vehicle | | | | the time and date of the transaction. This precise |
| weighing system, provided by Avery | | | | data on train and vehicle weights can then be |
| Weigh-Tronix's Railweight division. The system | | | | simply interfaced with business systems via a PC. |
| was developed to weigh rail vehicles axle by axle | | | | Railweight additionally supplied and installed a PC |
| and provide a continuous display of the gross | | | | system with I-Line application software to print |
| weight of each wheel, as well as the total axle | | | | information, store the data or transfer it to the |
| weight. Since all data is collected, stored and | | | | site computer system as required. Using this |
| transmitted electronically, the Weighline solution | | | | package, Bombardier Transportation can create |
| reduces operator involvement to a minimum, | | | | custom reports about their rail vehicles, including |
| thereby minimizing the potential for manual error. | | | | wheel loads, axle loads, wagon type, total train |
| Designed for train weighing applications, Weighline | | | | and individual wagon tare, gross and net weights. |
| transducers are manufactured from standard rail | | | | I-Line software can also indicate overloads, |
| sections. These high performance transducers | | | | overspeeds and vehicle imbalance—both |
| minimize the effects of lateral (side) loading, | | | | side-to-side and end-to-end. All data is instantly |
| producing accurate readings despite offset loads. | | | | archived, so users can simply reference it at a |
| The transducers are also designed to compensate | | | | later date for additional reporting purposes. |
| for environmental temperature fluctuations, which | | | | |