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Harsco Rail: New Stoneblowers for Network Rail

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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Harsco Rail Ltd., the British operation of Harsco Rail (Harsco Corp.’s railway track maintenance division) on June 29 received an order from Network Rail for seven Stoneblower track geometry machines. Network Rail owns and manages Britain’s main line railway infrastructure.

The order calls for deliveries over two years starting in late 2019, where the new machines will succeed a fleet of retiring Stoneblower units that have logged more than two decades of service for Network Rail. The contract also includes a long-term parts agreement in which Harsco Rail will provide OEM spare parts and software support.

The Stoneblower automates the traditional process of restoring track geometry by using pneumatic stone insertion below the crossties, or sleepers. The newest-generation units are equipped with computerized measurement and design technology and automatic stone metering. The resulting track structure “maintains the highest level of ballast compaction, ensures full line speed hand-back, and maintains track geometry up to three times longer than equivalent tamping methods, thereby reducing track maintenance cycles and preserving the condition of the ballast and crossties,” Harsco rail said.

Network Rail includes approximately 20,000 track-miles and 40,000 bridges and tunnels throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

 

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