13 Equipments in Railway Stations and Yards (Railway Engineering Lectures هندسة السكك الحديدية & Dr. Walied A. Elsaigh)

1. Dr. Walied A. Elsaigh
welsaigh@ksu.edu.sa
Asst. Prof. of Civil Engineering
Rajab 1437H
CE 435
Railway Engineering
Equipments in Railway
Stations & Yards

2. Textbook

3. Introduction
Equipments required at rail yards and stations can be
grouped with respect to the purpose (job they serve):
Equipment for the convenience of
passengers in a passenger station
Equipment for the locomotives in
loco-yard
Equipment for good services in a
good yard
public telephones, foot
bridge and sub-ways
Equipment for the safety of train
traffic movements
Equipment for miscellaneous
purposes
cranes, weigh-bridge,
loading gauge / ramps etc
Engine sheds, water
column, and triangle etc
Scotch block, derailing
switch and signals etc
Refrigerators, TV, water
tanks etc

4. Passenger Convenience
Equipment for the convenience of
passengers in a passenger station

5. Good’s Services
Cranes Main purpose: Used to load/unload
heavy articles from/to wagons
Equipment for good
services in a good yard
Fixed Jib Crane
Mobile Crane
Gantry Crane
Types
Goliath Crane

6. Good’s Services
Cranes
Equipment for goods
services in a good’s yard
Fixed Jib Crane
Mobile Crane
Gantry Crane
Types
Goliath Crane
Fixed at some suitable point
on good’s platform
Most common type

7. Good’s Services
Cranes
Equipment for goods
services in a good’s yard
Rail-mounted crane
Used along platforms
Fixed Jib
CraneMobile Crane
Gantry Crane
Types
Goliath Crane
Mobile cranes are most useful since is
provides some flexibility since they can be
used anywhere in the yard.

8. Good’s Services
Cranes
Equipment for goods
services in a good’s yard
Fixed Jib Crane
Mobile Crane
Gantry Crane
Types
Goliath Crane
Wagons/trucks are parked
under the gantry for loading/unloading
Consists of two parallel beams
supported on columns
Hoisting machinery
is fixed in a way that
allows its travel on
the parallel beams

9. Good’s Services
Cranes
Equipment for goods
services in a good’s yard
Fixed Jib Crane
Mobile Crane
Gantry Crane
Types
Goliath Crane
Capacity ranges from 2 to 200 tons
Electrically powered in most cases
Painted in yellow for safety reasons
{Wikipedia}

10. Good’s Services
Cranes
Equipment for goods
services in a good’s yard
Fixed Jib Crane
Mobile Crane
Gantry Crane
Types
Goliath Crane
Goliath crane is a modified version of gantry crane, the
frame is not fixed, it can move in on a track on the ground.

11. Good’s Services
Weigh Bridges
Provided to get the weight of loaded wagon.
should be provided in a separate siding.
Equipment for goods
services in a good’s yard
Accurate weigh requires wagons to
be either stationary or low speed.
Weigh bridges are level platforms with rails
connected to a rail track in the good’s yard.
http://m.indiamart.com/safe-instruments/

12. Good’s Services
Loading Gauges
Equipment for goods
services in a good’s yard
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for
railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage
through bridges, tunnels and other structures. {Wikipedia}
Aahha, this is why we
need a loading
gauge!!
Will this freight train pass through?

13. Good’s Services
Loading Gauges
Dimensions will
vary between countries & lines.
A loading gauge consists of a profile made of angle iron which is suspended
from a frame on the rail track.
If any part of the loaded wagon touches the
profile, this indicate over-loading. Reduced loading before wagon
proceed for its journey.

14. Good’s Services
Loading Ramps
A strip of platform at the end of
a siding built to wagon floor height.
Wit its far end sloped to road level.
Equipment for goods
services in a good’s yard
Buffer-stop prevents wagon striking and damaging the platform
Hinge plate
Required for loading &
unloading of motor vehicles.
Buffer-stop

15. Locomotive’s Services
Loco-sheds
Parallel tracks
Engine enters &
leaves from both ends
Traverser shifts
engines between
tracks.
Required to clean, repair and
maintain locomotives. Two designs:
Equipment for the
locomotives in loco-yard
Rectangular
Rectangular Circular
CircularoRadial tracks.
oTurn-table shifts engines direction to desired track.
o Engine enters &
leaves at a single
end.

16. Adapted from the work published by Paul, J. Dolkos
“Ten tips for freight yard design and operation –Basic
yard function and operation”
Circular Loco-shed

17. Locomotive’s Services
Loco-sheds/ Comparison
Equipment for the
locomotives in loco-yard
Advantages of Circular Design
Disadvantages of Circular Design

18. Locomotive’s Services
Ash-pits, Ash-pans, Drop-pits and
Examination-pits
Ash-pits and ash-
pans are used to
receive ashes from
locomotive boilers.
Equipment for the
locomotives in loco-yard
Examination-pit is used to examine locomotive engine
from underneath.
Drop-pit is used to remove the wheels of an engine by
lowering the wheels in the pit for examination and repair.

19. Locomotive’s Services
Turn-Table
Construction and operation cost
of turn-table is relatively high. It
should be built only if space is
not available for a triangle “wye”
tracks.
Equipment for the
locomotives in loco-yard
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad, usually
locomotives, so that they can be moved back in the direction
from which they came

20. Locomotive’s Services
Triangle – “Wye track”
Construction and operation cost of Wye rails is cheaper
than a turn-table BUT needs larger land space.
Equipment for the
locomotives in loco-yard
A railway Wye is a set of short
tracks used for direction change (i.e. Reversing) locomotives.

21. Serves the same purpose
of cross-over or turnout.
Locomotive’s Services
Traverser “Transfer Table”
Used to transfer railcars or locomotives between parallel tracks
without switching (shunting). Usually used in loco-yards and it
occupies less space.
Equipment for the
locomotives in loco-yard

22. Safety Devices
Derailing Switch “Trap Switch”
Similar in function
to a scotch block.
Scotch block is no
longer used
Equipment for the safety
of train traffic movements
Obstruction to prevent train movement
beyond a dead end, or prevent trains
entering the mainline without provision.

23. Safety Devices
Buffer Stop
A buffer stop or bumper (US) is a
device to prevent railway vehicle
from going past the end of a
section of track.
Equipment for the safety
of train traffic movements
 Required at end of tracks
(sidings) or terminal stations.

24. Safety Devices
Buffer Stop
Equipment for the safety
of train traffic movements
Requirements for buffer stop
Should be strong enough to sustain
impact of rolling locomotive / rail car.
Should be clearly visible from a
considerable distance.
Buffer disc or beam with
cross-sleeper, painted in
red colour is provided
Red lamp fixed at the
centre to indicate at night
time
The Gare Montparnasse
accident { Wikipedia}

25. Safety Devices
Sand Hump on Snag Dead End
Modified version
of the buffer stop.
Equipment for the safety
of train traffic movements
Similar in function
to buffer stop.
Mostly used at dead
end of siding tracks.
A hump of sand with rising gradient at the dead end of a
siding is provided. It helps additional resistance to movement
of railcars before the buffer block.

26. Safety Devices
Fouling Marks
Fouling marks (FM)are points fixed
between a pair of converging tacks
to indicate possibility of collision of
trains beyond these points.
Equipment for the safety
of train traffic movements
Fouling Marks basics:
 Firmly fixed to the ground at
right angle to direction of track.
 Painted in white colour and
letters “F” and “M” clearly marked.
 Wooden sleepers or concrete slabs
are used to make the fouling marks.
 Laid in the line of top level of ballast section.