New switch point blade position stabilizers for R300 turnouts

Stabilizers manufactured by Kolejowe Zakłady Nawierzchniowe “Bieżanów” have successfully passed the SMS-PW-17 procedure, allowing them to be used on PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe tracks. They have thus become an alternative to existing turnouts with a turning radius of r=300 m.

“All turnouts of this type manufactured in Bieżanów will now be equipped with our stabilizers. They will also be available for sale as a separate product for renovation and maintenance works, or for breakdown and derailment recovery purposes.” says Sławomir Bijak, Member of the Board and Commercial Director of the KZN Bieżanów Group.

The key task of all stabilizers is to keep the minimum distance between the stock rail and the point blade moved away from it (58 mm required by regulation), and at the same time press the opposing point blade against the stock rail. Engineers of the parent company of the KZN Bieżanów Group have designed two types of point blade position stabilizers, SPI-1 and SPI-2, which are designated for regular R300 railway turnouts, both with 49E1 and 60E1 rails dedicated for speeds of up to 160 km/h. They were tested on the PKP PLK testing site at Sosnowiec-Jęzor station. “This several-month approval process has given both parties – the network manager and the manufacturer – a full guarantee of the efficiency and safety of using these devices.” says Sławomir Bijak, Member of the Board and Commercial Director of the KZN Bieżanów Group.

Both stabilizer designs differ in size and method of mounting to point blade. The dimensions and assembly method of SPI-1 are similar to competitive market solutions. The device is much wider than the railway turnout sleeper, and its installation requires milling and perforating of point blades. The more advanced SPI-2 does not require this, because it has a specially profiled holder to hold the point blades from the bottom. Therefore, it can be easily mounted in pre-existing railway turnouts without having to disassemble and process the point blades. The device also has a more compact design, so it can basically fully fit the turnout sleeper – hence none of its elements requires disassembly during turnout tamping.

“Both SPI-1 and SPI-2 can be used interchangeably with currently used competitive designs. Both devices, which have been patented by us, have the advantage of smooth adjustment of the point blade’s distance from the stock rail using the so-called bottle screw, without the need to remove the holder from the blade’s foot.” says Magdalena Kamińska, Technical and Quality Director of KZN “Biezanów”. “The stabilizers are an addition to the range of railway turnout accessories offered by the company; we also hold approvals for SZK clamp locks and dedicated OZN clamp lock covers, SZN locks together with a narrow steel turnout sleeper and RL free rollers.” adds Kamińska.

One needs to remember that point blade position stabilizers have become mandatory for railway turnouts with the above-mentioned radius since the railway accident in Reptów in May 1997. The purpose of the devices is to maintain a given distance between the point blade and stock rail so as to prevent the rolling stock wheels from hitting the point blade. Such impacts can cause resonant vibrations, which in extreme cases can trigger an automatic switch change under the moving train.