UNIT 5

Permanent Way (Part 2)

I. I.

In the previous Unit such Track elements as rails, sleepers and ballast were described. Make sure you remember their characteristics and requirements.

II.

Scan the text.

Fastenings

The purpose of the rail fastenings is to maintain the track gauge and to transmit forces acting on and in the rails to the sleepers. In other words, fastenings are used:

1. to connect rails together (joint fasteners);

2. to tie the rails to the sleepers (intermediate fasteners);

3. to restrict longitudinal movement of rails relative to the sleepers (anti-creep devices).

1) In the case of joint fasteners, Russian railways use two types of joints: conventional and insulated.

At a conventional joint two fishplates with fish bolts, spring washers and nuts are used. The joint is between two sleepers.

Insulated joints with insulated fishplates are applied in track circuited areas to prevent the flow of electricity between sections of rail.

2) Intermediate fasteners can be categorized as follows:

a) direct b) mixed

1 – rail; 2 – spike; 3 – base plate; 4 - sleeper

c) indirect

1 – clip bolt; 2 – clip; 3 – insulating bush; 4 – T-headed bolt; 5 – anchor washer; 6 –rail pad; 7 – ribbed sole plate; 8 – steel plate; 9 – flat washer; 10 – spring double-screw washer

3) To restrict longitudinal movement of rails relative to sleepers anti-creep devices are used. The most typical of them are:

a) spring anchor b) wedge anchor

Switches. Crossings. Crossovers.

Switches enable vehicles to pass from one track to another without interrupting their run. A standard switch consists of switch box (1), stock rails (2, 4), tongue rails (3), check rails (5, 8), wing rail (6), point of crossing (7), crossing sleepers (9).

In standard or single switches a distinction is made between right-hand and left-hand switches depending on the direction the diverging track takes.

A symmetrical switch is a special case of switch with two routes diverging symmetrically from the common route.

Two tracks intersect at the same level and form a crossing where the direction of the vehicles cannot be changed. Diamond crossings are equipped, besides the two intersecting tracks, with one junction track (single diamond crossing )

or two junction tracks (double diamond crossing)

Single diamond crossings with slips offer three and double diamond crossings - four possible driving directions.

Crossovers connect two tracks. It is made up of from two switches of adjacent tracks, generally connected by a short section of the plain track.

When a crossover passes through a third track a diamond is formed.

adjacent track	cоседний, прилегающий путь
anti-creep device n	противоугон
base plate n	подкладка
check rail	контррельс
connect v	cоединять, связывать
conventional a	обычный
crossing n	пересечение
crossing sleepers	переводные брусья
crossover n	съезд
diamond crossing	глухое пересечение
direct fastener	нераздельное скрепление
diverging tracks	расходящиеся пути, разветвления путей
fish bolt n	стыковой болт
fishplate n	стыковая накладка
indirect fastener	раздельное скрепление
insulated	изолирующий
intermediate fastener	промежуточное скрепление
intersecting track	пересекающий путь
joint fastener	стыковое скрепление
junction track	соединительный путь
mixed fastener	смешанное скрепление
nut n	гайка
point of crossing	сердечник
restrict v	ограничивать
pike n	костыль
spring anchor	пружинный противоугон
spring washer	пружинная шайба
stock rail	рамный рельс
switch n	стрелка
switch box	переводной механизм
tie v	крепить
tongue rail	остряк
wedge anchor	клиновой противоугон
wing rail	усовик

2.1 Reading for main ideas.

Say if the sentence is True (T) or False (F).

a) There are three major types of fastenings. (___).

b) There is no difference between a fish plate and a base plate (____).

c) Vehicles pass from one track to another without interrupting their run with the help of switches ( ___).

d) Diamond crossings are equipped with two junction tracks (___).

2.2 Reading for details.

Look through the text once more and complete the table.

TRACK ELEMENT	FUNCTIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ш.

3.1 Find the English equivalents in the text:

Соединять рельсы; крепить рельсы к шпалам; предотвращать угон пути; стыковые скрепления; промежуточные скрепления; нераздельное скрепление; раздельное скрепление; смешанное скрепление; изолирующий стык; переводить транспортные средства (подвижной состав) с одного пути на другой; одиночный стрелочный перевод; глухое пересечение; перекрестный съезд; соседний путь; соединительный путь; пересекающий путь; разветвление путей.

2. What is common for all these words? Translate them into Russian.

a)

b)

2. Match the synonyms.

maintain	common
conventional	limit
enable	permit
restrict	hold

* Make sentences of your own using the words from this list.

2. Match the opposites.

direct	connect
diverge	uninsulated
prevent	indirect
insulated	allow

* Make sentences of your own using the words from this list.

2. Try to restore as many words as you can.

1._____________________ 5._________________

2._____________________ 6.___________________

3._____________________ 7.___________________

4._____________________ 8.___________________

IV.

An engineer is talking to a colleague about insulated joints. Complete the explanations using the correct form (Active or Passive) of the verbs in brackets.

Insulated Joints _______(use) in track circuited areas where the rails ________(form) part of the Signaling System. The joints ________ (place) in the track to prevent the flow of electricity between sections of rail. They ________ (divide) and ______ (isolate) the electrical circuit that ________ (use) to control the operation of signals, Level crossing lights and bells, warning lights etc.

V .

Listen to the information about Slab Track twice and then read the following statements.

Decide whether the statement is advantage (+) or disadvantage (-).

The first one is done for you.

1.	Maintenance costs amount to 20-30% of the maintenance costs of ballasted track. (Maintenance work like tamping, ballast cleaning and track lining is unnecessary).	+
2.	Higher construction costs.
3.	Increased service life.
4.	Near maximum availability and hardly any hindrance to residents due to scarce nightly maintenance works.
5.	Transitions between ballasted track and slab track require attention.
6.	In case of derailment, repair works will take much more time and effort.
7.	No drag forces at ballast with the passing of high-speed trains.
8.	The unconditional use of electro-magnetic wheel brakes.
9.	Reduced structure height and weight.
10.	The lack of suitable ballast material.
11.	The abatement of noise and, in particular, vibration nuisance.
12.	Higher airborne noise reflection.
13.	- The excess of superelevation and cant deficiency of the track with mixed use of freight-and-passenger trains does not cause altering of the track position.
14.	Large alterations in track position and superelevation can only be made possible by substantial amounts of work.
15.	Simple corrections up to 26 mm in vertical position and 5 mm in horizontal position are possible to counteract small deformations.
16.	Track accessibility to road vehicles.
17.	Preventing the release of dust from the ballast bed into the environment.

V I.