New Measurement Train

Last updated

Network Rail Class 43
Tamworth railway station MMB 27 43062.jpg
43062 leading the New Measurement Train at Tamworth in August 2011
In service2003 - present
Manufacturer British Rail Engineering Limited
Family name InterCity 125
Number built1
Formation2 Class 43 power cars
5 Mark 3
Operators Network Rail
Specifications
Maximum speed125 mph (201 km/h)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The New Measurement Train (NMT), affectionately nicknamed the Flying Banana, [1] is a specialised train which operates in the United Kingdom to assess the condition of track so that engineers can determine where to work. It is a specially converted InterCity 125, consisting of two Class 43 power cars and five or six Mark 3 carriages. [2] It can check the condition of most main lines and some secondary routes operating on a four weekly cycle. This cycle replaced its original 13-week cycle after the introduction of the Plain Line Pattern Recognition (PLPR) Design Patrolling Program.

Contents

History

The NMT was formed in direct response to concern over gauge corner cracking following the October 2000 Hatfield rail crash. [3] In September 2002 work commenced on preparing ex Virgin CrossCountry Class 43 power cars 43013, 43014 and 43062 and two Mark 2 and three Mark 3 carriages from the Railway Technical Centre fleet. [4] [5] [6] [7] Only two carriages carried testing equipment, the extra carriages being required for brake force purposes.

The NMT entered service on 9 May 2003. [8] [9] The two Mark 2s were replaced in 2004 with ex Virgin CrossCountry Mark 3s. [10] [11] In August 2005 a further Mark 3 joined the fleet fitted with a pantograph. [12] [13]

In 2004/05, power cars 43067, 43154 and 43196 were added while the core fleet was upgraded. [14] [15] [16] All had been placed in store by February 2006. [17] [18]

In 2009/10, 43013, 43014 and 43062 had their Paxman Valenta engines replaced with MTU engines by Brush Traction. Ex London North Eastern Railway powercars 43290 and 43299 were hired in 2021 while the regular powercars were overhauled. [19]

Operation

In the Production Vehicle (PV), lasers, vertical and horizontal actuators, gyros and accelerometers measure the interaction of the vehicle passing over the track. Outputs from the measuring system include track gauge, alignment, twist and cant. Other systems on the roof of the Development Vehicle (DV) measure features such as overhead line height and stagger. On the West Coast Main Line, particular care has to be taken to ensure that clearances are maintained for the use of tilting trains. The train captures video footage from the front and rear power cars.

The DV's equipment includes a video-based system utilising image recognition to look for defects such as missing clips. The DV also houses a non-contact overhead line monitoring system, which utilises lasers to measure the position of the wires in relation to the rails the train is on. High-powered white lights and cameras also enable the wear of the contact wire to be monitored. The wear is measured as the width of a strip on the underside, where the pantographs come into contact and wear away the cable. If the original thickness of the cable is known, this can be converted into a percentage of remaining area, which in turn when related to a maximum allowable wear can give an estimate of the remaining life.

The track recording systems vehicle has banks of screens allowing the team of three operators to view a range of system outputs including track faults, train location and radio signal strength. One of the mess cars hosts a system for monitoring and commissioning of Network Rail's GSM-R network.

Class 43 HST New Measurement Train in operation on the Settle-Carlisle line Network Rail New Measurement Train.jpg
Class 43 HST New Measurement Train in operation on the Settle-Carlisle line

As of January 2020 the NMT is allocated to Loram UK at the Railway Technical Centre (RTC), Derby where all vehicle maintenance and overhauls are carried out. [20] Maintenance of the recording equipment is also carried out at the RTC.

Models

Hornby has released runs of 43013/14, in both the original and "improving your railway" liveries. Hornby has also released complementary MK3 trailers. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterCity 125</span> British high-speed diesel passenger train

The InterCity 125 (originally Inter-City 125) or High Speed Train (HST) is a diesel-powered high-speed passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1975 and 1982. A total of 95 sets were produced, each comprising two Class 43 power cars, one at each end, and a rake of seven or eight Mark 3 coaches. The name is derived from its top operational speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). At times, the sets have been classified as British Rail Classes 253, 254 and 255.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterCity (British Rail)</span> 1966–1994 brand of British Rail

InterCity was a brand name introduced by British Rail in 1966 for its long-haul express passenger services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 252</span>

Class 252 was the classification allocated to the prototype High Speed Train (HST) unit, numbered 252001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Pullmans</span>

The Blue Pullmans were luxury trains used from 1960 to 1973 by British Rail. They were the first Pullman diesel multiple units, incorporating several novel features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterCity 225</span> British train

The InterCity 225 is an electric high speed train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer (DVT). The Class 91 locomotives were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Crewe Works as a spin-off from the Advanced Passenger Train project, which was abandoned during the 1980s, whilst the coaches and DVT were constructed by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and Breda in Italy, again borrowing heavily from the Advanced Passenger Train. The trains were designed to operate at up to 140 mph (225 km/h) in regular service, but are limited to 125 mph (200 km/h) principally due to a lack of cab signalling and the limitations of the current overhead line equipment. They were introduced into service between 1989 and 1991 for intercity services on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) from London King's Cross to Leeds, York and Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Mark 1</span> Railway coaching stock

British Rail Mark 1 is the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways (BR) from 1951 until 1974, now used only for charter services on the main lines or on preserved railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Mark 2</span> British railway passenger carriages

The Mark 2 family of railway carriages are British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975 and were of steel construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Mark 3</span> Single-level rail passenger carriage

The British Rail Mark 3 is a type of passenger carriage developed in response to growing competition from airlines and the car in the 1970s. A variant of the Mark 3 became the rolling stock for the High Speed Train (HST).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 41 (HST)</span>

The British Rail Class 41 were two powercars built in 1972 by British Rail Engineering Limited's Crewe Works to operate with the prototype High Speed Train (HST) with Mark 3 carriages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 43 (HST)</span> British high speed diesel locomotive

The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train (formerly Classes 253 and 254) diesel-electric power cars, built by British Rail Engineering Limited from 1975 to 1982, and in service in the UK since 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railway Technical Centre</span>

The Railway Technical Centre (RTC) in London Road, Derby, England, was the technical headquarters of the British Railways Board and was built in the early 1960s. British Rail described it as the largest railway research complex in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SNCF TGV Sud-Est</span> French high speed TGV train

The SNCF TGV Sud-Est was a French high speed TGV train built by Alstom and Francorail-MTE and operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. A total of 111 trainsets were built between 1978 and 1988 for the first TGV service in France between Paris and Lyon which opened in 1981. The trainsets were semi-permanently coupled, consisting of two power cars (locomotives) and eight articulated passenger carriages, ten in the case of the tri-voltage sets. The trains were named after the Ligne à Grande Vitesse Sud-Est that they first operated on. They were also referred to as TGV-PSE, an abbreviation of Paris Sud-Est.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CrossCountry</span> Train operating company in the United Kingdom

CrossCountry is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyne and Wear Metrocar</span> Class 599 light rail vehicles used on the Tyne and Wear Metro

The Tyne and Wear Metrocars are a fleet of light rail vehicles manufactured by Metro-Cammell for the Tyne and Wear Metro in North East England between 1978 and 1981. For operation on Network Rail controlled tracks between Pelaw Junction and Sunderland, they are designated on TOPS as the Class 599. Most were refurbished between 2010 and 2015 by Wabtec Rail at Doncaster Works and are scheduled to be replaced by Class 555 rolling stock from 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 373</span> Electric multiple unit that operates Eurostars high-speed rail service

The British Rail Class 373, known in France as the TGV TMST and branded by Eurostar as the Eurostar e300, is a French designed and Anglo-French built electric multiple unit train that was used for Eurostar international high-speed rail services from the United Kingdom to France and Belgium through the Channel Tunnel. Part of the TGV family, it was built with a smaller cross-section to fit the smaller loading gauge in Britain, was originally capable of operating on the UK third rail network, and has extensive fireproofing in case of fire in the tunnel. It is both the second longest—387 metres —and second fastest train in regular UK passenger service, operating at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 800</span> Bi-mode multiple unit train

The British Rail Class 800, branded as the Intercity Express Train (IET) by Great Western Railway (GWR) and Azuma by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a type of bi-mode multiple unit train built by Hitachi Rail for GWR and LNER. The type uses electric motors powered from overhead electric wires for traction, but also has diesel generators to enable trains to operate on unelectrified track. It is a part of the Hitachi AT300 product family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Miller (engineer)</span>

Terence Charles Barry Miller, MBE was an English railway engineer who rose to become Chief Engineer for British Rail.

The 125 Group is a railway heritage group in England dedicated to the preservation of the InterCity 125s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonehaven derailment</span> Train derailment in Scotland

The Stonehaven derailment was a fatal railway accident that occurred at 09:38 BST on 12 August 2020, when a passenger train returning to Aberdeen hit a landslip, near Carmont, west of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, following severe rain. Of the nine people aboard, three were killed, and six were injured.

References

  1. ↑ "New Measurement Train (NMT)". Network Rail. London. Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  2. ↑ "New Measurement Train (NMT)". Network Rail. 8 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "Doctor Yellow" Rail issue 469 3 September 2003 pages 40–45
  4. ↑ "Railtrack's HST test train work starts" Rail issue 444 18 September 2002 page 21
  5. ↑ "Virgin hands back ten HST power cars" Rail issue 447 30 October 2002 page 55
  6. ↑ "Now Departmental High Speed Trains" The Railway Magazine issue 1219 November 2002 page 5
  7. ↑ "Modular buffet prototype joins NR" Rail issue 458 2 April 2003 page 59
  8. ↑ "NR's yellow HST enters service" The Railway Magazine issue 1227 July 2003 page 9
  9. ↑ Intensive inspection at high speed Railway Gazette International 1 July 2003
  10. ↑ "Mk2s to be replaced on New Measurement Train" The Railway Magazine issue 1243 November 2004 page 58
  11. ↑ "Replacement Mk 3 added to NR's New Measurement Train" Rail issue 502 8 December 2004 page 15
  12. ↑ "Network Rail introduces new NMT coach" Rail issue 519 3 August 2005 page 17
  13. ↑ "Sixth NMT coach" The Railway Magazine issue 1254 October 2005 page 68
  14. ↑ "Change of plan for additional NR NMT power car" Rail issue 480 4 February 2004 page 63
  15. ↑ "NMT gains another 43" Rail issue 513 11 May 2005 page 27
  16. ↑ "NR takes sixth NMT power car" Rail issue 527 23 November 2005 page 22
  17. ↑ "NMT power cars stored" The Railway Magazine issue 1259 March 2006 page 79
  18. ↑ New Measurement Train The 125 Group
  19. ↑ Network Rail Rail Express issue 298 March 2021 page 27
  20. ↑ Loram wins Network Rail measuring train maintenance contract International Railway Journal 9 January 2020
  21. ↑ "hattons.co.uk - Hornby R3366 Class 43 HST Power (43062) & dummy (43014) in Network Rail new measurement train yellow". www.hattons.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2019.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Network Rail New Measurement Train at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.