Wagon economy: structure and functions

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The railway network is formed by an extensive complex of technical means and structures that ensure the stable functioning of the transport system. To rationalize the technological processes of maintenance, some components of the common infrastructure are separated into independent objects with autonomous control. Such elements of the railway complex include wagon facilities serving the rolling stock. Of course, we are not talking about complete independence from the railway system with its other components, but to a large extent it is still an isolated group with its own specifics in management and maintenance.

Wagon infrastructure and its functions

Wagons are an indispensable component of the railway transport system, on which the quality and parameters of the transportation process depend. Thanks to wagons and containers, the movement of goods and passengers is organized. However, these components themselves are of little functionality and require the organization of a maintenance infrastructure for the wagon economy (mainly for the purpose of technical support). The whole range of operationalprocesses from launching to the line to preparation for transportation and conservation are provided with special facilities, control posts and auxiliary equipment.

While earlier production processes in the railway infrastructure were carried out mainly by hand, today the functional maintenance tasks are mainly shifted to mechanized systems. The most modern and large enterprises organize rail freight transportation with constant control through automated systems. Digital means of communication are also being successfully introduced, which increases the efficiency of interaction between different components of the economy.

Car arrangement

The car can be considered as an elementary part of the rolling stock and the railway industry as a whole. It is a fairly simple structure, formed by a body, chassis, devices for automatic couplers, a brake system and frame parts. The basis, of course, is formed by a body frame, which can be used both for accommodating passengers and for cargo. Metal is used as the main material for the manufacture of the frame - racks, walls, frames and fittings are made from it. In order to reduce the cost, some designs may also contain boards, but this applies only to extreme cases for low-responsible transportation.

The supporting base is also a metal platform, but with stiffeners or other supporting inclusions. Especially cargotransportation by railway transport is demanding on the carrying capacity of wagons. Therefore, longitudinal thick frames based on high-strength steel alloys are used in the construction of frames for this purpose.

An equally important element of the car is the running base, which transmits the load to the rails. The standard version of this part can be called a wheel pair with axle boxes with bearings and a spring suspension system. The multi-axle configuration of the wagon combines these parts into one bogie system, which provides a smooth ride on problematic sections of the road.

Types of wagons

It has already been noted that wagons can be freight and passenger. This is a fundamental division, which causes different approaches to the operation of rolling stock and its maintenance. As the name implies, freight cars provide transportation of various goods - building materials, raw materials, food, equipment, etc. A distinctive feature of this type of rolling stock is an increased carrying capacity, which imposes a high responsibility on the design of the car and measures for its maintenance. The typical economy includes four-, six- and eight-axle freight cars. At the same time, the technical and structural design may be different depending on the specific purpose. Modern wagon facilities use gondola cars, tanks, platforms, isothermal mobile structures, etc.

As for passenger cars, they can also have different purposesin your group. For example, transport is allocated directly for passengers, mail and luggage. There are also special-purpose cars adjacent to the common passenger section. A distinctive feature of this category of rolling stock can be called increased comfort.

Composition of the economy

Conventionally, all wagon infrastructure facilities can be divided into the following types: linear facilities, communication facilities and auxiliary facilities. The first group of subdivisions includes wagon preparation points, technical and passenger service stations, washing and steaming facilities and various kinds of workshops. As a rule, these are capital structures on which the functional basis of the wagon economy is based, regardless of its purpose. Another thing is that in the passenger and cargo transportation infrastructure there may be specialized facilities such as regeneration shops or storage facilities for storing perishable materials.

Communication points can also be made in the form of capital buildings, but they are rather determined by the equipment in use. These can be radio communications complexes, digital equipment for high-speed data transmission, telephone communications, etc. This infrastructure is not involved in the direct maintenance of rolling stock, but is involved in the process of organizing such events.

As for auxiliary facilities, they include cleaning stations, boiler houses, overpasses, storage facilities, amenity and technical premises. Also traditional compositionwagon economy is not complete without devices for detecting axlebox overheating points. These are a kind of control nodes that are placed in certain areas at a distance of 40-50 km from each other. When high temperatures are detected in the axleboxes, they send an appropriate signal to the control rooms, thereby increasing the reliability of the rolling stock operation.

Linear farm facilities

The main group of structures directly involved in the maintenance and service of wagons should be considered separately. The most significant objects of this type are:

• Car repair plant. A multifunctional complex of industrial type, which carries out the repair of cars, their modernization, the manufacture of spare parts and wheel sets. Such plants are located so that it is more convenient to carry out maintenance directly on site.
• Point of preparation of rolling stock for transportation. Technical complex, the main function of which is to minimize delays when uncoupling wagons with the condition of ensuring the safety of the transported cargo. Employees of such points perform technical and preventive operations, carrying out minor repairs, refueling and commissioning procedures.
• Wagon maintenance points. They are usually placed at passenger, precinct and marshalling yards and serve for the timely detection and elimination of various kinds of wagon malfunctions. The most common operation is to have the brake system checked by a dedicated team.
• Checkpoints. They also carry out maintenance of the rolling stock with the elimination of minor breakdowns, but not on a regular basis, but specifically after the wagons have passed certain technological procedures.

Each of the above-mentioned wagon infrastructure facilities, as part of its technical and economic base, necessarily provides for an engineering and communication supply system. These can be connections from gas stations, ventilation channels, heat and gas supply.

What is a wagon depot?

Directly, the technical and communication environment for the placement and interaction of wagon service objects is formed by the depot. On its basis, operational, repair, filling and other stations are located within certain boundaries. In particular, a passenger car depot may include a universal set of functional units, including transformer, boiler, generator, pumping, storage and dispatch facilities.

At the same time, it is worth separating multifunctional and specialized depots. In the first case, the target site can perform an extensive list of technical and operational operations, keeping working and repaired cars on a permanent basis at its base. Specialized complexes, as a rule, do not contain transport equipment that is not currently undergoing technological operations. For example, a car repair depot can perform specific technical procedures with preventive inspection, refueling, troubleshooting and adjustment of individual components, but thistasks are limited. There are also depot departments designed for specific work - assembly of structures, adjustment of wheel sets, installation of bogies, etc.

Requirements for wagon facilities

The efficiency of the production of technological procedures within the framework of the depot will depend on the configuration of the placement of service facilities and the nature of their operation. To maintain the logistics of railway wagon facilities at the proper level, the following rules for their organization were developed:

• Mutual placement of structures and buildings should provide unhindered and, if possible, the shortest paths for the movement of wagons, spare parts and materials to them.
• The principle of compactness and rationalization should be observed, in which several technological departments are located in one production room. Of course, if such an approach is technically possible and does not complicate the performance of target operations.
• Auxiliary and storage facilities are connected to the building of administrative buildings.
• On the territory of the passenger car depot, the rules of sanitary and fire safety must be observed in accordance with the requirements of SNiP. Engineering networks, if possible, are laid in the niches of existing routes adjacent to the main communication shafts of capital buildings.

Control system

At the head of any railway infrastructure is a managing company that ensures the he alth of the state of the fleet, its facilities, technicalmeans and associated functional components. Control and regulation are carried out according to a hierarchical structure from the head to the operator of the control room. The manager carries out technical and operational management of the services of entrusted facilities, focusing on the established rules and regulations, some of which can be developed for a specific infrastructure on an individual basis.

As for the technical implementation of the wagon management, as already noted, an important role in the control of technological processes is played by automatic systems. These can be control modules that fix individual problems using sensitive elements, and mechanized executive bodies that also perform the functions of lighting control, changing the operating modes of individual units, etc.

Maintenance and repair of wagons

There are rules for the technical operation of the rolling stock, indicating standards for the maintenance and repair of rolling stock. They, in particular, prescribe the timing of repairs, requirements for the maintenance of equipment and the maximum periods of use of certain work units. The following are several types of maintenance activities that are necessary to maintain safe rail transport:

• TO. The basic format of maintenance, the implementation of which aims to identify and eliminate various kinds of malfunctions both in one car and in the whole group of rolling stock. The greatest emphasis is still placed on preventive examination.technology, diagnostics and troubleshooting of materials.
• TP-1. Current repairs are carried out without uncoupling of wagons at stations where maintenance points are located. In this format, damage, wear and tear and malfunctions that occur during the movement of the train should be eliminated.
• TR-2. A kind of current repair, but with the implementation of uncoupling from the train. In this case, a wagon repair depot is used, which has a wider range of tools for eliminating serious malfunctions.

Conclusion

The railway network and transport equipment operated on its basis is a complex multi-level infrastructure that requires an appropriate approach in maintenance. Therefore, it is not surprising that a significant part of communications falls on the production of service activities. The most demanding in this regard is industrial railway transportation, which operates with increased loads of about 500-600 tons per train. It is obvious that with such an operating mode, even wear-resistant element base will wear out in the shortest possible time. Actually, the technical and operational complex of the wagon infrastructure with depots and repair shops is designed to prevent, identify and eliminate these and other problems.