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Cleans stone by stone: the “Capricorn” RM76 from SERSA

The railcars to be used for the world record attempt are part of the latest generation of “Capricorn” trains. But there is another machine called “Capricorn,” which has been in indispensable service for much longer.

Dr. Reto Wilhelm, Managing Owner Panta Rhei PR AG, 07. September 2022

It bears the type number RM76 and belongs to the track construction company SERSA, which will also be part of the world record attempt with its know-how as an expert partner. This 124-tonne monster cleans the gravel bed along the entire 384-kilometre RhB rail network – during the day and, above all, at night.


When it’s not sleeping, for example on the siding at Bergün station on the world record track, it really gets down to business. We are talking about the “Capricorn” ballast cleaning machine from SERSA. “It’s our showpiece, the RM76. Together with the specialists from RhB and PlasserTheurer, we developed it especially for the metre gauge and, with its help, we clean the gravel bed throughout the canton,” explains Christian Schnyder, a member of the management board at SERSA Switzerland. And the work that is done here is essential for the safety of railway operations on the one hand and, on the other, for the sustainable handling of rare goods – which railway ballast is. “Instead of filling the entire track bed with new gravel every time, we prefer to clean the existing material. This is a much better way of dealing with resources. In addition, all logistics for the material to be transported is carried out directly by rail. In other words, we don’t need trucks that have to drive through the narrow village streets of Graubünden,” explains Schnyder. 

Part of the Albula Line is being freshly cleaned
The machine has enormous dimensions: it weighs 124 tonnes, is 35 metres long and can clean around 150 metres of gravel bed a night. “This does also depend on the incline. The world record-breaking route from Bergün to Preda, with an incline of 3.5%, is a challenge every time. As a result, our machine with the whole convoy of gravel wagons in tow moves at a corresponding rate,” says Schnyder. Incidentally, the section on the Albula Line between Tiefencastel and Surava will be completely cleaned from 23 September to 19 October 2022. Timed especially for the world record, so to speak.”
The RM76 is not only available for RhB, it can also be used on other metre-gauge railways (such as RhB’s partner railway Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn MGB). In extreme cases, it then travels to the site of operation on a flatcar. When it is on the road for RhB, which is usually the case, it is serviced in Landquart, SERSA’s competence centre for metre gauge.

Six steps to cleanliness
And this is what happens when the RM76 goes to work. First, the machine crew pulls a sophisticated chain system underneath the rail grid and the sleepers. This chain helps to collect all the gravel. The rail grid is raised slightly, the chain does its job and pushes the ballast away – up onto the machine, where all the ballast material ends up on a vibrating sieve. This vibrates and shakes tremendously so that stones that are too large are immediately rejected. The smaller material falls onto a second sieve, where stones with the ideal stone size of between 36 and 70 millimetres remain, while stones that are too small fall down onto a third conveyor belt from where they are transported away. The high-quality, good ballast material is now poured back onto the track bed, and also underneath the rail grid and between the sleepers – around one and a half to two metres after it has been collected up by the machine. This is known as “pre-gravelling” – this is because it's followed by the ultimate gravelling and plugging before the section of the route is once more ready to be used and before it is cleared for use by the head of safety in the early morning.

Fascination whatever the weather
The RM76 is operated by three people, the machine operator and two specialists, who take care of the conveyor chain. The trio is usually supported by two helpers, who move the gravel that doesn't fall right back to the right place with a rake. “It goes without saying that we are always on the lookout for skilled workers. If you want to work on our construction sites, you should be a skilled craftsman with a flair for teamwork and willing to work at night. And you also have to enjoy travelling, because our experts are on the road everywhere,” explains Christian Schnyder. We want to know whether this is mainly a man’s job. “Not at all, but at the moment we have only one female chief machine operator and would of course be delighted if women out there decided to apply to take on these fantastic tasks on the track,” Schnyder continues. And the boss himself, how often is he on the construction site? “Not often enough... but I aim to be on site with our people every two or three weeks.”
 

Profile: the “Capricorn” RM76 in figures

Weight: 123.9 t
Travel speed (own traction): 60 km/h (1st gear: 1.5 km/h)
Fuel tank volume:  2000 l diesel oil / 1700 l hydraulic oil / 1000 l water
Min. curve radius: 55 metres (in operation)
Max. track lifting: 200 mm
Min. clearing width: 2600 mm
Max. clearing width: 4200 mm

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