Category: Rail News

Datron’s Pegasem GSS11 & GSS20 non-contact doppler radar speed sensors are “a hit” with UK railway rolling stock engineers.
The GSS11 single beam and GSS20 dual beam sensors are an easy-to-fit accurate solution to provide independant speed and distance measurement
in many railway environments whether on a rolling stock manufacturers test track or out on the main line.

The GSS doppler radar technology has been refined to give accurate speed and distance data; free from errors associated with wheel slip,GPS blank areas or surface changes.

In addition the GSS sensors will indicate direction-of-travel and has the choice of
digital pulse and/or analogue voltage outputs.

Datron’s non-contact doppler sensors are now in regular use with a number of UK railway organisations.These include Passenger Rolling Stock builders plus also infrastructure testing and maintenance organisations in both mainline and commuter railway environments.

Datron also Offer the DRS1000 doppler Radar sensor which is ideal for applications where the sensor is fixed trackside and senses the speed of passing trains.

For more information on Datron’s products for the railway industry contact our product specialists.

The railway network has always been important in Britain, not just for commuters but also for the transportation of good and services. Unfortunately nature and the elements have a habit of ruining even the best laid plans. We've all read the newspaper headlines of railway disruption caused by the wrong type of leaf on the track or the big freeze bringing the country to a standstill, and bemoaned the fact that our journey has been interrupted by such seemingly trivial problems. But have you ever wondered how the train companies keep the tracks open, or thought about the sort of problems they face trying to achieve this?

Well, it's not as simple as you might think. It isn't simply a case of applying de-icer here and there, or spraying liberal quantities of weed killer over the tracks and the surrounding area. In an environmentally-conscious age, such practices are simply not acceptable: the application of any herbicide or chemical compound has to be selective in order to protect the wildlife. So how do they achieve this? They use the latest Nomix Total Drop Control (TDC) spray applicators along with GPS technology.

However there are still problems that need to be overcome. The traditional methods of using a ‘weed killer train' have worked effectively for a long time, but environmental concerns now mean that the companies have to be more careful with the application of any chemical substance in the vicinity of the track and the surrounding area. Using too high a concentration of a chemical means the wildlife may suffer: certain weed killers have been proven to kill species like the lesser spotted newt. Using too low a concentration of weed killer simply means that the problem will re-occur. Nomix has developed a new technology that ensures the delivery of the correct concentration of herbicide in an ecologically-approved way which avoids any risk of point source pollution. The Nomix dispensing equipment is fixed to the train itself and is controlled by GPS technology: the flow of the chemical spray is linked to the speed of the train. Unfortunately GPS technology has its limitations and isn't always suitable: Britain's railways have lots of tunnels and many trees which can affect the accuracy of the equipment.

There is a solution however, and that is using doppler radar technology. Datron Technology is currently in negotiations to supply GSS Doppler non-contact radar speed sensors that will keep the wheels of industry turning on the railways. Datron's Pegasem GSS15 and GSS25 non-contact doppler speed censors are already widely used by UK rolling stock engineers, and are valued for both their accuracy and their low cost. The GSS15 single beam and GSS25 dual beam sensors are very easy to fit, and provide accurate, independent speed and distance measurements in many railway environments. They are currently in use of both test tracks and the main lines.

The GSS doppler radar technology has been refined to give accurate speed and distance data which is free from the errors normally associated with wheel slip, GPS blank areas or surface changes. Because the Doppler non-contact radar device is fitted independently from the train wheels it is not affected by wheel slippage. GSS sensors also indicate the direction-of-travel, and offer both digital pulse and/or analogue voltage outputs.