— Photo: K. Manikandan
on track: A ballast cleaning machine in action near Tirusulam railway station on Friday.
TAMBARAM: For the first time in a decade, Chennai Division of Southern Railway has started cleaning the ballast (gravel stones) supporting the sleepers of the main line track between Chennai Beach and Chengalpattu.
A giant ballast cleaning machine has been deployed that collects and sieves the gravel, discards dust and waste, before putting the gravel back in place. Engineers of Southern Railway said that such an operation was mandatory once in 10 years for broad gauge tracks.
At present, they were carrying out the cleaning operation only on the main line tracks that were laid after gauge conversion that commenced in 1997 onwards.
As the suburban lines were recent, the cleaning operation would be carried out there later, engineers said. Close to 40 employees of the Southern Railway were engaged in the operation. Initially, the gravel stones are shovelled on to a conveyor belt and inside a huge box, the stones are ‘sieved’ which separates stone dust and dirt. The unwanted material is dumped, while the “cleaned up stones” are put back in their place. Engineers said due to movement of trains, the ballast come under severe pressure and they are ground into fine particles. In order to maintain the strength of the sleepers, the dirt and dust particles were removed, they added.
The machine could clean up to 200 metres in three-hour blocks. Working round-the-clock, the machine would be operated for about six to seven blocks every day. Earlier, the operation used to be carried out manually, consuming a lot of time and effort. There were two such machines in Chennai Division, engineers added.
Printer friendly
page Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
