[Digi=MOC] - Plasser & Theurer RM900-RT

[Hod Carrier]

Spurred on by the guys over at BMR I have created something entirely inside a month, all in the name of competition. Sadly time and finances do not permit me to build this in time to enter it as a real model into the OcTRAINber contest, so at present it's just a virtual build.

This is my rendering of the Plasser & Theurer RM900-RT High Output Ballast Cleaner, as used by UK rail infrastructure provider Network Rail. It is an articulated machine with four modules that mechanises the renewal of ballast under and around the track sleepers. It operates as part of Network Rail's High Output Ballast Cleaning System.

I've abandoned my usual 4-wide scale and modelled this in 8-wide scale. The total length of the model is 266 studs.

The heart of the machine are the excavating and screening modules. The excavating module clears ballast from around and beneath the sleepers and collects it using the two conveyor arms. An overhead conveyor belt passes the ballast forward to the screening module which then sorts any reusable ballast from the expired ballast (spoil). Ballast that can be reused is passed back to the excavator module via a lower conveyor belt and is returned to the track while the spoil continues forward along the machine via more overhead conveyor to the next machine in the train, the Spoil Handling Unit.

The excavating module in working configuration. The central dolly grips and lifts the track slightly using hydraulic rams while an undercutting tool attached to the conveyor arms removes the ballast from underneath the track and sweeps it to the sides.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten to include the undercutting tool.

When not working all the tools on the excavator module retract inboard so that the train can be moved between depot and worksite without exceeding the loading gauge.

Reusable ballast sent from the screening module is returned to the track via the low level conveyor and pushed back into place. New ballast is also added, brought again by overhead conveyor from the rear of the train. It is added between the rails using a conveyor and also on the shoulders by two ballast shutes.

The design allows for up to 90 degrees of articulation between modules, so taking an R40 curve should be OK(ish). Even the overlapping conveyors do not hinder this degree of movement. However, it would be difficult for this machine to ballast such a tight curve.

The short timescale and the other time constraints I've had this month means that this model is far from finished. There is still a whole hill of details to be added but I simply haven't got the time if I'm to meet the OcTRAINber deadline. Therefore this model is a work in progress and something that I may return to in the future. I hope you like it as much as I do, although I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

[ColletArrow]

Impressive! I once tried to build a smaller one of these machines, after seeing it in a model railway magazine. As it was before I had many train parts or experience, it didn't really work all that well. (It used small train wheels for the rear bogie, as I only had one motor with standard-sized wheels... it was a failure in many respects!)

You've captured the behemoth-nature of the prototype really well, although I feel a few more miscellaneous pipes and cables everywhere wouldn't go amiss.

Also, I believe you can still enter it into the competition as a digital entry, it's a separate category (I think, I haven't fully read the rules)

[Hod Carrier]

Thank you again. There is a digital category and I have entered it already. Although I do not yet consider this design to be "finished" I feel that I have done enough to capture the size, shape and general layout of the machine.

But you're right, there is a LOT of detail still to add from the hydraulic and electrical lines you mention to the huge amount of worksite lighting these machines carry. Heck, I haven't even added any bogie footsteps yet!! Ha ha!! Part of the reason for this is that it's a digital build and many of the parts or techniques I might use can't be replicated in LDD. The other part is that these machines aren't generally very visible on the network (unless you happen to be near to one of their depots) so pictorial sources are not as plentiful as they would be if it was, say, a passenger train.

However, I'm glad you like it. These track machines tend to get overlooked, but when BMR announced the details of their contest I knew immediately that this was what I was going to enter.

[ColletArrow]

No problem. I find these machines, and in fact all 'yellow' machines, fascinating for the very reason that you don't see them often. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a Network-Rail yellow Class 37 on the Lickey Incline a few years ago, a line that normally only sees London Midland and Cross Country passengers (and quite a few freights, to be fair).

Also, I found my poor attempt from 4 years ago. It really isn't very pretty, but here it is anyway: https://www.lego.com/en-gb/city/galleries/album/track-maintenenance-ballast-cleaner-b9d615681fe3414eb7c7d68be950c680##sp=300. No where near the level of your creation! (Also, don't ask about my spelling of 'maintenance'!)

Where did you start on building this model? One of the cabs I presume, but it can't have been an easy project to initiate.

[Hod Carrier]

What a brilliant little machine you built!!  You've definitely got all the ingredients there with the conveyor arms and grader along with the control cab for the machine operator. In fact you've packaged it very well considering the overall size of the model and the fact that you've had to leave enough space for the PF elements also. As I'm sure you're aware there are single-unit ballast cleaners out there too.

Yes, I started my model at one end and then worked my way back to the other end, adding each section as I went. The main reference I used for the general shape and proportions of the machine was a diagram of how the ballast cleaning system works and then looked at photos online to get the more precise shapes and details. For the excavator module I had to find some videos of the machine working, and luckily there's a short documentary on the Network Rail YouTube channel which shows most parts of the machine in operation, even if only fleetingly. I did discover in the course of my research that Network Rail own five of these machines and that each one appears to be slightly different. Therefore I fear my model is a bit of a chimera and not representative of any individual machine.

[ColletArrow]

Thank you (from 14-year-old me), it was indeed based on a smaller unit.

Looking at the last picture of the train on a curve, I've noticed two amusing features of such a long vehicle negotiating such a tight turn - a) the conveyors are hilariously nowhere-near lining up across the hinge, and b) the excavating arms are way of the track - more like trackside clearance there! I wonder what this would look like doing a full 180-degree corner...

[Hod Carrier]

Ha ha!! Yes that's true, but then BMR wanted something that was going to look daft on standard R40 curves. If you have a look at my Flickr page I've bent the entire machine (legally) into a square.

[ColletArrow]

 Truly in the spirit of the competition! Also the only time the two driving cabs will ever get to look at each other...

[zephyr1934]

Oh wow! You have had a very productive October. A very nice rendition of the prototype with incredible detail (even if it is not finished) and the back story is just icing on the cake. Thanks for walking us through the process of refreshing our ballast and illustrating it so nicely with your MOC

[Feuer Zug]

That's a great piece of MOW equipment. The details are all there. Good luck with the contest.

[Hod Carrier]

Thank you gentlemen. That’s most kind. 

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

Wow this is by far the best multi purpose machine I have ever seen! 

I hope to see in real bricks 

[Hod Carrier]

@LEGO Train 12 Volts Thank you, but I'm not sure it ever will get built. It's already more than 3600 parts, and the part count is still slowly creeping up. Unless either the manufacturer or operator wish to offer me a handsome commission I think this will remain a virtual build only.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

What a pity

 

[Hod Carrier]

I trust no-one minds a quick thread resurrection for an update.

You'll recall that the original model was designed in a rush for the inaugural OcTRAINber contest, which meant that I hadn't had time to do much more than capture the basic essence of the machine. Therefore there were a lot of details that were missing and some aspects of the design were not really correct. It had also weighed quite heavily on me for a while, and for several months the last thing I wanted to do was even think about improving it.

Well they say that time is a great healer, and since the end of 2017 I have been slowly returning to this model to add the details that I'd not had the time to replicate before and to correct a few mistakes that I'd made. Therefore I would now consider this model to be finished, even though it remains a virtual build only. I hope you like what I've done and can see where the improvements have been made.

[duifkelego]

wow , absolutely gorgeous.

I've been contemplating a build like this for a long time now...
I'd love to build this one for real !

Would you be willing to share the design ?

[Hod Carrier]

@duifkelego Thanks for the feedback.

I’m not sure it’s possible to actually build this model because I don’t think that all the parts I used exist in the colours that are needed. For example, there are a lot of trans clear bars for the worksite lighting that I know are not available. The other consideration is the stability of the design. It’s not a problem for a virtual build like this one, but it might be an issue if you try to build it for real.

Let me have a couple of days to look into this and see how bad the problems might be first.