USA: The manufacturer is working on a rail milling machine powered by batteries and a diesel engine. The vehicle is due to be delivered to Plasser American (PAC) this summer.
The design of Romill CMS3e is specified for operation in narrow tunnels, which should allow the machine to be used for maintenance work on the relevant infrastructure in the United States. The manufacturer also emphasises that the machine is suitable for operation in metro systems.
According to Robel, the Romill CMS3e is equipped with the latest electromilling technology for reprofiling low quality track that could not be machined before. The machine consists of three “cars”: a driver’s cab equipped with batteries, a rail milling machine with a chip compartment and a driver’s cab equipped with a diesel engine. The manufacturer says that the milling takes place without the formation of dust and sparks, the fall-out product is collected in a tank, and the polishing is carried out with a low noise level.
Scheme of the Romill CMS3e rail milling machine. Source: Plasser American
In February last year, Robel’s partner, the Austrian manufacturer Plasser & Theurer, demonstrated the technology of track maintenance with a reduced noise level and presented a prototype of the ATMO rail grinder. The vehicle is designed to work on tram lines and allows the surface treatment of rails using grinding stones in combination with vibratory grinding. The prototype car is equipped with a 100 kW water-cooled diesel engine, improved sound insulation and an improved exhaust cleaning system. ATMO can work at speeds up to 30 km/h, grind in curves with a radius of 17.25 m and pass curves with a radius of 16.25 m.
Work on the creation of track machines with alternative traction is also carried out by another manufacturer, Linsinger, which in November 2020 presented the MG11 H2 project: a rail milling machine with hydrogen fuel cells traction. It was reported that the vehicle should be released in the first half of 2021, however, ROLLINGSTOCK Agency could not find information about this in open sources.
It is worth noting that at the beginning of this year, the service divisions of Plasser & Theurer and Robel merged into one company, Plasser Robel Services, which will service the track machines of both companies around the world.
