More space, less cost

13 April, 2017

Rising customer expectations in the railway industry means that train operators are looking for every available means of improving comfort on their services. One method of doing this is to reduce on-board equipment dimensions, therefore freeing up room for passengers in each carriage.

Increasingly, then, train designers are thinking long and hard about the choice of key systems and components, as they seek to delocalise and distribute certain functions to inaccessible places around the passenger car – in the roof, under the body or in hidden cabinets – to gain extra space. Such product selection can make a huge difference when it comes to getting the most out of seat configurations, or for making room for bikes or wheelchairs.

Space

This trend explains the increasing use of remote breaker reset (RBR) devices on passenger trains. RBRs are used to allow a train driver or other rail operative to remotely reset a circuit breaker after it has been triggered opened. Crucially, their compact size and location directly under the breaker handles frees up valuable space which is consumed by the equipment used in competing breaker technology. Worm gear reset devices, for example, are located in an extra breaker housing which occupies valuable horizontal space.

The use of RBRs can provide enough free space for the installation of two new seats on each carriage. This is of real value to train operators who, in addition to improving passenger comfort, are looking to maximise cost efficiencies.

The use of RBRs can also reduce total cost of ownership for rolling stock operators. The devices are stringently designed to meet the wide range of harsh conditions commonly found in the rail sector, and have proved to be highly resilient to the extremes of mechanical, electrical, and thermal shock. Their use can therefore contribute to a marked improvement in equipment reliability, and that in turn can help rail fleet owners to cut their costs.

So how do RBRs actually work? In terms of assembly, an RBR comprises electronics, connectors, a solenoid and piston. During normal operation, the circuit breaker is closed, allowing current to flow within the protected circuit. The handle is in the up position, and the breaker can remain in this state indefinitely. The RBR solenoid is not energised, and the piston is held in a retracted position by gravity. If a short circuit or extended overload event on the protected circuit occurs, the breaker will trip to cut the current flow, and the handle will drop into the down position.