Serco
Serco
The Track Inspection Car (TIC)
| Owned by Network Rail but operated by Serco Railtest, the Track
Inspection Coach No: 977900 was one of a number of similar vehicles purpose
built at Swindon in the early 1960's for the Western Region Civil Engineer's
Department of BR. Following major changes within the railway in the late 1980's it was transferred to the DM&EE and then to
Railtest. The author was involved with the fitting and monitoring of video recording equipment to the TIC and assisted on various inspection runs primarily in South Wales in the late 1990's. It is normally loco-hauled, in the company of other vehicles for braking purposes, at the rear of a test train. Engineers from Network Rail and the infrastructure maintenance companies ride in the vehicle and can observe the track from either end through panoramic windows. The on-board instrumentation records various track parameters such as rail top, cant gradient, twist and level onto disk and paper and the vehicle has an unusual audible warning system to immediately identify those locations where parameters are exceeded. During 2003 it completed a major upgrade including a new diesel-powered 240v generator, re-furbished B4 bogies and a totally new monitoring and instrumentation system as part of Network Rail's continuing improvement programme. It is now been painted yellow but it looks as if its days are numbered.
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Here is TIC in the yard at RTC around
1998 prior to its upgrade
Serco |
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Here it is at Old Dalby heading
south after a publicity shot in 1998
Serco |
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A more recent photo of TIC at Old Dalby on 24th January 2007 |