The Tribometer Train
The 'Trib Train' was used to investigate
the age-old problem of low friction between wheel and rail known as
adhesion. First entering service in 1972 its purpose was to verify laboratory tests on surface contaminants on the railhead. It consisted of Laboratory 11 RDB975046, COV-AB RDB999900 and an auto-trailer RDB975076 usually operated with one of R&DD's own locos (e.g. the Baby Deltic or later the class 24 'Experiment' and class 31). The COV-AB was one of a batch of ten fitted with experimental 'Taperlite' suspension and housed the instrumentation and hydraulic packs, with special brake actuator units above each axle as well as tanks for laying fluid during the experiments. It had no conventional brakes and was fitted with end gangways for access. A year-long general survey of adhesions levels was undertaken initially and numerous special tests were performed. The train was a common site about the railway in the 70s and 80s. It was also used to assess the effectiveness of rail head treatment of the time such as water cannons. It usually had motive power from the Research Division's own pool of locos including, the Metrovick Co-Bo 5705, the Baby Deltic D5901, class 24 'Experiment', the original class 31 which was unfortunately destroyed by fire and then whatever was available was used. The last extensive use of the Tribometer Train to measure naturally occurring adhesion was in the early 1990s when a significant amount of measurements were taken to survey typical adhesion profiles on a number of BR routes. The final use of the Tribometer Train was in 1996 to compare the performance of portable tribometers with a full-scale tribometer to calibrate the former. The Tribometer Train was not used after this and was eventually disposed of by AEA Technology Rail in 2004 - another victim of privatisation. All three vehicles went to the Nottingham Heritage Centre but the auto trailer is now at the West Somerset Railway for restoration and Lab 11 RDB975046 has been restored at the Dartmoor Railway at Okehampton. COV-AB RDB999900 was scrapped at Booths of Rotherham in August 2009 Photographs are BR official unless credited |
More pictures will be added