PM 200-2 R - formation rehabilitation machine of the latest generation

With a length of almost 200 metres, the PM 200-2R formation rehabilitation machine is the largest machine ever to be built in a Plasser & Theurer workshop.

The constructional achievement lies in part in the organisation of the many different transport tasks to be performed within the machine: all conveyor lines are clearly laid out and kept as short as possible. The machine is operated by the German firm Eurailpool who gained extensive experience previously with the rehabilitation machines PM 200-1 and AHM 800 R.

In August 2002 the PM 200-2 R introduced a new era of rail-mounted substructure improvement. This is the only machine that recycles the excavated ballast in the machine and additionally washes the ballast with high-pressure to release the cohesive particles on the ballast virtually 100%. The quality and quantity of the reconditioning thus reaches a previously unknown standard.

Clarification plant for treating the wash water

High pressure washing plant

The ballast bed on lines requiring rehabilitation is often heavily encrusted with loam and earth. This material sticks firmly to the excavated ballast, especially in damp ambient conditions. This is not desirable when the ballast is to be re-used in the new ballast bed. Therefore a ballast washing plant has been incorporated into the PM 200-2 R to free the ballast from the cohesive material.

This cleaning process requires a large amount of water, so a clarification plant for the washing water was installed on the machine. This plant consists of a sloping clarifier with tanks for clarified water and slurry as well as a reserve tank for fresh water. This enables the water consumption to be reduced to a minimum with highest possible effectiveness of the ballast cleaning.

In conjunction with track renewal on the line between Prenzlau and Seehausen (north of Berlin), the substructure was rehabilitated over a length of approx. 10.000 metres. In a construction period of 11 days approx. 40.000 t of FPL material and 30.000 m² of geotextiles were installed, and approx. 38.000 tonnes of used ballast were recycled and returned to the track without leaving the machine. The average shift output was 460 metres. Due to the system with impact crusher and high-pressure ballast washing plant, the PM 200-2 R achieves a recycling quota of up to 70%.

Tamping machine unit to level, lift, line and tamp the track

The machine consists of the following main parts: drive car at front, clarification car, screening and washing car, ballast processing car, formation machine, tamping section and drive car at rear. The front chain of the formation machine picks up the top layer of ballast. The excavated ballast is taken to the separator which eliminates metal parts and other foreign substances and then to the impact crusher where the ballast stones are sharpened. The granulation screen then separates the usable ballast from the fine particles. The spoil obtained is transported on conveyor belts to the front of the machine. The ballast is cleaned with water in the high-pressure washing plant and is ready for re-insertion. The water used is treated in the clarification plant.

The formation chain excavates the remaining material down to the required level of formation. The earth formation is smoothed and then, for example, a geotextile can be laid if required. Now the formation protective layer can be laid. The required sand-gravel mixture is transported on conveyor belts from the MFS units at the rear and is placed in the work area via a distributing conveyor belt slewing across the entire width of the track, is profiled and compacted to the desired extent using plate consolidators. Shoulder consolidators compact the shoulder of the formation protective layer additionally.

The recycled ballast is placed in the track via distributing chutes. A packing device fills the area under the ties. If required, new ballast can also transported to the ballasting devices from MFS units positioned at the rear. The rear four-axled bogie of the formation machine already runs on the improved track.

Further ballast devices are located on the tamping section of the machine to fill the tamping zones with new ballast. Lifting and lining units place the skeleton track in the geometrically correct position, single tie tamping units tamp one tie per tamping cycle. After the machine has passed, the track can be re-opened to traffic at 70 km/h.

Rail-mounted formation rehabilitation in combination with high quality substructure improvement and standardised ballast recycling using a high-pressure washing process

• High quality of the formation (meets Ril 836)
• Ballast recycling even with poor old ballast material and bad weather conditions (meets BN 918 061)
• Separation of the fine particles sticking to ballast almost 100% using high-pressure washing process
• Greater environmental protection due to treatment and re-use of water in the washing process
• Less burden on the environment caused by road transport of material
• Washing process using approx. 1.000 - 1.500 litres of water per tonne of recycling ballast
• Machine output up to 500 m per shift and peak output up to 110 m per hour

PM 200-2 R

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