Power for heating railway points during cold weather

A railway contractor had installed temporary rail points as part of a long-term construction project. This allowed trains to run along a single line, while the down line was being maintained.

To prevent the points from freezing over the winter months, the contractor installed points heating cabinets. These needed power to operate when temperatures went below 5oC.

We installed a 125 kVA generator with auto-start capabilities. The generator was linked to an industrial thermostat that told the generator to turn on when temperatures fell below 5^oC and automatically switch off when temperatures rose again. We put the thermostat away from equipment that gave off heat so readings accurately reflected the true temperature on the points.

We understood that frozen tracks and train delays can have a significant impact on passengers and service during the winter seasons, that's why we also provided fully bunded fuel tanks, to increase the running time between refuelling, as well as trace heated fuel lines supplied via an RCB protected 240 V supply from the generator.

The generator was monitored by our diagnostic software – ARM (Aggreko Remote Monitoring) to ensure it operated in tip-top form.

By heating the power points the contractor was able to continue the railway maintenance project without disrupting the railway. On-demand power, provided by our auto-start set-up, saved money on fuel, as the generator turned itself off at the stipulated temperature.