TRACK TECHNOLOGY
John Bradshaw, Network Rail national account manager at Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK, explains how the use of Lafarge Stoneblower speeds up maintenance and cuts possession times.
I
nnovation
and excellent
customer service have been key to developing and enabling Lafarge to maintain relationships with its rail customers.
Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK first supplied British Rail in the 1970s and has worked with infrastructure successor Network Rail since 2002.
Track ballast is the main product supplied by Lafarge, with circa 1 million tonnes a year coming from its flagship granite quarry at Mountsorrel.
After passing through one of the world’s largest primary crushers, the granite is processed by nine secondary and tertiary crushers before being screened into relevant sizes for track ballast and specialised products, such as Stoneblower Aggregate.
Lafarge is one of only two com- panies currently supplying Stone- blower Aggregate to Network Rail, providing just under 10,000 tonnes a year.
The aggregate needs to be of an exacting standard and so is
52 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 12
processed at Mountsorrel, then washed at nearby Husbands Bosworth Quarry, and screened again to ensure exact size, shape and cleanliness.
Since 2010, thanks to continued investment in equipment and input from expert technical and production teams, the Stoneblower material supplied by Lafarge has met the demanding specification required by Network Rail.
The aggregate is used in a Stoneblower train – a special self-contained machine which automatically lifts and packs the sleepers with the small grade ballast, blowing it under the sleepers to restore the track’s vertical and lateral alignment.
Lafarge is very proud to be able to provide this material. The use of Stoneblower can speed up the maintenance process and significantly reduce possession times, ensuring a more efficient rail service for both our customer, Network Rail, and for the general public using train transport.
FOR MORE INFORMATION T: 07803 953922
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