Track View
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What it is...

Rangecam Track View provides viewing and reporting of track condition data, including geometry, GRMS, rail wear and profile. Track View includes geometry and rail wear queries, strip charts and wear trend charts, and a selection of tabular reports.

Who uses it...

Track engineers, managers, roadmasters and other railroad personnel who require streamlined access to track information without advanced analysis capabilities.

Benefits...

• comparisons over time highlight problem areas in track
• query and charting features quickly identify areas requiring maintenance
• analysis tools help identify causes of high and low degradation rates
• automated rail replacement forecasting
• automated tie planning and budgeting
• 'open' database; easy data access and export

Track View Selected Features...

STANDARD DATABASE

All track data is stored in a Microsoft Access database.

• well-supported industry-standard DBMS
• fast data access for queries and reports
• 'open' database. Data can be exported to spreadsheets and other applications for further analysis.

INDIVIDUAL RAIL PROFILE VIEW

This view shows the greatest detail about rail wear at a specific location.

Rail Profile View showing multiple comparison runs

• wear measurements, percent head loss, cant, gauge face angle, track gauge, rail type, wear classification

• optional comparison to one or more earlier runs

• optional unworn overlay

• choice of units: metric, English, or mixed

• user-defined layout and measurement labels

• one-click toolbar for navigation and printing

• zoom

TRACK CONDITION CHARTS

Charts showing geometry, GRMS, rail wear and other measurements are generated on demand. Drill down by clicking on a chart to see individual profiles.

Track condition chart combining  GRMS, gauge wear, cant, curvature, and obstacles. Three runs are compared.  A weak tie condition on the 4.1 degree R curve shows projected loaded gauge (PLG24) past the condemning limit, and negative cant.

• up to sixteen measurements displayed simultaneously

• choose up to eight measurements for both sides of the track (16 channels total)

• over 45 available channels include rail wear, track geometry, GRMS, and labelled exceptions

• rail grinding QA measurements and crown radius may also be charted if used with the RPR Grinding System

• optional comparison to one or more earlier runs

• mini-profile shows track curvature degree and direction

• crossings, lubricators and other track points can be displayed as icons

• dynamic horizontal and vertical re-scaling

• zoom

• single-click readout and electronic ruler

• template with all option settings can be saved and reused

EXCEPTIONS

Exceptions can be found by database queries, or can be imported from external files. Track View reports exceptions in several ways, including colour-coded strip charts, labelled exceptions, defect index, and tabular reports..

• rail defects, geometry and GRMS exceptions can be charted

• add exception threshold lines and/or colour codes

• a cumulative Defect Index value, covering several included years of data, may be calculated and charted for each track segment

• double-click on a labelled defect to bring up detailed information on its size, detection date, and repair history

RAIL WEAR QUERIES AND EXCEPTION REPORTS

Run queries allow you to search for exceptional or dangerous conditions.

• supports combination queries: e.g. all profiles with negative cant and wide gauge

• supports mixed ‘and/or’logic: e.g. find all 115 RE profiles worn to 10 mm laterally or 14 mm vertically 

• 'spike' queries: localized exceptions

• 'transition' queries: e.g. find locations where rail weight changes

• queries can be based on track gauge, head area, head loss, wear measurements, cant angle, gauge face angle, rail weight and rail wear classification

• query and reporting options can be saved as a named template

• results are viewed on screen or saved to file as a Wear Report. Detail and summary options are available

• reports are generated as text files or in CSV format for direct import to spreadsheets

GEOMETRY AND GRMS QUERIES AND EXCEPTION REPORTS

Geometry/GRMS queries pinpoint dangerous or exceptional track conditions.

• supports combination queries, such as surface or alignment or warp exceptions

• user-specified number of different measurements and exception levels (up to 10)

• query and reporting options can be saved as a named template

• several reports are available, including tie planning reports

• text or CSV (spreadsheet) format for all reports

WEAR TREND CHARTS

This chart calculates average wear values and graphically displays a wear trend for any curve or tangent section.

• measures curve performance in terms of wear rate
• shows trends in rail wear (vertical, gauge or combined wear, or head loss percentage), and other track measurements (track gauge, cant)
• shows 'out-of-balance' wear rates for left and right rails
• optionally shows rail section condemning limits 
• bases projections on time or tonnage
• uses linear or quadratic projections
• instant horizontal and vertical re-scaling on demand
• automatically detects rail changeout
• optionally displays wear rate equations

RAIL INVENTORY REPORT

The Rail Inventory report summarizes rail assets in a selected territory by weight and wear classification.

• lengths are actual, not scaled to long and short mileboards

• user-selected start and end locations

• text or CSV format
  

TRACK SEGMENT REPORT

The Track Segment Report shows the curve and tangent sections within a territory, and, within each section, obstacles and other track points.

• actual curve and spiral lengths (not scaled to long and short mileboards)

• all, none, or user-selected track points

• optional min/max for curvature and superelevation

• optional VMax and track class

• optional note fields

• example: