Strength through Flexibility

When the front locomotives of a freight train begin to come out of the hairpin curve at Breezy Point in the US state of Nebraska, the last of the more than 100 carriages – exerting an axle load of more than 35 tonnes – have not even begun to enter it. The forces on the tracks in this zigzag curve are colossal. Vossloh has developed a track fastening system that constitutes a milestone in terms of staying power. The solution sounds paradoxical: the system created by the inventor of the elastic tension clamp is more secure and durable than any other simply because it is more flexible. The track can sink down a little more and also gives way a little more than usual to the sides – but no more than a millimetre, after which the train is securely kept within its tracks. This enormous power is delivered by just one small spring.