656

3. Put the words in the correct order to make up sentences.

a)cheap, the maintenance, must, of, be, the, permanent way.

b)weight, the kind, differ, greatly, according to, traffic, of, in, the rails.

c)concrete, the greater, provides, of, weight, track, sleepers, stability, the greater of.

d)traffic, track, only, can, the, and, strong, safe, ensure, uninterrupted.

e)switch, the base, reinforced, bars, on, concrete, for, generation, similar, became, switches, new, of.

4. Give Russian equivalents.

to carry a large volume of traffic, to interact with the rolling stock, a long service life, to provide needed drainage, to increase the stability of track, to stabilize the weight of a structure, to employ track-laying, switch crane, to improve switch structure, to ensure an uninterrupted traffic, to protect against decay, suitable material, principal structural element, heavy blocks of granite, the maintenance of the permanent way, track construction, concrete bars, in comparison with the wooden sleepers, to increase speeds, smooth running of trains, to treat with creosote, to hold the track, according to the kind of traffic.

5. Complete the sentences with the words or phrases from the text.

a)In order to reduce the number of joints the rails ....

b)Ballast is the foundation of the railway track which ....

c)Switch on reinforced concrete bars became ....

d)The greater weight of concrete sleepers provides ....

e)The first track had no ballast, the rails were made of....

f)Permanent way is the important structure which ....

6. With a partner discuss the questions using the information from the text.

a)Why must the permanent way be strong and durable?

b)What holds the track in line and provides needed drainage?

c)Why are long-welded rails used on modern railways?

d)How is the permanent way characterized at present?

e)What kind of track can ensure safe and uninterrupted traffic?

7. With a partner answer the questions. Compare your answers.

How are the railway track of today and that used in the early days of railways different? What are their common features?

8. Read the Russian text, title and render it in English.

Развитие промышленности и сельского хозяйства позволяет расширить сеть железных дорог. Железные дороги осуществляют большой объем пассажирских и грузовых перевозок. Объем железнодорожных перевозок возрастает с каждым годом. Железнодорожный транспорт работает с большой нагрузкой. Чтобы удовлетворить потребности народного хозяйства, должны быть решены следующие задачи:

•дальнейшее развитие транспортной сети в перспективных районах на основе разработанных комплексных планов

•постройка новых железных дорог для разгрузки сильно напряженных линий

•повышение провозной способности линий использованием мощных локомотивов, увеличением веса поездов, постройкой вторых путей на однопутных дорогах

•повышение безопасности движения.

Use the words and phrases given below:

development, agriculture, to broaden, railway network, passenger and freight traffic, to meet the demands, national economy, on the basis, unloading, carrying capacity, powerful loco-motives, second tracks, single roads, traffic safety.

Optional tasks

1. Look at the words from the text and say what parts of speech they are.

substantially, improvement, fastening, suitable, reduce, safety, strength, reliability, differ, durable, maintenance, drainage, strong, decay, employ, similar, treat, length, platform, weld.

2. Read the words and say what words they are formed from.

uninterrupted, assembling, reliability, variety, safety, fastening, maintenance, drainage, improvement, laying, suitable, providing, wooden, delivering, greatly, structural, different, movement.

3. Choose the nouns.

ensure, improvement, crane, similar, reliability, wood, smooth, joint, held, volume, drainage, quite, increase, great, sleeper, travel, weight, stability, wooden, base, differ, track.

4. Choose and write down the words to speak about permanent way and its members.

durable, bridge, foundation, traffic, work, stability, signaling, rolling stock, equipment, switch, unit, diesel, speed, platform, experiment, support, coupling, running, investigation, employ, light, cheap, movement, deliver, deep, rail, sleeper, span.

5. Combine the pairs of sentences using the words in brackets.

railway construction, further development, second tracks, weight of trains, heavily-loaded line, volume of railway traffic.

A:1. All improvements on railways have become necessary.

2.Constant and progressive increase in train loads and speeds provide a permanent way (because of).

B:1. The number of joints are reduced.

2.The rails are welded into continuous length (in order to).

C:1. Recently the crossties were consisted almost universally of wood.

2.They were treated with creosote to protect it against decay (therefore).

D:1. The railway track consists of two parallel rails, supported on and fastened to a serious of sleepers.

2.Sleepers are laid on a suitable material known as ballast (thus).

6. Find in the text phrases with the word «traffic».

a)Wooden sleepers are increasingly substituted for concrete ones.

b)A special treatment keeps sleepers from decaying.

c)Only the strong track will ensure an uninterrupted traffic.

d)New types of switches have been developed on reinforced concrete bars.

e)The railroad track is also called the «permanent way».

f)In the early days of railroad building the workers first laid temporary tracks to transport materials.

g)Railroad engineering has become a very important branch of country's national economy.

h)Now particular consideration is being given to the reliability of switch elements.

7. Translate the sentences into Russian paying attention to the predicates.

a)Our railways can carry anything and almost anywhere.

b)Economic investigations carried out by the Central Railway Research Institute are used in our work.

c)Main-line tracks have to carry the largest volume of traffic.

d)The gang carried on laying the tracks in spite of the rain.

e)This instrument was suddenly carried out.

9. Put the following word combinations into the appropriate columns.

перевозок

Test 2

I. Match English and Russian words and phrases.

II. Fill the gaps with one of the following words.

a) strength

b)strong

c)strengthen

1)Only the ______ track can ensure safe traffic.

2)Long-welded rails have greater ______ in comparison.

3)Switch rails are ______ not to cause heavy traffic disruptions.

Only perfect tracks allow the railway to achieve the high speed and greater transport capacity. The lines for the speed records were always prepared using track maintenance machines. Today, in 99 countries of the world over 11500 track maintenance machines are an essential part of modern maintenance of way.

On a considerable part of our country winter lasts from 4 to 5 months, with severe frosts and snowfalls. This, however, does not disturb the regularity of traffic on railways. There is a large fleet of snow-ploughs and snow-clearing machines to keep snow off the track.

Nowadays high capacity machines are needed for high capacity lines. Thus, track-laying cranes can lift and traverse up long 36 m track panels, switch points and bridge elements 100 t in weight. In its turn cantilever cranes lift the old track and lower the new sections into position. As for the road-rail crane it is used for local and municipal transport operations, professional fire brigades, railroad construction companies. It is the ideal machine for performing even the most

1. Read the text again and write down all the words describing modern machines for the railway industry.

difficult lifting and recovery operations.

The majority of rail systems rely on new technology. Well-designed and developed pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical and electro-mechanical braking systems are used. There are brake products, couplers, wheelsets and electronic control systems for the railway industry. Such machines as tracklaying machines, tamping machines, ballast cleaning machines are widely used on railways.

In operation the track-laying machine picks up a length of new track from a loaded wagon, then moves forward and places it on the road. Tamping machine is used to consolidate the ballast under the sleepers. Ballast cleaning machine incorporates a continuous chain excavator which passes under the track and up to a vibrating screen. The vibrating screen separates dirt from ballast.

Today special self-propelled rail welding machines are used for welding the joints of heavy rails lying directly on the track over which the machine moves, or laid along the track, inside or outside, at a distance of up 60 mm from the track. Popular hopper batchers are intended to carry and level off ballast during renewal.

New products are developed and manufactured to the high standards. A wide range of rubber-based products was designed to reduce all types of vibration and noise associated with railway track. This results in improved ride comfort, less noise pollution and a decrease in vibration. Systems have been developed to meet the most diverse technical requirements and have been successfully used in permanent way applications. As a result it is becoming very popular throughout the world because it is extremely effective and extremely easy to maintain.

Therefore the wide use of new equipment and efficient technique facilitates continuous improvement in maintenance and overall efficiency of railways.

2. Match the words with the same meanings.

3. Put the words in the correct order to make up sentences.

a)new, rail, of, the majority, systems, rely, technology, on.

b)products, to, developed, are, manufactured, and, the, high, new, standards.

c)dirt, the, separates, vibrating, from, screen, ballast.

d)the ballast, tamping, used, under, consolidate, the sleepers, machine, is, to.

e)cantilever, old, lower, the track, cranes, lift, the, sections, new, position, into, and.

4. Make up a summary of the text. Use the following phrases.

tracklaying, maintenance work, standard of reliability, track maintenance machine, track-laying crane, road-rail crane, braking system, well-designed systems, tamping machine, snow-plough, self-propelled rail welding machine, hopper batcher, rubber-based products, noise pollution, efficient technique.

5. Complete the sentences with the words or phrases from the text.

a)The road-rail crane is used for …. .

b)Such machines as track-laying machines, tamping machines, ballast cleaning machines are

…..

c)A wide range of rubber-based products was designed to reduce …. .

d)Modern high speed lines and railways demand … .

e)Track-laying cranes can …. .

f)Efficient technique facilitates continuous improvement in … .

6.With a partner discuss modern technologies used on railways. Use information from the

text.

7.Read the Russian text, title and render it in English.

Трудоемкие работы по текущему ремонту и содержанию пути механизированы при помощи высокопроизводительных машин. Мощный поток новой техники и внедрение прогрессивной технологии способствуют повышению производительности труда и увеличению прибыли на железных дорогах. Сегодня мы можем видеть значительную часть достижений в области современной технологии.

Современные путеукладочные машины осуществляют погрузку звеньев на подвижной состав, их транспортировку, укладку в путь, а также разборку пути. Работы по балластировке пути выполняются при помощи электробалластера. Электробалластер весит 120 т, его длина — 50 м, скорость — 50 км/ч, подъемная сила электромагнитного подъемника — 44 т. Балластный хоппер-дозатор производит перевозку, разгрузку и дозировку сыпучих материалов, выгрузку балласта по сторонам пути в середине колеи или за пределы концов шпал.

Грузовые работы на железных дорогах не прекращаются ни днем ни ночью. Широко применяются многочисленные погрузочно-разгрузочные машины и механизмы, а также краны разного типа.

Use the words and phrases given below:

labour-consuming operations, repair, highly-efficient machines, huge stock, introduction, labour productivity, profit, considerable part, field, loading, dismantling, electric ballaster, elevating force, electromagnetic elevator, hopper-batcher, dry materials, gauge, goods handling operations, on round-the- clock, on a wide scale.

8. Find in the text English equivalents to these Russian phrases:

a)погрузочно-разгрузочные машины

b)разборка пути

c)трудоемкие работы

d)подъемная сила

e)производительность труда

f)путеукладочная машина

III. Read three possible ways to complete the sentences and choose the only one correct.

A.The majority of rail systems rely on ………

a)new technology

b)railway network development

The Structural Engineering Group of Japan′s Railway Technical Research Institute examined the reasons for the failure of longitudinal sleepers. It was concluded that these designs had not paid enough attention to maintaining the track gauge, and they required a greater weight of concrete than transverse sleepers. Nevertheless, it was considered that the basic principle of placing parallel pairs of sleepers directly beneath the rails was sound.

c)long-welded rails

B.High technology for the railway of the future is the key to success in ………

a)studying the ground

b)tracklaying

c)delivering the building materials

C.Ballast cleaning machines are used for ……….

a)leveling off ballast

b)carrying ballast

c)taking off the dirt from ballast

IV. Match these definitions with the words.

5.machine for consolidating the ballast under the sleepers e. tracklaying

V. Decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).

1.Cantilever cranes clean the ballast.

2.Electro-mechanical braking systems are used in the railway industry.

3.Rubber-based products did not result in improved ride comfort and less noise pollution.

4.Popular hopper batchers are intended to carry and level off ballast during renewal.

5.Efficient technique facilitates improvement in maintenance of railways.

Unit 4

Skim the text to find out why ladder sleepers perform well in tests.

TRACK DESIGN:

Ladder Sleepers Perform Well in Tests

1. Read the text again and write down the words describing the advantages of ladder sleepers.

Since then, ladder sleepers have been developed and tested in service. They were installed experimentally in February 1996, on JR Freight line.

Several designs for different types of track structure have been developed using ladder sleepers. While most will be laid in stone ballast, designs include track resting on a mortar, asphalt or concrete base

suitable for viaducts or in tunnels. Pressure exerted on the ballast is much less variable, and as a consequence the rate of settlement is far lower than that experienced with conventional sleepers. The sleeper and rail act together as a composite beam which to some extent bridges across weak spots in the formation. All this points to a big reduction in track maintenance costs.

Ladder sleepers are manufactured as two longitudinal concrete beams joined by transverse steel pipes which act as gauge ties. The finished product looks like a ladder laid on the ground — hence the name. The standard distance between two transverse pipes is 2.5 m. The minimum unit length is 5 m as obviously two pipes are necessary for structural and gauge stability. The maximum is 12.5m (five pipes) weighing about 4 tons, which is the most that can be conveniently handled at the work site.

Because of the configuration, ladder sleepers are highly resistant to track buckling in hot weather. However, they do not offer the same resistance to longitudinal creep as transverse sleepers. As experience shows this to be necessary, transverse steel plates which react against the ballast can be installed between the beams. Ladder sleepers can enhance safety under conditions where the subgrade has partially collapsed, for example after a washout or earthquake. Drop-weight impact tests were performed to simulate the effect of wheel flats. These confirmed that ladder sleepers had been correctly designed to withstand such impacts.

As regards ballast pressure, much distribution is achieved by ladder sleepers. This shows the effect of a bogie exerting static wheel load; maximum pressure immediately under the wheels is approximately halved, and the pressure gradient is much smoother. Loading tests also showed that the settlement rates are 8 times lower under ladder sleepers than for conventional sleepers, but the improvement at joints is less pronounced.

The fact that the rail and sleeper are in continuous contact and act together as a composite beam means that a smaller rail section could support for the same axleload, especially where a heavy rail section such as 70 Kg/m is used.

The fact that rail is supported at intervals of about 700 mm by transverse sleepers introduced vertical wheel motion at sleeper passing frequency, which can be a factor in generating corrugation and noise. Ladder sleepers should therefore reduce both noise and ground-borne vibration, especially when combined with resilient wheels.

2. Match the words with the same meanings.

3. Put the words in the correct order to make up sentences.

a)principal, parallel, the, sleepers, beneath, basic, of, was, sound, placing, rails, directly, pairs, of, the

b)distance, transverse, 2.5 m, pipes, the, between, two, standard, is

c)plates, can, between, steel, beams, the, transverse, be, installed

d)sleepers, correctly, had, such, to, designed, impacts, been, ladder, withstand

e)using, sleepers, several, for, track, types, have, developed, ladder, structure, been, of, designs, different

f)rail, sleeper, beam, as, together, and, act, a, the, composite

4. Give Russian equivalents to the English phrases.

sleeper passing frequency, ground-borne vibration, improvement at joints, combined with resilient wheels, the effect of wheel flat, track buckling, the rate of settlement, track maintenance costs, work site, to react against the ballast.

5. Complete the sentences with the words and phrases from the text.