Strange New Lineside Sensors

[Skoodle]

I don't have a picture sorry as I'm a driver, however some new sensors have been installed between Forest Hill and Brockley on the Up Sussex lines. They've only been installed on the Up and not the Down. I'm trying to find out what they are. There's a line of about 20 of them in various places in the sections in title. They are accompanied by solar panels and what looks to be transceivers. They look like miniature ceramic pots attached to a pole. I'm thinking some kind of environmental/air quality sensor? Does anyone have any idea what they could be?

 

[alxndr]

Do they look like these? If so they’re to monitor the bank for movement.

 

[swt_passenger]

I don't have a picture sorry as I'm a driver, however some new sensors have been installed between Forest Hill and Brockley on the Up Sussex lines. They've only been installed on the Up and not the Down. I'm trying to find out what they are. There's a line of about 20 of them in various places in the sections in title. They are accompanied by solar panels and what looks to be transceivers. They look like miniature ceramic pots attached to a pole. I'm thinking some kind of environmental/air quality sensor? Does anyone have any idea what they could be?

We had a thread about this a while back, I found some links to manufacturer’s detail. I think there are now a few different types in use around the country:

solar panels on sticks - between Applerley Junction and Guiseley

I got the train from Ilkley into Leeds and return yesterday Coming back I sat on the left facing the front We came off the skipton line onto the branch to Ilkley Just after the junction, on the left, there were some solar panels on what looked like temporary stands, and some yellow sticks on...

www.railforums.co.uk

Then in the discussion I had noticed the example photos on the website have captions and some were taken on the GW near Corsham.

 

[chuff chuff]

View attachment 166872

Do they look like these? If so they’re to monitor the bank for movement.

Don't know how they work but it must be pretty clever as a lot of them on routes I work you can't even see them due to the undergrowth.

 

[swt_passenger]

Don't know how they work but it must be pretty clever as a lot of them on routes I work you can't even see them due to the undergrowth.

I think it’s basically a local wi-fi network, and there’ll be a local monitoring station that sends the data offsite.

There’s another way of doing local movement monitoring in construction areas, using an automatic theodolite known as a total station, they need line of sight to, and use small reflective targets.

 

[Hellzapoppin]

I believe trials are being undertaken using optical fiber cables to monitor earth movements, they may even be in use now. Optical fibres are great at reacting to acoustic changes. There's a common piece of test equipment which is used for identifying fibre cables, attach a lead to a fibre at one end then tap the cable along its length, the test equipment will see that "tap". Clever stuff.

 

[chuff chuff]

I think it’s basically a local wi-fi network, and there’ll be a local monitoring station that sends the data offsite.

There’s another way of doing local movement monitoring in construction areas, using an automatic theodolite known as a total station, they need line of sight to, and use small reflective targets.

At the sites I've seen there are what looks like little cameras pointed at them I thought it was perhaps laser hence why i thought being buried in the undergrowth wouldn't be conducive to accurate monitoring. They did cut back a few sites a few weeks ago.

 

[alf]

There are a series of them on the up platform at Robertsbridge on the Hastings line.
They are embedded in quite a steep embankment & within three foot of passengers.

I guessed they are sensors to detect if the pole they are mounted on moves out of the vertical due to the embankment shifting, or if the pole moves in relation to the other 7 poles on the site.

The solar panel presumably powers a transmitter that sends out a warning. Not sure to where.
Good idea, but not sure how costly they are, or if they are thief/vandal proof on an unstaffed platform in East Sussex.
But Robertsbridge ( where Malcolm Muggeridge & Heather, Paul Mcartney’s ex wife lived/live) is very civilised.