What do you call theses fastenings?

[Ken H]

Any other info about them

Pic taken at Kirkham and Wesham today

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Any other info about them

Pic taken at Kirkham and Wesham todayView attachment 133225

Fastclip

 

[Western 52]

Rail clips? They used them in my area for recent relaying work. There's a great little machine which can be wheeled along the railhead to push them in from both sides at once.

 

[snowball]

Pandrol Fastclips, I think.

Pandrol are a long-standing famous maker of track clips and I think Fastclips are their current standard product.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Rail clips? They used them in my area for recent relaying work. There's a great little machine which can be wheeled along the railhead to push them in from both sides at once.

www.pandrol.com/product/fastclip/

Pandrol Fastclip is an established, highly-regarded resilient, threadless rail fastening. Over the years, the Fastclip family has grown to include the FC, FD, FE Fastclip products, each of which has been designed to meet the technical and commercial demands of a specific area.

 

[Ken H]

So are they better than the Pandrol clip. This one?
Nicked from Wiki.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

So are they better than the Pandrol clip. This one?
Nicked from Wiki.

View attachment 133241

Fastclips lend themselves to much easier automation as the clips are pre installed when sleepers are manufactured

 

[furnessvale]

Fastclips lend themselves to much easier automation as the clips are pre installed when sleepers are manufactured

Long time since I was involved with perway, but a pre installed fastclip looks to be clear of the railseat, allowing rails to be dropped in without a problem. Other designs, like Pandrol, are driven into position parallel to the rail and will always be foul if pre installed.

 

[zwk500]

Long time since I was involved with perway, but a pre installed fastclip looks to be clear of the railseat, allowing rails to be dropped in without a problem. Other designs, like Pandrol, are driven into position parallel to the rail and will always be foul if pre installed.

You can see a picture of them pre-rail here: https://railgallery.wongm.com/track-rail-sleepers/D938_3878.jpg.html

 

[snowball]

Somewhere on this site, probably on the E-W Rail thread, I've seen a video of a machine going along clipping the Fastclips.

 

[swt_passenger]

Somewhere on this site, probably on the E-W Rail thread, I've seen a video of a machine going along clipping the Fastclips.

This is the best one from the EWR thread I think, there’s a quick shot of the clips being fastened at about the 57 second mark. There’s basically a group of four, ie two pairs, of large flat plates which push on the clips either side of the rail together:

The link is to a video of the Balfour Beatty new track construction machine in operation.

I”ve also seen an independent machine that is pushed along the rail separately, presumably they use that for more conventional track laying when the rail is placed into the sleepers by a road rail machine.

 

[Boodiggy]

So are they better than the Pandrol clip. This one?
Nicked from Wiki.

View attachment 133241

Yes - Fastclips have a much higher toe load.
The e-clip in your picture has been superseded by the RE series clips that have a higher toe load but the insulation on both the pads and clip is different.

 

[isaashthomas]

Yes - Fastclips have a much higher toe load.
The e-clip in your picture has been superseded by the RE series clips that have a higher toe load but the insulation on both the pads and clip is different.

I'm new to this, but what exactly is the difference?

 

[Boodiggy]

I'm new to this, but what exactly is the difference?

Different sleepers will have different fastenings set ups usually made up of pads, nylons / Insulators and fastenings /clips. All together they seat the rail correctly, maintain gauge (on concrete sleepers) and apply to toe load - hold the rail in place so it resists movement due to stresses from traffic and weather. Bit more to it but that is a very basic explanation.

 

[oxfordrelayer]

 

[Ken H]

Is there any advantages or either type in theft resistance. I know the original 'bent wire' pandrol clip was easily stolen by someone with a sledge hammer.

 

[Annetts key]

Is there any advantages or either type in theft resistance. I know the original 'bent wire' pandrol clip was easily stolen by someone with a sledge hammer.

Yes. Although some types can be removed by using a sledge hammer, other types need specific tools. Fastclip type are not the only type that are very hard to remove without the correct tool.

 

[Boodiggy]

Yes. Although some types can be removed by using a sledge hammer, other types need specific tools. Fastclip type are not the only type that are very hard to remove without the correct tool.

Fastclips are easier to get out than put in with the right tool.
welders manage with a wedge and small hammer..

 

[Annetts key]

Fastclips are easier to get out than put in with the right tool.
welders manage with a wedge and small hammer..

Yes, and also with similar tools, it’s possible to get a SHC clip out. The point being that it takes longer and is harder than using the specific tool.

 

[Boodiggy]

Yes, and also with similar tools, it’s possible to get a SHC clip out. The point being that it takes longer and is harder than using the specific tool.

I have been on many stressing jobs where we using hammers and nothing else. Not ideal but we cracked on. For fastclips the benefit is you can extract the clip far enough to free the rail without fully removing the clip.
Also to note, the fully automated machine above is common place on renewals but the maintenance staff have the manual version - like a panpuller, but for fastclips.