SB Rail has introduced many innovative firsts for on-track machinery in the UK over the past 99 issues of the magazine. This includes being the first to introduce the Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S tamper, the first mobile flash-butt welder "Sparky", and pioneering the use of the Plasser & Theurer 09-3X Dynamic tamper. More recently, SB Rail brought the first Plasser & Theurer 09-32/4S and 09-4x4/4S Dynamic tampers to the UK, and pioneered the technique of "Sprinter" tamping on High Speed 1. The document celebrates SB Rail's history of

1. SB Rail and Rail Infrastructure have each
developed significantly over the last 99
issues of this magazine, which perhaps
explains the relationship between the editorial
team and one of the most innovative on-track
plant suppliers in the UK today.
One has found its way on to the desks (and
into the hearts) of railway engineering
professionals up and down the country, and the
other has been at the forefront of introducing
the very latest on-track technologies to the UK
railway. This magazine has expertly chronicled
SB Rail’s new introductions and innovations
over the years and we would like to take the
opportunity of summarising these
achievements in this special 100th issue.
Pioneering new machines
SB Rail traces its lineage back through the
First Swietelsky Joint Venture partnership
formed in 2004. First Engineering introduced
the first new generation of on-track machines
built to the GM/RT 2400 requirements
ordering three Unimat designs from Plasser &
Theurer, beginning with the Unimat 08-
4x4/4S-RT in August 1997. Not only was this
the first Unimat in the UK, it was also the first
post-privatisation purchase of an on-track
machine demonstrating early leadership in the
market. This machine design rendered all
other S&C tampers in the UK and a large
portion of the plain line fleet obsolete.
The new machine was capable of tamping
both S&C and plain line track, equipped with
four tamping units each carrying four
individually tilting tines. The tamping units could
each be lifted and lowered independently and
traverse 930mm laterally allowing the straight
and turnout sections to be tamped in a single
pass with a synchronous three-rail lifting unit
providing additional lift.
The 08 tampers were soon followed by
the introduction of the first purpose-built for
the UK mobile flash-butt welder in August
1998. The APT 500L, otherwise known as
‘Sparky’, incorporated a number of design
features unique in the UK at the time,
including the transfer gearbox allowing the
welding head’s generator to be driven from the
truck engine and improved track access and
operational capabilities without the need for
overhead line isolation. Previously, the
process of flash-butt welding had been
confined to factory conditions and the use of
an aging fleet of long-welded rail trains. During
the rolling contact fatigue elimination
programme in the late 1990s, Sparky provided
a remote CWR production depot in the centre
of Glasgow to provide almost all of the CWR
required by the Scottish rail network.
Companies join forces
Now working in co-operation, First Engineering
and Swietelsky carried out the first tandem
tamping of S&C in the UK on ‘through
alignment’ works to a ladder of eight
crossovers at Bourne End on the West Coast
Main Line during Christmas working in
2004. Two 08-4x4/4S machines were linked
in a master/slave arrangement and controlled
by a single geometry design source using
Leica on-track telematics.
Following the formation of the First
Swietelsky Joint Venture, a further wave of
innovative new equipment was soon on its way.
The first Plasser & Theurer AFM 2000 RT was
delivered in March 2006 and offered a complete
track-finishing system combining ballast
regulation and stabilising work processes in a
single system. At that time, Rail Infrastructure
described the AFM as a ‘stretched limo’
version of the USP 5000 RT with the
A centenary of firsts
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE 43
First Engineering’s Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT Unimat tamper is
pictured during acceptance testing at Derby. This was the first
post-privatisation on-track machine to be delivered.
First Engineering was an early purchaser
of the Plasser & Theurer Compact
type of tampers.
The First Engineering mobile flash-butt welder
‘Sparky’ is pictured in production mode.
On-Track Plant
SB Rail’s Gordon Suthorn discusses a reputation that has been built on innovation and ‘firsts’.

2. addition of a Dynamic Track Stabiliser
(DTS). The enhanced regulation capability
was enabled by a larger 18 tonne hopper
capacity coupled with an advanced ballast
profile measurement system used to precisely
determine locations of heavy or deficient
ballast. The AFMs support the UK tamping fleet
comprising mainly of tampers without DTS units,
however when an AFM is combined with an 09-
3X or 09-4S it creates a world class track
maintenance system. AFM remains the highest
performance track-finishing system available
anywhere in the world.
The award of a five-year track renewals
contract prompted the development of and
investment in more reliable plant to modernise
the operation of removing and relaying track.
First Swietelsky’s purchase of three Kirow KRC
250UK rail cranes, the first arriving in the
summer of 2006, represented a step-change in
capability. Improvements to the KRC 250
design for introduction in the UK included
60mph running in train formation, 15 tonnes
lifting capacity at 16 metres radius and
outriggers for heavier loads. SB Rail has since
developed a series of unique attachments and
enhancements making its fleet of KRC 250UKs
the most capable in the market and first choice
for S&C relaying and, in particular, modular
S&C. SB Rail’s KRC 500S and SG system
comprises two KRC 250UK cranes deployed in
a single formation with an integrated wagon
and tandem tensioning system. This negates
the need for down-rating and is capable of
installing all modular track designs and panels
up to and including ‘SG’ switches. Further
enhancements enabled by a unique robotic arm
include a 28 sleeper fully automatic relaying
beam and high output piling system.
High output
The First Swietelsky Joint Venture (JV)
partnership (now SB Rail) won the highly
coveted inaugural contract to commission,
operate and maintain Network Rail’s high output
track renewals fleet beginning in 2004. The JV
began the introduction of the first RM 900 RT
ballast cleaner and support MFS wagons in
August 2004, followed by the first P 95 UK track
renewal train in April 2005 and a second RM
900 RT and support MFS wagons in June of the
same year, bringing all these systems up to full
operational service on behalf of Network Rail.
The main systems were supported by a fleet of
09-3X-D-RT Dynamic tampers and USP 5000 RT
regulators. The introduction of the RM 900 RT
and P 95 UK heralded a step-change in plain
line track renewals capability in the UK, allowing
the team involved to deliver up to 300%
output improvements over conventional
systems and methodologies.
Whilst SB Rail was not the first to
introduce the 09-3X, it was the first to bring in
the Dynamic version. Swietelsky did later
acquire the only other 09-3X-RT machines in
the UK and brought these up to their intended
level of performance in Network Rail’s
National Plant Contract. The three-sleeper
tamping banks and continuous action of the
09-3X enables performance increases of up
to 40% over conventional machines and
increases tamping quality. Further features
include split design banks to allow single
sleeper tamping in the case of irregular
spacing, something the company certainly
made use of during the first high output
ballast cleaning campaign on the Midland
main line! The introduction of the Dynamic
version efficiently incorporated the tamping
and stabilisation work processes in a single
piece of equipment for the first time and has
been put to extensive use ever since.
Establishing the project infrastructure and
safe working methodologies for the deployment
of this fleet of new equipment was a
considerable challenge. It included creating
several high output operations bases,
establishing and continually improving the
logistics and maintenance regimes,
implementing Adjacent Line Open (ALO) working,
introducing Curve Alignment Laser (CAL) and
‘Tandem Drive’, raising hand-back speeds from
50mph to 80mph and driving the improvement
of track quality to the first ever 100% score
consistently achieved in the UK.
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE 43
One of SB Rail’s two Plasser & Theurer AFM
2000 RT track-finishing machines.
Two Plasser & Theurer 09-3X-RT machines are
within SB Rail’s resources.
The SB Rail fleet includes three Kirow KRC250UK
cranes, one of which is pictured here
undertaking piling operations.
On-Track Plant

3. Over the course of the first high
output contract, the team created and
refined best practices and a blueprint enabling
the future expansion of the project whilst
delivering circa 300 miles of track renewals
activity with associated tamping, stabilising and
ballast finishing works on the Great Western,
East Coast and Midland main lines.
High Speed 1
Now to the Plasser & Theurer 09-32/4S
Dynamic, the most advanced high
performance tamping system available. This
Swietelsky machine is based in mainland
Europe, but since 2010 has been used by SB
Rail and Network Rail (HS1) working in
partnership to plan and deliver the tamping
and regulation campaigns on High Speed 1
infrastructure. The advantages of using the
09-32/4S Dynamic over conventional UK
machines include:
n Continuous action tamping for both plain
line and turnouts.
n Integrated track stabilising unit.
n Three rail lifting and four rail tamping.
n High output capacity - plain line rating
1,400m/h.
n Reduced track occupation of high speed
turnouts (1/46 turnouts on HS1).
n Sleeper end consolidator (increases
resistance to lateral displacement circa 4%).
In another first, this system has been
used on HS1 to maintenance tamp and DTS
S&C in one continuous cycle with significant
sustainability benefits.
It is not all about bigger and faster in
tamping though. In conjunction with HS1, SB
Rail introduced new technology for shortwave
tamping to complement its high output
campaign work and the concept of ‘Sprinter’
tamping was born in the UK. For anyone who
has not heard of Sprinter tamping yet, it is a
mechanised means of repairing shortwave
defects including faults within horizontal
transitions. The software targets only small
areas in need of geometrical repair, but since
this will be the subject of a detailed article in a
future issue of Rail Infrastructure we will leave
‘whistles wetted’ for now! Currently, SB Rail
has two UNIMAT 08-4x4 machines fitted to
work either in conventional or ‘Sprinter’ modes.
Recent developments
So here we are in 2014, 17 years after the first
08 UNIMAT and history is repeating itself with
SB Rail’s most recent fleet addition, the 09-
4x4/4S Dynamic. This is the ‘brother’ of the 09-
32/4S and another first in the UK. The 09-4x4
is equipped with the latest Plasser & Theurer
Intelligent Control System (P-IC 2.0), ‘intelligent’
DTS, DRP, CAL and RLD (Resistance to Lateral
Displacement) technologies. The tamping banks
are operated in manual, semi-automatic or fully-
automatic modes, depending on-site conditions
and the synchronous three-rail lifting unit
provides additional lift to S&C. The WIN ALC
computer provides complete guidance to the
machine’s levelling and lining systems whilst
the multi-channel DRP captures a series of track
quality measurements.
Designed and built for working in the field
for extended periods, the 09-4x4/4S tamps
S&C up to 40% faster and plain line up to 30%
faster in comparison with older machines. The
integrated intelligent DTS unit achieves rapid
and measured consolidation of the track,
restoring resistance to lateral displacement
and making higher speed hand-backs over
S&C a reality.
Conclusion
The last 99 issues of Rail Infrastructure have
intelligently informed the industry on a great
many new or improved items of plant and
equipment being put to use on Britain’s
railways. SB Rail is proud to have taken a
leading role developing and introducing the
very latest on-track technologies in the UK.
We look forward to pushing back
boundaries further and bringing in many more
‘firsts’ in the pursuit of ever more efficient
railway engineering methodologies in the
future. Our heartfelt thanks to Roger and Alex
and here’s to the next 100 issues!
Additional contributors: Craig Goldie
and Matt Whiting, Swietelsky.
44 RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE
On-Track Plant
SB Rail’s state-of-the-art Plasser & Theurer
09-4x4/4S Dynamic tamper.
Above: Plasser & Theurer 09-32/4S Dynamic tamper as first used on High Speed 1.
Below: Also first introduced on High Speed 1 by SB Rail has been Sprinter tamping.