Rail Cargo Group Completes Digital DAC Testing in Sub-Zero Conditions

The Rail Cargo Group has announced the completion of a trial of its new Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) system, which saw the company run a battery of tests within the Alps. The DAC system was put to the test over the course of a four week period, which saw the ÖBB team (consisting of a test coordinator, a test observer, an operational test manager, a shunting supervisor, a train driver and a wagon technician) carry out both coupling and shunting tests under the most realistic conditions possible. Deep winter temperatures of up to minus 15 degrees during the winter tests of the ÖBB DAC demonstration train © Rail Cargo Group All tests focused on the system’s performance whilst tackling both ice and snow, which can present a number of issues for coupling systems such as the thinning of lubricants, impairment of actuators, stiffening of mechanical components and electrical contact interference with the presence of snow. For three weeks, the DAC test team conducted coupling tests at Schwarzach-St. Veit station, which was chosen due to its location within shade throughout December and January. Working in temperatures of minus 15 degrees celsius and snowfall of 20cm; the team repeatedly tested the mechanical coupling process, paying particular attention to how the electric drives reacted when uncoupling. The snow-covered DAC from manufacturer Knorr-Bremse © Rail Cargo Group Elsewhere, focus was placed on the couplings’ air connections, which are essential for brake performance, and, following the test period in Schwarzach-St. Veit, the DAC demo train underwent another endurance test in February. There, the train was left parked for ten days in order to become as snow-covered as possible.