Sir - In the article ’Winning the RCF battle on the production line’ (RG 7.04 p411), the caption to the photograph of the rail on p411 includes a technical error in that rail grades 400 and 900 are the wrong way round.
It should read ’grade 400 (right) and grade 900 (left)’. Unfortunately, this error makes it look as though grade 400 leads to rolling contact fatigue at a faster rate than standard rail grades. This is not the case, as high-profile trials of Corus Grade 400MHH in France and the Netherlands have proven the ability of the harder heat-treated grade to resist rolling contact fatigue initiation.
This in turn provides significant benefits to infrastructure owners and maintainers in terms of increased rail life and reduced maintenance and renewal costs.
Daniel Boulanger
Technical Manager, Corus Rail Products
Hayange, France
