UK: Ricardo has completed the roll out of its PanMon pantograph condition monitoring system on selected electrified routes in Scotland, including the East and West Coast main lines, the North Clyde line and between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Gantry-mounted high-definition cameras capture 3 000 frames per second, while lasers scan the full width of the pantograph to measure symmetry, pitch, yaw and the condition of the carbon contact strip.
Every pantograph on the routes is scanned at least one a day. Scans are digitally stored in the cloud by PantoInspect, the Danish company that developed the technology, and analysed for chips and defects, damage to the end-horns and contact strip wear.
Analysis is relayed to Network Rail maintenance teams via customised dashboards that highlight negative trends and raise alarms when specified thresholds are breached.
