COURSE IV Rail transport Read the following text which refers to rail transport and as you read it try

to fill in the following missing words. Pay attention to the component parts of rails. gauge carriages sleepers foundation friction buckling track pulls unpowered wheeled Rail transport is the transport of passengers and goods by means of (1) .. vehicles especially designed to run along railways (sometimes known as railroads). A typical railway/railroad (2) .. consists of two parallel steel (or in older networks, iron) rails, generally anchored perpendicular to beams, termed (3) .. or ties, of timber, concrete, or steel to maintain a consistent distance apart, or (4) .. . The rails and perpendicular beams are usually then placed on a (5) .. made of concrete or compressed earth and gravel in a bed of ballast to prevent the track from (6) .. (bending out of its original configuration) as the ground settles over time beneath and under the weight of the vehicles passing above. The vehicles travelling on the rails are arranged in a train; a series of individual

powered or (7) .. vehicles linked together, displaying markers. These vehicles (referred to, in general, as cars, (8) .. .. (10) .. or wagons) move with much less (9) than do vehicles riding on rubber tires on a paved road, and the locomotive that the train tends to use energy far more efficiently as a result.

After reading the text, identify the component parts of the railway the base of the railway .. two parallel steel bars .. the transversal wood or cement strengtheners .. Read the following text which refers to rail transport and as you read it try to fill in the following missing words. Pay attention to the efficiency of the rail transport in comparison to the road transport. amount frontal wear per axle freight smooth distribute double-track bogies wagon

Rail transport is an energy-efficient and capital-intensive means of mechanized land transport. Rails provide very (1) .. and hard surfaces on which the wheels of the train may roll

with a minimum of friction. As an example, a typical (2) .. can hold up to 125 tons of (3) .. on two four-wheel (4) .. /trucks. Fully loaded, the contact between each wheel and the rail is the area of about one U.S. ten-cent piece. This can save energy compared with other forms of transportation, such as road transport which depends on rubber tires on pavement. Trains also have a small (5) .. area in relation to the load they are carrying, which cuts down on air resistance and thus energy usage. In all, under the right circumstances, a train needs 50-70% less energy to transport a given tonnage of freight (or given number of passengers), than does road transport. Furthermore, the rails and sleepers/ties (6) .. the weight of the train evenly, allowing significantly greater loads (7) .. / wheel than in road transport, leading to less (8) .. and tear on the permanent way.Rail transport makes highly efficient use of space: a (9) .. rail line can carry more passengers or freight in a given (10) .. of time than a four-lane road. Match the words on the left to their definitions on the right. All the words belong to the domain of railways. Gauge Rail a wheeled vehicle, a railway passenger coach the parallel rails of a railroad

Sleeper Carriage Bogie Wear and tear Freight Lane Axle Track

goods to be shipped a piece of timber, stone, or steel on or near the ground to support a superstructure, keep railroad rails in place, or receive floor joists a bar of rolled steel forming a track for wheeled vehicles a relatively narrow way or track a pin or shaft on or with which a wheel or pair of wheels revolves the distance between the rails of a railroad the loss, injury, or stress to which something is subjected by the driving-wheel assembly consisting of the rear four wheels of a 6wheel automotive truck

Topics for discussion Whats your opinion on the efficiency of the railway transport in comparison to the road transport? What is the Romanian situation? What do you think of it? What were the causes that influenced road transport to be more prominent than rail transport? Whats your opinion on the current state of the Romanian railroads? Carriages? Have you considering working in this field?

Answer the following questions What is the roadbed? How is the roadbed formed? What materials are used in the building of roadbeds? Read the following text and see whether your assumptions referring to roadbeds were right. Discuss any new piece of information in the text Railways are always built to stand above surrounding terrain to prevent track flooding, erosion of the bed and decay of the sleepers/ties. In hilly and mountainous terrain, to avoid large slopes, the railway is at some places elevated, on an embankment, or bridge or viaduct, and at some places in a cutting (ditch or trench) or tunnel. The same are also used for non-level crossings. In the case of many crossings, such as in a city, a longer stretch may be elevated or underground. Any poor quality soil such as peat or mud is excavated to firm soil and the excavation filled in with appropriate material, usually stone rubble from cuts or alluvial gravels. Minor watercourses are led through pipes (culverts) before the grade is raised

A bed of stone chips ("ballast") is laid over firm soil in order to ensure drainage around the ties and to distribute local pressure over a wider area. Unlike rounded river rock and gravel, crushed stone will interlock to form a stable base. This crushed stone is firmly tamped to prevent further settling and to lock the stones. Study questions What are the technical solutions for plain areas? What about the mountains? What is the role of ballast? What do you think that the word trackage might mean? What about ties, plates or spikes? Read the following text which is the answer to the previous questions? Read carefully and try to understand what trackage is about. 1. Trackage, consisting of sleepers/ties and rails, may be prefabricated or assembled in place. Rails may be composed of segments welded or bolted, and may be of a length comparable to that of a railcar or two or may be many hundreds of feet long.

2. The base of the trackage consists of treated wood or concrete "ties", also known as "sleepers". These ensure the proper distance between the rails (known as "gauge") and anchor the rail structure to the roadbed. 3. Plates that receive the rails are fitted atop the ties. 4. After placement of the rail atop the plate, spikes are driven through holes into the plate, entering the tie, where they are held by friction. The top of the spike has a head that clamps the rail. Alternatively, through bolts may be used to retain clamps, preferred since these do not tend to loosen with age. Answer the following questions: Is maintainance necessary with railways? What are the components that need it most? What would be the measures that they may take? Spikes in wooden ties can loosen over time. Split and rotten ties may be individually replaced. Should the rails settle owing to soil subsidence they may be lifted by specialized machinery and additional ballast tamped down to form a new elevation. Periodically, ballast must be removed and replaced with clean ballast to ensure drainage if wooden ties are used. Culverts and other

passages for water must be kept clear lest an impoundment be created by the roadbed. Where roadbeds are placed along rivers, additional protection is usually placed to prevent erosion during times of high water. Bridges are another important item requiring inspection and maintenance. Did you know that In the United Kingdom and most other Commonwealth of Nations countries, the term railway is used in preference to the United States term, railroad. In Canadian speech, railway and railroad are interchangeable, although in law railway is the usual term. Railroad was used in the United Kingdom concurrently with railway until the 1850s when railway became the established term. Several American companies have railway in their names instead of railroad, the BNSF Railway being the pre-eminent modern example. In the United Kingdom, the term railway often refers to the whole organization of tracks, trains, stations, signalling, timetables and the operating companies that collectively make up a coordinated railway system, while permanent way or p/way refers to the tracks alone; however this terminology is generally not commonplace outside of the railway industry or those who take a keen interest in it. Complete the sentences using a word from the box below.

Loosen

tape facilities

stored

round

workbench

check

stock

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Im afraid we dont have that item in .............................................. That makes a total of 59 897 tonnes. Say, 60 000 tonnes if Please dont take anything from the stores room today. Im trying to do a This is too tight, could you .............................................. it a bit? Where are the chemicals .............................................. ? The new workshop will have better .............................................. . Dont leave the tools lying on the .............................................. ! Put them away. Have you seen my .............................................. measure? I think Ive lost it.

we .............................................. it up to the nearest thousand. stock ..............................................

Match the two parts of the sentences: 1. Have you tried a. Out of stock

2. Ill order 3. Its small, round and 4. We carry out 5. Can you widen it 6. Im afraid theyre 7. I can install it 8. How deep is the

b. By about 30 cm? c. New tank? d. Using a pair of pliers? e. Another one for you f. Made of plastic g. Most repairs ourselves h. As soon as it arrives

Complete the sentences using the words from the box below. Services peak Reputation conditions comprehensiveapproved 1. If we dont .............................................. this order on time, we will lose the contract. 2. Were thinking of changing our raw material .............................................. 3. Its a very .............................................. warranty. It covers everything. 4. I work in the Lab. I dont usually .............................................. with our customers directly. charge suppliers deliver tolerance bust deal

5. We supply a wide range of goods and .............................................. . 6. We operate to very tight .............................................. levels. 7. Its important to have a good .............................................. in business. 8. Is the company on our .............................................. list? 9. Were very busy at the moment. Its one of our .............................................. times. 10. 11. 12. Ive just heard that our main supplier has gone .............................................. . Are you sure youve read the terms and .............................................. carefully? We guarantee to replace it free of .............................................. .

Choose the correct time preposition: 1. The guarantee is valid until / for / by three years 2. The warranty runs out within / in / until September. 3. Its due for renewal at / on / in the beginning of the month. 4. The guarantee runs for / until / in next June. 5. We must have that part on / by / in next Friday. 6. If the machine breaks down on / during / for the guarantee period, we offer an immediate replacement.

7. We guarantee delivery for / by / within three working days. 8. We usually take on extra fitters on / within / at peak time. 9. We cant deliver the part until / on / during next Monday. 10. If the job is urgent, we will get to you for / during / within a couple of hours.

Match the two parts of the expression Wear Parts Goods Terms Repair tear maintenance labour services conditions