1. Mechanising vegetation operations
Jonathan Callis & Dr Neil Strong
UAG Conference

2. Presentation outline • Safety and regulation
• Mechanisation of operations
- Inspection
- Clearance
- Processing
- Maintenance
• Questions 2

3. Safety 3

4. Regulator funding, required efficiencies
CP5 4

5. Benchmarking, watching, learning
• We have been busy!
• Other railways
• Other linear asset owners
• Other allied land based industries 5

6. What we are trying to achieve 6

7. Strategy Summary - Intensive Zone
Baled / Compacted
Biomass
Mechanical
Whole Tree
Clearance
Processing
Manual
Timber
Stump Treatment
Motor Manual
Manual Feed
Clearance
Processing
Chipped Biomass
Asset Database 7

8. Strategy Summary - Extensive Zone
Baled / Compacted
Biomass
Mechanical
Whole Tree
Clearance
Processing
Manual
Timber
Stump Treatment
Motor Manual
Manual Feed
Clearance
Processing
Chipped
Biomass
Mechanised Remote Control
Herbicide Application Heavy Maintenance
LiDAR
Inspection Data
Manual Driven Machinery
Herbicide Application Heavy Maintenance
Visual
Asset Database
Inspection Data
Video Inspection Data 8

9. Inspections - Aerial 9

10. Inspections - LiDAR Asset Surveying
Diagram depicts classification of ‘woody vegetation’
encroaching within an infinite vertical space 5m from the outer ‘running rail’ 5m
Classified points of
encroachment
Outer running rail
Ground returns 10

11. LiDAR outputs 11

12. Mechanising / Modularising Tree Work12

13. Tree Clearance - Road Rail Mounted C16a
• Forest industry moved to
mechanisation over two decades ago
• Worldwide search comparing felling / harvesting shear, bar, and disc heads
• Bracke C16a feller buncher selected as optimum combination of safety, speed, cost, weight and noise
• Clearance of trees and bushes from the outer running rail to a horizontal distance of 6.0 metres. That is a big enough task alone!
• This activity is key to NR safety / performance KPIs and
NR/L2/TRK/5201 compliance 13

14. Standard C16a Risk Zone 70m Exclusion Zone Boundary Boundary Fence14

15. Revised C16a Risk Zone: With safety kit15

16. Tree Clearance - Traditional Harvester16

17. What about…. Walking Excavators?17

18. Tree Processing - Hand Fed Chippers18

19. Tree Processing - Mechanical Feed19

20. Tree Extraction - Traditional Systems20

21. Tree Extraction - Rail Systems21

22. What about… Extracting Biomass as Chip?22

23. What about… Seasoned Biomass Bales?23

24. What about… A Tree Clearance Train?
Direction
Tree cutter
Processor
Auxiliary
Auxiliary
of travel
hydraulic arm
exit conveyor
conveyor
conveyor
Station 1
Station 2
Station 3
Station 4
Station 4a
Station 4b
Locomotive
Tree Cutter
Processor
Collection
Collection
Collection
Running rail
Maximum
to 5m
reach 24

25. Heavy Mechanical Maintenance25

26. Road Rail Vehicle with Mulching Head26

27. Issues with Arm Mounted Mulching Heads27

28. Machine Mounted Mulching Heads
Kyoeisha HMB1560
GreenMech Multi-Task 120
Posi-Track PT-100
LUF BushFighter 28

29. LUF BushFighter • 100hp diesel engine • Remote control • 2.8 tonnes
• Multi tool carrier
• D Bahn operate a fleet of 14 units
• 4th generation model 29

30. BushFighter Performance
• Woody stems to ~ 10cm ↔ / 3m ↕
• Stump removal to ~ 60cm ↔
• Approved to operate to 45°
- all planes / directions
• Oil pan tested to 60° 30

31. BushFighter Operational Controls31

32. ‘Light’ Mechanical Maintenance32

33. Mechanical Maintenance - ‘Light’ RC
• Light scrub and non-woody vegetation
- Niko Robo Flail
- Irus Deltrak
- EnerGreen RoboGreen 33

34. Initial Trial: RoboGreen - Wessex Route34

35. Chemical Maintenance - Trains / RRVs3

36. What about… Infrared Spray Control?36

37. Chemical Maintenance - Slopes & Walls37

38. Chemical Maintenance - Slopes & Walls38

39. BUT… Mechanisation has it limits!
• NR are trialling a number of ideas
• But…
- no one tool or piece of kit suits every job
- manual teams are very versatile
- nothing has to date ‘replaced’ chainsaws
• Selection of what to use is site and task specific
• Some ideas may not become NR approved
• Mechanisation fits into a wider strategy 39

40. Thank you for your kind attention! 40