13

Talgo automatic gauge change system for freight

wagons

J L Lopez Gomez¤ and J Lacasta Aṍsa

Patentes Talgo SA, Madrid, Spain

Abstract: Between 1970 and 1995, road freight transport in Europe increased by 150 per cent. Existing
road infrastructures are saturated, and the environmental impact is enormous. The best solution is to
promote international rail freight transport, but the efforts of the European Union to solve the bureaucratic
problems at borders are not sufficient. The efficiency of the railways has to be increased, and therefore
interoperability problems between the different networks have to be solved. Talgo has designed an
automatic gauge change system that allows the transit of freight wagons on networks with different gauges
without interruption of the journey or transfer of the freight. The first advance, demonstrating the
importance of railways as an efficient means of transportation for freight, is already available. This article
includes a technical description of the automatic gauge change system as well as the test carried out for its
approval process.

Keywords: automatic gauge change, freight transport, dynamic test

1 INTRODUCTION ecological cost of European transport is £172 billion: 60.3

One of the challenges railways have to face is the improve-
ment of service in the freight sector. Between 1970 and
1995, rail freight transport in Europe fell by almost a
quarter, from 283 000 to 220 000 million t=km, at a time
when the freight transport market grew by 70 per cent.
During that time, the market share of railways halved, from
32 to 15 per cent [1].
The main beneficiary of this loss of market share was
road transport which, in the same period, increased by 150
per cent. This has led to saturation of existing road
infrastructures, the expansion of which, far from resolving
the problem of increasing growing traffic, has acted like a
suction pump, leading the new infrastructure to saturation
while other means of transport have been neglected.
This uncontrollable expansion of freight transport has
caused problems that raise an alarm in environmental,
social and political terms [2–4]. Enormous damage to land
and the environment is caused by both the direct impact of
transport infrastructures and exhaust fumes as well as the
noise from vehicles. According to the German study
‘Externe Folgen des Transports’, carried out by the
company INFRAS and the Institute IWW of the University
of Karlsruhe in 1991, which includes data on accidents,
noise, air pollution and the effect on climate change, the
The MS was received on 13 July 1999 and was accepted after revision for
publication on 28 October 1999.
¤ Corresponding author: Patentes Talgo SA, Technology Area, Montalban
14, E-28014 Madrid, Spain.
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per cent of this is due to cars, 20.7 per cent to lorries, 6.0
per cent to planes, 1.7 per cent to railways and 0.2 per cent
to shipping. It therefore seems that, among the mass means
of transport, the railway is the one with the smallest
environmental impact.
The first steps to solve the problems created by transport
have already been taken [2]; Switzerland, for example, has
limited the load capacity of four-axled lorries to 34 t and
prohibited their transit on public holidays and between
10 p.m. and 5 a.m. In addition, it has established taxes for
air and noise pollution and has reached an agreement with
the European Union to develop its railway infrastructures
in order to transfer the freight transported by lorries to the
railway. Austria has undertaken to reduce emissions of
nitrogen oxide due to traffic by 60 per cent; to this effect,
lorries travelling through the country are penalized.
The European Union is also attempting to reduce both
road saturation and ecological damage caused by cars and
lorries by encouraging the use of the railway for freight and
passenger transport. For this purpose, it has established
several directives trying to achieve more efficient, compe-
titive use of the railway infrastructure and develop an
effective system of prices that are based on real costs. This
will make it possible to obtain conditions for rail transport
operation closer to its main competitor: roads.
As a result of these directives, several international
freightways have already appeared, facilitating access to
the infrastructure by providing a ‘one-stop shop’ for each
one of the freightways [6]. These one-stop shops behave as
infrastructure administrators, allocating its capacity and
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14 J L LOPEZ GOMEZ AND J LACASTA AÍSA
time bands and providing a single price for an entire route
without the need for agreement from the countries through
which the route passes. The intention is to improve the
quality of rail service by eliminating the technical and
organizational problems, which at present hamper interna-
tional freight traffic. The Union Internationale des Sociétés
de Transport Combiné Rail Route (UIRR) has estimated
the time reduction that could be achieved by getting rid of
bureaucratic barriers at borders as 15–80 per cent, which
would mean an increase of up to 20 per cent in the average
speed.
Apart from bureaucratic problems at borders, there are
also technical problems that hamper the growth of interna-
tional rail freight transport. At present, in Europe, different
gauges, various catenary voltages and different signalling
systems have to coexist, operating together on international
journeys. Because of these problems of interoperability, it
is necessary to change locomotives and, in some cases, the
bogies of wagons at borders which prolongs the journey
time.
To solve these problems, specific rolling stock adaptable
to the standards of different national railway networks
needs to be developed. For example, to resolve the problem
of the various catenary voltages and the different signalling
systems, SNCF has financed for the construction of electric
locomotives capable of travelling on the French, German
and Italian railway networks.
Another problem for international freight transport is to
Fig. 1 Map of Europe, showing the different track gauges
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travel through networks with different gauges (see Fig. 1).
So far, this has been dealt with either by directly
transferring the freight to different wagons with the
network gauge or by changing the axles on the wagons.
These operations increase the total length of time of
journeys, making rail transport less attractive.
In 1969, Patentes Talgo solved this problem for passen-
ger trains. Running gear equipped with an automatic gauge
changing system was implemented in the trainset travelling
between Barcelona and Zurich. At the border, in Portbou, a
gauge-changing track facility was installed. The gauge was
changed automatically as the train passed through this
facility at a speed of up to 15 km=h, enabling the train to
run on the new network. After 30 years in service, the
reliability of this system has been more than fully proved,
with more than 1.5 million wheelset gauge changes.
Currently, more than 400 wheelset gauge changes are
performed daily by trainsets in service between Madrid–
Paris, Barcelona–Paris, Barcelona–Milan and Barcelona–
Zurich, as well as other trains running within the Iberian
Peninsula.
In an attempt to solve the problem of freight wagon
traffic between countries with different gauges and thus to
contribute to improving the sector, Talgo is developing
wagons with a variable gauge. The system used for
changing the gauge is based on the same principles as the
ones used in Talgo passenger coaches, which have been in
service since 1969. The great advantage of this system is
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 TALGO AUTOMATIC GAUGE CHANGE SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT WAGONS
that the gauge change is performed automatically by
passing through a fixed facility at a speed of 5–15 km=h,
thus achieving a reduction in the time necessary for a
trainset to be able to travel on another network with a
different gauge.
A car-carrier wagon with automatically guided indepen-
dent wheels is also being developed, equipped with the
conventional Talgo system for changing gauge. This
vehicle transporter has been designed for a speed of up to
200 km=h.
2 AUTOMATIC GAUGE CHANGE SYSTEM
The Talgo automatic gauge change system for freight has
been designed in order to be applied to both two-axle
wagons and wagons with bogies, e.g. Y-21 bogies. The only
differences from a conventional wagon will be in the
wheelset arrangement, which is the same for both two-
axled wagons and wagons with bogies, and in the axle
frame, which gives rigidity to the wheelset on which the
suspension is supported (see Fig. 2).
The axle arrangement of these new Y-21 bogies consists
of two axle frames in which a wheelset with its locking
mechanisms and two sets of brakeshoe holder adjustment
systems are mounted. None of these elements requires
lubrication.
The frame is a structure made of welded steel plates
rigidly joining together the four bearing housing cradles,
and supporting the suspension springs of the bogie that rest
on it (see Fig. 3). Using this assembly, it has been possible
to keep the same longitudinal and transverse relative
positions between the wheelset and the bogie frame. The
slide skids and centring guide plates, the elements on which
the bogie rests and slides and which guide it in the gauge
change process, are mounted on the outer faces of this
frame.
Each wheelset consists of two monoblock-type wheels
clamped to a semi-axle with its ends having an exterior and
an interior bearing (see Fig. 4). A plastic laminate is
inserted between the surfaces of the bearings and the
cradles to distribute the load uniformly on the supports.
The outer cover of the interior bearing is joined to the
brakeshoe holder movement set, consisting of two arms,
where one of the joints of the connecting rod is mounted.
The other joint is inserted in the bolt from which the
brakeshoe holder hangs. During the automatic gauge
change process, this set is moved with the wheelset, forcing
the brakeshoe to move to a position corresponding to the
new gauge.
Two cardan joints are fastened to the inner end of the
semi-axles of the wheel. These joints give the wheelset
rigidity with regard to the wheels turning, but, once the
locking mechanisms have been released, they allow the
lateral movement necessary to change the gauge. Thus, it is
possible for the wheelsets to be steered exclusively by
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15
means of the wheel conicity as with a conventional
wheelset.
An extendible axle is mounted between the cardan joints,
the bracket-shaped ends of which are joined to the
crossbars. This axle is designed in such a way that no
vertical or longitudinal load is transmitted between the
wheels.
Each wheelset has two locking mechanisms mounted on
the two internal bearing beds. Every internal bearing has
two stop guides for interlocking between the wheel and the
wheelset frame, each one located in a different transversal
position to lock the wheels in the two different gauges (see
Figs 5 to 7). The locking bars of the locking mechanisms
remain compressed against the bearing stop guides with a
force much higher than the dynamic actions that tend to
unlock it (6000 daN).
3 AUTOMATIC GAUGE CHANGE PROCESS
The gauge change process is completely automatic and
takes place when the wagons pass through an approxi-
mately 12 m long track facility, located at the gauge
transition station, at a speed of not more than 15 km=h.
During the gauge change, once the wheels have been
unlocked, they move transversely with respect to each other
because of the pressure exerted by the displacement guides
while the axle boxes rest on the sliding rails.
The basic elements that make up the facility are as
follows:
(a) at one end, rails of the larger gauge track,
(b) at the other, rails of the narrow gauge track,
(c) sliding and centring guide rails,
(d) guides for locking and unlocking the locking mechan-
ism,
(e) guides for displacing the wheelsets and elastic and
rigid parts.
The gauge change facility is bidirectional, producing the
changeover from broad to standard gauge track in one
direction and the reverse changeover in the opposite
direction. The process on a wagon arriving at the facility on
the broad gauge line is carried out in the following way
(see Fig. 8).
When the wheels reach the descending area (A) at the
broad gauge end, the bogies are gradually lowered until the
sliding skids of the frame make contact with the sliding and
centring guide rails (B). From this moment, the wheelsets
have the load taken off them, remaining like this until
contact is made with the standard gauge rails at the other
end.
When the wheelset is free from load, its weight causes it
to drop slightly until the surfaces of the outer and inner
bearings rest on the lower stop parts of their cradles. In this
position, the elastic wedges of the internal bearing stop
pressing against the lifting lugs and these no longer press
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16 J L LOPEZ GOMEZ AND J LACASTA AÍSA

Y-21 bogie with the Talgo automatic gauge change system

Fig. 2

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 TALGO AUTOMATIC GAUGE CHANGE SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT WAGONS 17

Fig. 3 Frame for an individual axle on a Y-21 bogie

Fig. 4 Wheelset

against the point locking bar, leaving this released for its
unlocking.
The unlocking and centring guides have a water-based
lubrication system ensuring a low friction coefficient when
the skids and guide plates slide on them. When the
wheelset is resting and centred on the guides, the end head
of the unlocking guides is introduced into the locking
mechanism housing. The first section of this guide has a
descending profile which forces the point locking bars
down, overcoming the force of the springs and retainers,
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until the lifting lugs of the inner bearings are released (see
Figs 5 to 7). From this point onwards, the profile of the
unlocking guide remains horizontal. At its other end, once
the wheelsets have passed to the standard gauge line
position, the profile of this guide re-ascends, making the
point locking bar lock the wheelsets already located in the
new track gauge (phase C).
When initiating the unlocking process, the elastic part of
the point locking bar of the wheelset translation guides
comes into contact with the inner face of the wheels,
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18 J L LOPEZ GOMEZ AND J LACASTA AÍSA

Fig. 5 Locking mechanism (locked)

Fig. 6 Locking mechanism (unlocked)

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 TALGO AUTOMATIC GAUGE CHANGE SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT WAGONS
Fig. 7
applying pressure on them outwards in order to aid the
locking bar descending operation. In the event of a change
from standard gauge track to broad gauge, the contact with
the wheels would be made by the external part and would
press these towards the inside.
Then, when the locking bars are fully disengaged, the
wheels make contact with the rigid area of the wheelset
translating guides, pushing the wheelsets to the narrow
gauge line position. The wheels then make contact with the
elastic zone at the opposite end of these guides, keeping
them in their transverse inwards stop position (when
passing from standard gauge to broad gauge, they would
remain in contact with the external stops), which makes
locking of the point locking bars easier (phase D). When
the wheels are in this position, the guides force the locking
mechanisms to rise, locking them in their top position
(phase E).
When the inner bearings are locked, the point locking
bars leave the locking guides and the wheels come into
contact with the rising part of the narrow gauge rails,
pushing the wheels up slightly until the top surface of the
bearings comes into contact with the cradles, the lifting
lugs of the inner bearings being compressed between the
wedge and the point locking bar, ending the wheelsets’
interlocking process.
Upon the wheel ascending at the end of the tracks, the
skids stop resting on their sliding guides; this concludes the
broad gauge line change (phase F). The changing process
from the standard gauge track to the broad one is
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19
Locking mechanism (locked)
completely identical, except for phase D where the wheels
are moved apart by applying pressure on the inside face.
The five facilities at present existing in Spain (two located
at border crossings to France and three for communication
with the AVE high-speed train line) are fully capable of
changing the gauge of wagons fitted with the TALGO
gauge change system (see Fig. 9).
4 APPROVAL PROCESS
To obtain approval of the gauge change system for freight
train axles, the UIC pre-standard ‘Circulation entre des
réseaux à écartement de 1435 mm et des résaux à
écartement de 1668 mm. Prescriptions techniques et condi-
tions d’homologation’developed by the RENFE/SNCF/DB
AG work group ‘Freight wagons with automatic variable
gauge technique’ is being followed. The results obtained
from the most important tests are summarized below.
4.1 Bench tests
The first step necessary to carry out extended track testing
(100 000 km) was the performance of a bend test at a
rotational speed of V > 50 km=h on a test bench to
determine the fatigue resistance of the variable gauge axle.
This was carried out following the pre-standard test
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Fig. 8
programme with the wheels in the 1435 mm gauge position
(Table 1).
Phases I and II are compulsory. When phase II
concludes, there should be no cracks in the elements. With
respect to non-rotating elements, only small cracks, which
in service would not require immediate repair, are
permitted.
The purpose of phase III is to obtain a better evaluation
of the construction with regard to any critical points. At the
end of phase III, cracks are also accepted in rotating parts,
although it is not compulsory to perform this phase.
This test was carried out on a bench designed and
constructed by the company Patentes Talgo S.A. at its
workshop in Aravaca, Madrid (see Fig. 10). The general
characteristics of the frame are as follows:
Plate material S355 J2G3:
elastic limit 34.5 kg=mm2
ultimate tensile stress 49.0–63.0 kg=mm2
Pipe material S355 J2H:
elastic limit 34.5 kg=mm2
ultimate tensile stress 49.0–63.0 kg=mm2
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Gauge change facility
The positions of the measuring points where the strain
gauges were to be located were determined in a preliminary
finite element method (FEM) study of the structure in
which the critical points of the frame were determined. The
results obtained for the most unfavourable critical points in
tension and compression at the end of the first and second
phases are given in Table 2.
When the first phase of the fatigue test had been
finished, an inspection of the state of the frame with
penetrating dyes was made to detect any possible cracks.
To do this, it was necessary to remove the rosettes stuck
on the framework. After this examination, in which it
was discovered that there were no cracks, the rosettes
were replaced on the frame in order to proceed to phase
II. For this phase, only four of the most critical rosettes,
according to the figures obtained in phase I, were
placed.
The stress figures obtained at the end of phase II were
still lower than the elastic limits of the materials, so the
same test to detect cracks was repeated. No cracks were
found. Since it is not mandatory to obtain the approval of
the system, and as the test bench was needed to perform
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Fig. 9 Existing rail gauge change facilities

Table 1 Load states for the fatigue test

Vertical force¤ (kN) Transverse force (kN)
Number of
Phase load cycles Static Dynamic Static Dynamic
I 6 3 106 P § 0.3P for 4 Hz 0 §0.27P for 2 Hz
II 2 3 106 P § 0.36P for 4 Hz 0 §0.32P for 2 Hz
III 2 3 106 P § 0.42P for 4 Hz 0 §0.38P for 2 Hz
¤ P corresponds to the static load per axle (20 t).

Table 2 Stress (kg=mm2 ) at the rosettes after phase I and II

Average main Alternate main Average main Alternate main Average von Alternate von Total
Cycles stress 1 stress 1 stress 2 stress 2 Mises stress Mises stress stress
6 000 000 ¡1.2 0.6 ¡4.7 2.4 4.2 2.2 6.4
2.7 0.8 ¡0.4 0.9 3 1.2 4.2
8 000 000 ¡1.3 0.9 ¡5.3 4.2 4.8 3.9 8.7
3.6 2.9 0.7 0.6 3.4 3 6.4

other experiments, it was decided not to carry out phase III is the performance of at least 500 gauge changes, under full
of the fatigue test. load conditions, without any maintenance or inspection, in
order to check that the locking system behaves well. The
test was carried out in the gauge change facility at Talgo’s
4.2 Performance of 500 successive gauge changes
workshop in Aravaca on 28 March 1996, with a fully
Another fatigue test included in the regulations on approval loaded JJ2 wagon. A total of 507 successive gauge changes
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22 J L LOPEZ GOMEZ AND J LACASTA AÍSA

were made, with no irregularity being detected in the bogie with gauge change with new profiles satisfies the
unlocking system. ride quality and stability standards.

4.3 Dynamic behaviour study 4.4 Long-term testing

To study the dynamic behaviour of a freight wagon with
bogies provided with the Talgo automatic gauge change
system on Renfe gauge track, a wagon with Y21 bogies
with Renfe-UIC gauge change axles was used. Wheelsets
with new S1002 profile wheels were employed. The
trainset used for the study consisted of an S/269 locomo-
tive, a Renfe S-304 laboratory car and the wagon under
study, type JJ2 (see Fig. 11). The study was carried out
following the simplified method according to the UIC 518
standard. The tests were performed on 6 February 1996
with an unloaded wagon and on 8 February with an axle
load of 20 t on the Madrid–Zaragoza line in the Torrejón–
Arcos de Jalón section.
Since it is intended to obtain approval for the wagons to
run at a speed of 120 km=h, the test was carried out at a
speed of 132 km=h (120 ‡ 10 per cent) on straight sections
and at different speeds in curves in order to achieve an
uncompensated acceleration between 0.6 and 1 m=s2 . The
variables measured during the tests were:
(a) lateral acceleration on the bogie frame on the outside
of the axle,
(b) lateral and vertical acceleration on both pivot points of
the frame,
(c) speed,
(d) kilometre point.
The values obtained during the tests are given in Table 3.
As can be seen, the figures for the acceleration measured
do not exceed the limit values established by UIC 518. The
dynamic behaviour of the freight wagon with the Y-21
From summer 1998, following the successful conclusion of
the fatigue tests and the preliminary track tests required to
obtain permission to travel on the line, a test trainset
consisting of two JJ4 wagons and one MMC2 wagon with
bogies and two two-axle MC3 wagons equipped with Talgo
variable gauge axles for freight wagons covered the
100 000 km required for approval of the system. The tests
were carried out on the old Madrid–Seville line, the test
trainset being made to go through the gauge change facility
at Majarabique, Seville, once a week. The rated speed of
this trainset is 120 km=h with an axle load of up to 20 t.
A monitoring plan has been established to supervise both
the dynamic behaviour of the vehicles and the reliability of
the automatic gauge change system during this testing.
Talgo staff carries out visual inspection of the wagons and
replaces the brakeshoes where necessary at Villaverde Bajo
station, Madrid, before the test trainset leaves for Seville,
coupled to a regular service TEM trainset. This journey is
made twice a week, passing once a week through the gauge
change facility at Majarabique, where the condition of the
gauge change system is checked.
Every 10 000 or 15 000 km, the wagons travel to Talgo’s
workshop in Las Matas, Madrid, where the wheel para-
meters, the distance between the wheels, the clearance of
the extendible axle and the shunting between the wheels
are checked with automatic measuring equipment devel-
oped by Talgo itself. The appearance of cracks or any
loosening of connecting screws between the homokinetic
joints and the extendible axle and flanges are also checked
during these inspections.

Table 3 Results of the dynamic behaviour study

Line
section Lateral acceleration Lateral acceleration Vertical acceleration
Torrejon of bogie of carbody of carbody
– Speed or
Load Arcos uncompensated Bogie 1 Bogie 2 Bogie 1 Bogie 1 Bogie 2 Bogie 2 Bogie 1 Bogie 2
condition de Jalón Track shape acceleration ·

y ‡ ‡ 3S ·
y ‡ ‡ 3S ·
y¤ ‡ 3S Sy ‡ 3S ·
y¤ ‡ 3S Sy ‡ 3S Sz ‡ 2.2S Sz ‡ 2.2S
Unloaded Outward Straight 130 2.64 1.97 1.68 0.3 1.86 0.34 0.6 0.64
Large-radius curves 0.6–0.9 4.09 3.34 2.65 0.36 2.93 0.41 0.55 0.57
Small-radius curves 0.6–0.9 4.07 3.1 2.59 0.32 2.8 0.32 0.37 0.34
Return Straight 130 1.73 2.76 1.86 0.26 1.9 0.32 0.78 0.74
Large-radius curves 0.6–0.9 3.36 3.76 3.61 0.42 2.88 0.36 0.58 0.58
Small-radius curves 0.6–0.9 2.74 3.56 2.52 0.26 2.29 0.25 0.33 0.33
Loaded Outward Straight 130 1.78 2.29 1.26 0.26 1.23 0.23 0.71 0.61
Large-radius curves 0.6–0.9 3.13 3.4 2.75 0.34 2.85 0.34 0.62 0.57
Small-radius curves 0.6–0.9 2.54 3.17 2.27 0.24 2.71 0.27 0.34 0.34
Return Straight 130 1.6 2.48 1.17 0.19 1.17 0.24 0.73 0.71
Large-radius curves 0.6–0.9 3.35 3.35 2.88 0.33 2.72 0.31 0.52 0.55
Small-radius curves 0.6–0.9 2.48 3.17 2.47 0.25 2.43 0.24 0.35 0.38
Limit values (UIC 518) 6 6 4 1.3 4 1.3 1.3 1.3

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 TALGO AUTOMATIC GAUGE CHANGE SYSTEM FOR FREIGHT WAGONS 23

Fig. 10 Test bench

Fig. 11 JJ2 wagon with the gauge change system

At regular intervals, both the frame and the bogie of the 50 000 km, the results obtained from these inspections are
trainset are instrumented with accelerometers in order to as follows:
study the evolution of the dynamic behaviour of the
vehicles as the wear of the wheelsets increases. After 1. The distance between wheels remains within acceptable
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24 J L LOPEZ GOMEZ AND J LACASTA AÍSA
limits (1590–1596 mm).
2. The extendible axle has suffered no noticeable wear.
3. All the figures obtained in the shunting check are
notably below UIC limits.
At the same time, long-term testing is being carried out on
this system under conditions of extremely low tempera-
tures, between Sweden (1435 mm gauge) and Finland
(1520 mm gauge). These tests have been carried out in
winter for the last three years, at temperatures as low as
¡40 8C. Under these conditions, it is necessary to remove
the ice accumulated in the axles before changing the gauge.
For this purpose, a hot pressure water injection system has
been implemented in the gauge change facility. As the hot
water hits the ice plates, they fall down.
According to the pre-standard, 20 per cent of the long-
term testing journey has to be covered on the network of a
different railway administration. This phase was carried out
at the end of summer 1999, in France, on a UIC gauge
track. After having run 20 000 km on 1435 mm gauge
track, the automatic gauge change system will be ready to
obtain the approval of the railway administrations in charge
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of developing the pre-standard. This automatic gauge
change system for freight wagons will increase rail freight
transport by facilitating the transit across the borders
between countries with railway networks of different
gauges.
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3 del Val, Y. Kioto: El ferrocarril se impone como el modo
menos contaminante. Vṍa Libre, February 1998, 9–10.
4 Garcṍa-Romeu, J. E. Los ahorros inducidos por el uso del
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5 Making rail the prime choice: An action plan for the railways
in the 21st century. Eur. Railway Rev., November 1997, 71–73
(International Union of Railways).
6 Suárez, A. Freeway o freightway? Un dilema que abre el
camino al futuro. Lṍneas, 16 April 1998, (173), 4–7.
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