In recent days, it keeps hot in Xi 'an. In the freight yard of China Railway Xi 'an Bureau Group's new construction station, the heat from the huge containers and rails in waves. This is the starting station of China-Europe train from Shanxi. There are basically three or four China-Europe trains going from here to Europe and Asia. In order to ensure the safe operation of the China-Europe train, the quality of rail lines become especially important.
Li Xichuan, the squad leader, is leading two workers to polish the rails on the container line. " If you want to eliminate the slightest scratch on the surface of the rail, you must have a pair of 'fire eyes', and even if it is only 0.1 mm, you still have to take it seriously.” Li Said.
0.1mm is almost invisible to the naked eyes, so how do they measure it? Ruler is an indispensible tool in the field work of rail grinding, and the “scoring device” for grinding steel. When measuring the polished rail with a ruler, the error must be controlled within 0.1mm. "Polish a meter and measure a meter. The error must be controlled to ensure the smoothness of the train and the comfort of passengers." The reporter at the scene saw that they had been pushing the grinder on the grinding point back and forth for 20 or 30 times. "When smooth lubrication is felt and measured with a ruler, the polishing work is qualified." After each polish, he would take off his gloves and touch the hot rail repeatedly with his fingertips to feel the polished rail.
Li xichuan said that the status of the rail is closely related to the sleepers and other line parts. When the rail is worn and injured, the train bump when passing, which can lead to the pressure on the sleepers bigger and subsequently prompt the ‘lesions’ to be occurred, far-reaching." Trains running on worn rails make clanging noises. And the sound of the train running on the polished track is clear and coherent, which is called "whistle" by railroad walkers. Railroad workers love to hear it, because it means the rails are in good condition and the trains are running safely.
In the heat, Li and his workmates pushed a 300-pound grinder back and forth, the sweat begun to trickle down their necks.
In this way, 50 meters of rail grinding work was successfully completed. The polished rail's surface is glossy and shiny like a mirror. Li Xichuan began to check back the geometric dimensions of the line after the operation. Holding a track ruler in his right hand and a record book in his left hand, he recorded the measurements on a checkbook to make sure the values are up to standard.
Then, a train slowly rolled into the operation line. "Watching the train go by without any bumps is the greatest achievement for me," Mr. Li said.
