Bench track
A Strossengleis is a rückbares track that particular application in opencast place. The track enables the trains of the works railways to drive directly over the mining fields of the opencast mines, for example to collect overburden or coal from the excavators . Large equipment such as overburden conveyor bridges and the associated excavators, if they are track-bound, also run on bench tracks. Because of the width and mass of these large devices, several track gratings are usually required next to each other. Because of the required equal spacing with only small tolerances, these track gratings are connected to each other and often also to the tracks for the promotion by coupling rods. The back of the tracks according to the degradation progress incorporate special machines such as track back machine , railway locomotives or return -raupen.
Rails and sleepers must be connected to each other so that they can move when the tracks can be moved. The usual rail fastenings such as superstructure K and W on fixed tracks cannot be used. The usual types of superstructure are Nebelung and Rudert . When using electric locomotives , the overhead line masts are attached to the track grid. In addition to the contact line, which is usually designed as a side contact line, safety and telecommunications cables can be attached to the masts . This means that the entire railway system can be laid with the back of the track. The signal boxes on the stops are in special, transportable signal box boxes. The signals are connected as the catenary to the track grid.
In terms of safety, there is a special feature of the bench tracks, because the loose storage of the tracks means that track vacancy detection by track circuits is not possible. That is why a special train counting is often used, which enables the counting or counting of certain sections of the track system. This train operating technology on the excavator rope is only used in the Cottbus-Nord opencast mine .