20-09-2018, 04:45 PM
I'm looking at an AxC conversion project at the moment and the main driver is reliability (or the cost of failed track circuits). Both Thales and Frauscher have electromagnetic heads which clamp to the rail. They need a box of electronics (Thales) or a dis-box (frauscher) on the trackside so although installing and adjusting the sensor is fairly fast, there is also the cost of mounting the box and connecting the cables.
Anecdotal evidence says the frauscher can be damaged by rail grinding and the Thales suffers from EMI (some new types of train).
The bleeding edge technology (on trial, not yet product approved) is an optical sensor which glues to the rail web.
Anecdotal evidence says the frauscher can be damaged by rail grinding and the Thales suffers from EMI (some new types of train).
The bleeding edge technology (on trial, not yet product approved) is an optical sensor which glues to the rail web.