Rail Fixtures and Fastenings for African Market

In recent years, African railway construction has flourished. With some already completed passenger railway lines put into operation, more railway line planning is also put on the agenda. As the largest supplier of railway fasteners in Africa, AGICO has successively participated in new railway projects and old railway restoration projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For these projects, we have provided a large number of railway fasteners and rail products, which are widely used in African countries such as Kenya.

Commonly Used Rail Fittings and Fastenings in African Market

Fastening bolt

Railway fasteners fix rails on rail sleepers, mainly including rail spikes, rail clips, rail clamps, fastening bolts, etc. Rail spikes(dog spikes) are fasteners used on wooden sleepers. They are commonly found on North American railways but are rarely used in Africa.

Fastening bolts are commonly used in African markets for fastening. Bolts are used in conjunction with clips or clamps to secure the rail to the sleeper. Bolts commonly used in the African region include short bolts, bolt-1'', and other types.

Rail clips and rail clamps

Clips and clamps are the most commonly used African railway fasteners. Both have the same function, just choose one according to the type of rail or other fasteners. Clamp fasteners are always held firmly against the rail base and rail tie plate, thus providing adequate lateral and longitudinal restraint to the rail. In general, there is no need to install a special rail anchor, but in some special locations, anti-climbing equipment is required to provide additional constraints as needed. Common rail clip products commonly used in African railways include 35# steel CLIP 'A', CILP 'B', LOCKING CLIP 'K', I CLIP, O CLIP, etc.

Rail fastener should not only have sufficient buckle pressure and strength but also have good elasticity and certain adjustable ability. The fasteners produced by AGICO are mainly divided into rigid fasteners and elastic fasteners. Rigid fasteners mainly include clamp fasteners and shrapnel fasteners. Elastic fasteners mainly include clip I, II, III, IV, and V fasteners. Elastic fasteners increase track strength and significantly reduce maintenance and repair work on site. Other commonly used ballast track fasteners include Pandrol series, Nabla type, Vossloh series, etc.

In a reconstruction project of a Kenyan meter-gauge railway (gauge 1000mm) that AGICO participated in, we recommended elastic fasteners to customers. The fastener structure strives to be universal, simple, and easy to maintain. The fastening parts of the fasteners all use W elastic clips, and T-shaped bolts, nuts, parallel washers, and other parts are interchangeable. The metal parts of the fasteners have been treated with anti-rust treatment. Spiral road studs are anti-rust treated with multiple gas co-infiltration anti-corrosion technology. Zinc-nickel infiltrated layer is used for elastic bars to prevent rust, and other metal parts such as spring washers and flat washers are anti-rust by electrostatic spraying.

Other Commonly Used Rail Fittings

Fishplate

The fishplate is also called rail joint, which is used to connect the joints of the rails at both ends. Fishplates are widely used in African railway construction projects, and the main models used are 60R FISH PLATE and 80R FISH PLATE.

Rail sleeper

Sleepers are mainly divided into three types according to their materials, namely wooden sleepers, steel sleepers, and concrete sleepers. In Kenya and other African countries, the sleepers used in meter-gauge railways are mostly steel sleepers, and the railways in sections such as turnouts and bridges mostly use wooden sleepers. The main advantages of wooden sleepers are good elasticity, which can ease the dynamic impact of trains, easy processing, transportation, laying, maintenance, and repair. The main disadvantage is that it is easy to corrode and wear, and its service life is short. The steel sleeper has the advantages of a simple production process, large load bearing, large longitudinal and lateral resistance, firm maintenance of gauge, and damage repair by electric welding.

In recent years, most of the newly built railway lines in Africa use concrete sleepers. The concrete sleeper has the characteristics of high strength, large vertical and horizontal resistance of the ballast bed, good stability, and long service life, which can reduce the workload of on-site maintenance and repair.

For the selection of various fasteners for railway construction projects in the African market, the railway standard requirements of the country where the project is located should be followed, combined with local actual conditions, such as the production and transportation of track equipment, supply conditions, and climatic conditions. AGICO has participated in the construction of railway projects in Africa many times and has valuable experience in the use of fasteners in similar projects in Africa. If you have requirements for related projects, please contact us.