Water-trak Limited is a joint venture between John Cooke (owner and founder of CoCatalyst Limited) and Simon Barnard (owner and founder of SCB Associates Limited). John and Simon share a passion for problem solving and finding innovative,simple solutions that work. They have been collaborating on training and consulting projects for over 12 years across all industries and for the last 10 years in the rail industry. Use the timeline below to follow the exciting development of the Water-Trak system to solve the rail industry problem of low adhesion…..
Timeline
Autumn 2023: Class 170 full fleet operation with Northern Trains. First in class fitment to Class 444 and Class 450 with South Western Railway
Autumn 2022: Four trains in passenger service (2 x Class 319 and 2 x Class 170) with Northern Trains
Autumn 2021: Passenger Service Train pilot with Northern Trains
July 2020 - March 2021: Improved railway operations through train-mounted water addition
July 2019 - March 2020: Test track demonstration using experimental HydroFLEX train
2017 - 2019: Predictable and optimal braking research project - Part 2 full scale train testing
2015 - 2016: Predictable and optimal braking research project - Part 1rig testing
2013 RSSB Horizon scanning -”Technologies and solutions for more reliable and predictable braking”
Autumn 2022 - Water-Trak in operation with Northern
Autumn 2022 saw four passenger service trains fitted with Water-Trak in operation with Northern Trains - two Class 319 and the first two of the planned fleet fitment of Class 170. The results were again very positive showing a significant increase in braking compared to the control trains without Water-Trak. In addition there was evidence of the potential to improve journey times for both the Water-Trak equipped train and following trains. It is expected that these benefits will increase with the fleet fitment and as drivers become more familiar with the improved braking performance. The full Autumn 2022 report can be downloaded here.
Heat-map showing in red the concentrations of water dispenses during low adhesion
Autumn 2021 - Passenger Service Train pilot with Northern
Northern Rail Class 319368 fitted with Water-Trak
Northern Trains have now completed their autumn 2021 trial of Water-Trak. The purpose of this work was to provide operational evidence for the effectiveness of water addition in mitigating low adhesion.
The systems, fitted to two Class 319 passenger service trains, functioned without problems through an entire autumn, covering over 37,000 miles and dispensing water 767 times. The trials demonstrated that water addition greatly improved braking performance in low adhesion conditions, significantly reducing the risk of station over-runs and other autumn incidents. Water-Trak has also been shown to provide a major improvement in traction. In the light of these results we are excited to explore how Water-Trak can improve autumn punctuality and safety. The full trial report can be downloaded here.
The next step for Water-Trak is to investigate the “fleet effect” which results from multiple trains delivering water over the same lines of route. Plans are currently being discussed to fit Water-Trak to a larger number of trains for operation in 2022 and beyond.
August 2020 - Water-Trak Limited established
Water-Trak Limited has been founded to exploit our simple, patented water addition technology. Our solution addresses the problem of low adhesion which costs the rail industry up to £350 million each year in the UK alone.
Low adhesion is most severe in Autumn when track-side leaf fall contributes to very slippery conditions on the railway. The problem forces the industry to undertake complex and expensive countermeasures; special trains jet the rails with millions of litres of water, Autumn timetables frustrate and confuse rail users and line-side tree felling challenges the green credentials of the rail industry. If all else fails, the trains rely on the steam age technology of sand to stop and start safely. Even if a minor problem occurs on a small part of the network, it can easily escalate into significant operational chaos, disrupting passengers everyday lives.
Our vision is simply to eliminate low adhesion by deploying Water-Trak from passenger service trains.
July 2020 - March 2021: Improved railway operations through train-mounted water addition
Northern Rail Class 319 with Water-Trak fitted
CoCatalyst have now completed their First-of-a-Kind (FOAK2020) project which was funded by DfT and run by Innovate UK. The objective of the project was to demonstrate that a train-mounted water addition solution can deliver a more robust railway, minimising the need for costly and disruptive mitigations and optimising railway operations. A series of mainline trials were carried out on a section of track between Liverpool and Wigan during Autumn 2020, working with Northern Railway and Network Rail. This is the first time that Water-Trak has been successfully deployed on the mainline. During the trials Water-Trak gave a progressive improvement in train braking and traction, demonstrating reduced and more consistent journey times for the Water-Trak equipped train and following trains. The project also delivered a more robust system design ready for further implementation in 2021. Please see our blog for more details of this project.
July 2019 - March 2020: Improved braking through controlled water addition
CoCatalyst were selected as one of the winners in the First-of-a-kind (round 3) funding competition. The competition was run by Innovate UK and funded by the DfT to support research, development and innovation in the UK rail industry. The themes for the third round were strengthening resilience of railway infrastructure and operations, enhancing rail freight services, and reducing environmental and noise impacts.Read more about the announcement - “DfT cash aims to bring leaves on the line fix to fruition”.
CoCatalyst used the funding to deliver a demonstration of the water addition solution, fitted to a modified Class 319 (HydroFLEX) passenger train and integrated with the train braking system including WSP. Testing again demonstrated a significant improvement in braking with water addition under low adhesion conditions. Please see our blog for details of this testing.
2017 - 2019 Predictable and Optimal braking (Train testing)
RSSB commissioned The University of Sheffield and CoCatalyst Limited to develop and demonstrate controlled water addition on a full-scale locomotive
A prototype was developed and fitted to a Class 117 Diesel locomotive (tested at Long Marston QRTC)
Tests at 10 and 25mph showed that water addition gave a step-change improvement in deceleration and braking distance in low adhesion conditions
2015 - 2016: Predictable and Optimal Braking (Rig testing)
RSSB commissioned The University of Sheffield and CoCatalyst Limited to work on rig-based research to study the effect of water addition on low adhesion
Small-scale and full-scale rig testing showed that, in low adhesion conditions, water addition gave a step-change improvement in traction
2013 RSSB Horizon Scanning
SCB Associates were commissioned by RSSB to prepare a study into “technologies and solutions to the rail industry problem of low adhesion”
Discovered British Rail Research into low adhesion showed that water plays a critical role in the problem of low adhesion. A dry rail gives excellent adhesion, a fully wetted rail gives good adhesion but a partially wetted (damp) rail gives very low adhesion, especially when combined with contaminants (iron oxides and/or leaf matter) - see our blog post for a more detailed description.
A range of solutions were identified, including a concept where a controlled amount of water is added when low adhesion is detected
The full report (S186) is available on the RSSB information website www.sparkrail.org
In the beginning…
John Cooke (owner and founder of CoCatalyst Limited) and Simon Barnard (owner and founder of SCB Associates Limited) have been collaborating on training and consulting projects for over 12 years across all industries and for the last 10 years in the rail industry. In addition to tackling the low adhesion problem their other rail industry projects have included:
New ticketing technologies and solutions - a horizon scanning investigation for RSSB into future technologies for train ticketing. The report highlights the importance of the “ticket” as being an information channel between the passenger and the rail company and the opportunity that new technologies offer to dramatically improve the bandwidth of this channel. Download a full copy of the report here.
Step free access - This report for RSSB provides an overview of the process that was followed as the project progressed and a detailed listing of the technologies and conceptual solutions which were found. The report also highlights key insights into the step-free access challenge which emerged during the analysis (S243)
Rail industry patent analysis and mapping - This report documents a study of rail industry patents conducted for Future Railway by CoCatalyst Ltd working closely with RSSB. It represents a first attempt to provide an overview of global rail industry patent activity over the last 30 years, to see whether clear trends or patterns can be identified and new insight obtained on the railway innovation landscape (S198)
Technologies and solutions for future train suspension systems - a horizon scanning investigation for RSSB into future technologies for train suspension systems. Download a full copy of the report here.
Feasibility study for a kneeling train - Conducted with Loughborough University, this study demonstrated the possibility of modifying or designing trains such that they have the ability to ‘kneel’ – in that the height of vehicle and lateral position can be adjusted to move closer to the station. The goal of this is to remove (or at least reduce) gaps and steps that occur between the platform and the vehicle body, resulting in faster, safer and more accessible train boarding and alighting (COF-PTI-03)