In April 2006, the Rail Standards and Safety Board (RSSB) issued Rail Industry Standard 1530PLT to define the engineering acceptance of possession-only rail vehicles and associated equipment. The standard has been mandated by Network Rail and applies to existing and new-design possession-only rail vehicles.
What does this mean to you and how can you stay on the right side of the regulations?
Essentially, if you operate Rail-Mounted Maintenance Machines (RMMMs), Road-Rail Vehicles (RRVs), trailers or any attachment with more than two rail wheels, then RIS1530PLT applies to you. The rules are retrospective and all vehicles must be re-certified by the dates shown:
| Year of original acceptance certificate or year of full acceptance to GM/RT1300 issue 4 or GM/RT2402 issue 2 | Re-certification deadline |
| Prior to 1995 | 31st December 2006 |
| 1995 – 1998 | 31st December 2007 |
| 1999 – 2000 | 31st December 2008 |
| 2001 – 2002 | 31st December 2009 |
| 2003 | 31st December 2010 |
| 2004 | 31st December 2011 |
| 2005 | 31st December 2012 |
| 2006 | 6th October 2013 or expiry date shown on Certificate of Engineering Acceptance, if later |
This list is not definitive and you should refer to RIS1530PLT for full guidance. However, we estimate that as much as 46 % of the national fleet will need recertification by 2010, while all new vehicle types must be certified before introduction into service.
Derailment Assessment and the Certification ProcessPart of the certification process involves a Prevention of Derailment Assessment and this is described in Technical Note TN-036, published by the RSSB. This assessment involves a combination of static wheel load testing to ensure the vehicle unloads safely when on a cant and a dynamic test involving a set range of manoeuvres and a 16-mile round trip.
MyTestTrack.com’s facilities at Wirksworth are the only fully-approved test track for TN-036 dynamic testing.
We are fully prepared to provide you with the facilities you need to perform dynamic testing under TN-036. Our facilities at Wirksworth will provide you with a full range of support for you to take your vehicles through the dynamic testing process, observed by the Vehicle Acceptance Body of your choice. We provide:
We can also offer catering and accommodation booking services for you and your team, flexible operating times and short-notice bookings.
We offer competitive rates and flexible pricing for repeat and series testing programmes.