Accurate railcar weighing is essential in the railway industry. From avoiding overloading penalties to invoicing clients and keeping an eye on deliveries, it is an integral part of how many companies operate.
All things created equal, a scale is a scale. It is required to measure weight, end of story.
However, when it comes to your business you know that’s not quite true. Depending on the industry, layout, and specific purpose of the scale, there could be some models that are better suited for your situation than others. There are different types of rail car scales available.
Today’s article is a beginner’s guide to railcar scales and will go through the different types of railroad track scales, their benefits and what environment they are best suited for.
Pit Design Railcar Scale
Pit design rail car scales are designed exactly as their name suggests; they are scales that are built into a trench so that the plate or load cell is at ground level. It functions very similarly to a scale like the one you might see at home in your bathroom.
Instead of the step on and step off, (or drive on and drive off in the case of a truck pit scale) pit scales for trains have a more complex mechanism because the railcar needs to simply pass over the scale for its weight to be measured. The scale provides accurate rail care weight.
Advantages of a Pit Design Railcar Scale
The main, perhaps obvious, advantage of a pit design rail car scale is that it is built into the ground. This fact is pretty impressive since in order to have the load cell at ground level the entire mechanics of the unit must be built below ground.
Its underground location is also an asset because it covers sensitive parts below, and also keeps the above area clear.
Pit Design Railcar Scale Installed by Active Scale
Double Deck Railcar Scales
In some cases, trains will have double deck railcar cars. Especially if these cars are carrying goods, they can obviously carry double the amount as a single railcar which means they need a more robust scale to weigh them.
Double deck railcar scales are specially designed to handle both the increased weight and the specific dimensions of the railcar.
This type of scale is programmed slightly differently as well in order to accommodate both single and double deck railcars.
Advantages of a Double Deck Railcar Scale
The obvious advantage of this system is its ability to weigh both single and double deck railcars.
If you’re in an industry where you are often encountering these types of train cars, then it’s definitely worth the investment to ensure you are getting the most accurate measurement possible.
Hydraulic Deck Pit Design Railcar Scale
A similar design to a regular pit design railcar scale, a hydraulic deck pit scale uses a hydraulic scale system as the name would suggest.
By using a hydraulic system in the pit scale, the measurements tend to be extremely accurate which is a huge benefit to the operator as it ensures load consistency and helps to maximize revenue when invoicing clients.
Advantages of a Hydraulic Pit Design Full Length Car Railcar Scale
Hydraulic scales in general can withstand harsh environments, so water, dust, chemicals or even lightning strikes are not a problem. The resilience of the hydraulic technology make it a perfect fit for the extreme conditions of the rail yard.
Overhead Railcar Scales
Overhead railcar scales measure, you guessed it, overtop instead of underneath like a pit scale.
This type of scale is popular in the food processing industry, specifically weighing animal quarters, but is also used in manufacturing plans that use overhead conveyor systems or even used to weigh molten iron steel ladles in foundries.
Overhead railcar scales can be configured in many different ways to fit whatever their particular use is.
Advantages of Overhead Railcar Scales
The major advantage of an overhead railcar scale is the durability of the device. These scales are built for continuous use so they can be operated all day everyday without any hiccups.
Now you know about different types of rail car weigh scales and their advantages.
Information on railcar systems can not only be difficult to find, but it also can get technical quite quickly. For any questions about what railcar scale is best for your industry, or railcar scale maintenance, be sure to contact us here at Active Scale and we will be more than happy to help you select the best scale for your business.
