Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

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stutosney
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Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

Post by stutosney »

My company is looking at undertaking several tunnel surveys within the rail industry and I am looking at the most efficient/cost effective methodology. I have been looking at the Amberg IMS 5000 GRP 5000 and wondered if anyone has had any experience with this and can shed any light on the pro's/cons of using it on the rail corridor, specifically in tunnels and the outputs it can deliver?

I am also considering various different MLS systems whilst also considering the best set up ie Pegasus on some sort of trolley etc (other systems are considered too if anyone has any ideas).

Static scanning is an option but I am keen to explore new means that can help speed up the process.

If anyone has any thoughts on different systems etc, please let me know as I am completely open minded at the minute and as always, your help is appreciated.
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Re: Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

Post by Oatfedgoat »

What are your goals/deliverables?

The Amberg system is excellent for producing clearance profiles at specific chainage points. If you want to produce a 3D point cloud in addition to this then the process is much more involved.
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Re: Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

Post by stutosney »

Hi, thanks for the response.

That specific survey is for the actual tunnel structure, so static scanning would suffice. But I was keen to get peoples thoughts on the Amberg system in general. We do a lot of high precision track surveys for design etc. I am generally exploring tech that will allow us to reduce time on track or our surveyors and generally make the whole process more efficient. I see Leica have a new SiTrack system though it hasn't been signed off by Network Rail in the UK yet.
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Re: Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

Post by Oatfedgoat »

stutosney wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2019 10:07 pm see Leica have a new SiTrack system though it hasn't been signed off by Network Rail in the UK yet.
Still? Wow that is a long time coming.
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Re: Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

Post by Felix_the_Cat »

I would encourage you to consider what you will DO with the data once you have it as a guide for how to acquire it. Acquisition is easy. Post processing is where the money goes.

Tunnels suck. They are filled with multi axis symmetry and repetitive equipment and services clumps. A registration nightmare. Make sure to ignore the Svengali salesmen and be SURE the output from whatever you choose meshes with your process.

Please post back with what you chose and why

Good luck


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Re: Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

Post by stutosney »

Tunnels are a nightmare I agree I have read some positive stuff about the SiTrack but it was all from Leica, so I am naturally cautious and have a meeting scheduled with a rep to gain more info and hopefully some hands on.

I will keep this post updated moving forward and see how I go, thanks for the input.

N.B: I was told by a contact NR have not yet approved the Leica system, so don't quote me on that, just what I heard
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Re: Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

Post by H_Kelly »

Hi OP,

My company purchased the Amberg GRP5000 and have been using it for data acquisition in Australia. We have primarily used the system to capture detail for design (Track, OHW and Clearance). I am currently working on a project for route clearance in tunnels so hopefully I can give you some direct insight. Although I do note you are interested in the IMS 5000 which we did not purchase.

Our trolley is controlled by a Leica TS16 meaning we have setups every 150m. In terms of usability in the tunnels it has been great. We captured approx 10km of data in 4 days, rail environment - everything moves slower :lol: . This expedited capture was a huge benefit as we needed to capture all data within a single possession. There were no safe places in the tunnels and due to the line being a passenger and freight line and walking distance required to access the tunnel there was no chance of capturing data between trains. I won't spend too long talking bout the acquisition stage as it seems you are aware of the benefits.

On the outputs side, the OEM software is quite user friendly and has a range of outputs that easily integrate with other suites - especially Leica. The Z+F scanner produces a good clean pointlcoud with very little noise. Having said that, if the field procedures are not followed absolutely perfectly, rectifying issues in the office will take longer than going back and recapturing the data. It would be wise to take a few practice runs on a disused track prior to going at it for real.

In relation to alternatives, MLS and TLS are good options however you will need to extract the track from the PC instead of having an actual measured dataset. We have used MLS registered with IMS and B&W targets in steep rock cuttings where GNSS data quality was too unreliable and achieve satisfactory results but not as good as the Amberg (we new this in advance and understood the accuracy requirements of the job). TLS has its accuracy and coverage benefits but out of the three methods it is the slowest.
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Re: Rail Tunnel Scans. MLS, Amberg?

Post by stutosney »

My company purchased the Amberg GRP5000 and have been using it for data acquisition in Australia...

Hi, thanks for the detailed response. It sounds like a really good piece of kit and I'd be keen to explore it more. In terms of output, I assume it is a full pointcloud, though not coloured?

The problem I am having here in NZ is availability o a system as well. We only have global surveys (only Leica) and I see CR Kennedy have popped up but they haven't been a great help. Does your company lease the Amberg out at all?
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