Standardisation work

Standards on a wide range of aspects have always been a driving force for railway technology. There was also quickly a focus on uniform standards for lighting technology when it comes to trans-European transportation. We have been an active member of the DIN Standards Committee Railway (DIN-FSF) for many years and help to develop the standards in our field. We have first-hand experience of the development of relevant standards and actively promote improvements.

 

Lights in railways in Europe are subject to TSI, EN and UIC regulations. Triangular white lights and red tail lights are always required. They act as signals, so that the recognisability by an observer is the measurement criterion rather than the range of vision of the driver. For this reason, like with trams, the light intensity is measured in Candela (cd) rather than the illumination level. Measurement must take place in the system. Light losses, caused by on-site front panes for example, must be taken into consideration. In addition, headlights – normally high-beam headlights – are installed. In European states, values for the light intensities with which the headlights must comply are predetermined.

 

Our railway lights are developed in accordance with the following standards:
· Light EN 15153-1
· Light UIC 534 / 532
· Light TSI LOC & PAS
· Light GOST (Russian standard)
· EMV EN 50121-3-2
· Vibration IEC 61373
Our LED circuit boards for railways are inspected in accordance with EN 45545, HL 3 for R24/R25

 

In the first instance, the design of trams is subject to the “Verordnung über den Bau und Betrieb von Strassenbahnen” (BOStrab – Ordinance on the Construction and Operation of Street Railways). Other regulations must be taken from the ECE. For safety reasons, the same types of lights that are required for vehicles are generally used on the front side. During the design procedure, the mounting dimensions described in the ECE must be taken into consideration. In addition, the framework conditions for railway lamps must be taken into consideration, which often differ from use in vehicles: fire protection conditions, thermal load, longer usage, input voltage and voltage tolerances, protection class IP. As trams sometimes drive to the left of the road, the use of symmetrical headlights is normally required to avoid the glare caused by the asymmetrical dimmed headlights that are positioned to the right. The illumination level is measured in Lux.

 

We have these regulations on hand and they are taken into consideration for design suggestions. Manual measurements as part of the design process to verify customer requirements are carried out in our in-house measuring station. Final, documented measurements are compiled by a photometric institution.