The Best Guards Indicator on Sydney Trains: An Application Note

This article outlines how one of our clients uses the Guards Blue Light on the Sydney Trains' T set fleet.

The Customer

UGL Limited, formerly United Group has been an Australian based and founded construction and engineering business since the 1970s. UGL Rail (a subsidiary of UGL LImited), is a diesel locomotive specialist, responsible for the manufacture, maintenance and refurbishing of many Australian railway fleets.

Since 2011 UGL Rail and Unipart have had a 70:30 copartnership deemed UGL Unipart, which has been in charge of all of the CityRail and some of Sydney Train’s fleets at the maintrain site in Auburn.

Customer Challenge

UGL Unipart was tasked with upgrading Sydney Trains’ T set, which was phase two of the technology upgrade program.

As a part of the technology upgrade a safety light was required to alert patrons of a nearby functioning guard compartment in suburban rail cars. UGL also requested the following out of the product:

  • To reject common electrical interference
  • To be able to flash on and off
  • Must be blue
  • Must be able to be opened and closed 1000 times
  • Cannot be made from acrylic
  • Must be able to withstand harsh graffiti removal chemicals
  • Must be highly impact resistant

Product Solution

With a reputation for reliable and high performing LED marker lights, proven from the MIllenium train project conducted for the 2000 Olympics. UGL was led to Innovec to be the right solution for a much needed guards indicator.

The LEDGBL was designed for UGL Unipart under stringent specifications and went through several destructive testing phases to be accepted for the project.

Results Achieved

The LEDGBL has exceeded many of the expectations put forward by the customer's challenge. This includes outperforming the standard for light output as competitor versions of the instrument could not compare to the high intensity output of [1234 lux] @ 1 metre.

Innovec has been supplying the LEDGBL to UGL Unipart for over 5 years, and continues to supply them through the near future. 

LEDGBL  -  Guards Blue Light

The LEDGBL - Guards Blue Light, is an Innovec Controls safety light designed to advise patrons of a nearby guards compartment on suburban railcars. Comprising 88 high intensity 

LEDs with a 15o view up & down the carriage, and a 45o view across the platform.

Key Features

  • Low cost - High performance
  • C tick approval
  • High intensity LEDs with a 15o viewing angle up & down the side of the vehicle and 60o viewing angle across the platform
  • Constant light, flashing or turned off
  • Ambient light sensor to automatically adjust light intensity dependant on time of day/night
  • Available in Innovec blue 
  • Plastic housing made from random copolymer polypropylene with 1% uv stabiliser
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