The busy 9-mile rail tunnel in Rogers Pass required the replacement of their HPS lights.
Due to failure from constant vibration, extreme temperatures, and high humidity levels.
The remote mountain railroad tunnel was upgraded with hazardous location Nemalux LED lights. The Rogers Pass is the longest railway tunnel in the western hemisphere. The CP built the MacDonald Tunnel through Rogers Pass between 1982 and 1988.
The fixtures had a buildup of explosive dust and debris on the lens and inside of the lens. Resulting in a significant reduction of the light levels as well as a safety risk in the tunnel. This compromises the longevity of most general location LED luminaires.
From UIC - Railway Induced Vibration, State of the Art report published November 2017
Since the legacy fixtures were not designed to operate under extreme conductions. Prolonged periods of use resulted in premature failure and maintenance shutdowns.
CP Rail determined the Mount Macdonald train tunnel as a C1D2/C2D2 classification zone. Class 1 Division 2 and Class 2 Division 2 are part of the CSA certification ULC standards.
CP Project Engineers determined Nemalux would be the best fit based on key expertise:
- IP rating & sealing methods
- Lighting design capability
- Custom bracket design
- Fixture reliability
- LED technology
- Project delivery
CP Rail required a long-term solution that would be safe, optimized, and efficient.
The key deliverables are enhanced visibility and lower maintenance. Effective operations and reduced security risks are some of the benefits.
The MR Series met all the criteria required by the customer. This provided an optimized, safe, long-term lighting solution. Deploying harsh and hazardous location luminaires addresses these operating tunnel challenges.
Advanced optical profiles allow for optimized spacing to reduce light fixture quantity. Efficient LEDs and power supplies reduce power consumption and future maintenance costs.
Installation was efficient with minimal downtime. The client was happy that the challenges posed were met and mitigated.
