CA2046942A1 - Process and device for the neutralisation of the rails of railway tracks - Google Patents

Abstract

LES FILS D'AUGUSTE SCHEUCHZER S.A. LAUSANNE/SWITZERLAND

Process and device for the neutralisation of the rails of railway tracks ABSTRACT

The new rails to be laid are heated continuously in order to be neutralised. For this purpose, they are raised and exposed to a source of heat in the form of two heating tunnels which are mounted on a vehicle running in a continuous manner on the old rails. Each heating tunnel is traversed by a stretch of new rail.
simultaneously, the old rails are detached from the sleepers and, after the passage of the said vehicle, they are deposited along the track or are cleared away.
The new rails, brought to and maintained at the temperature of neutralisation, are laid continuously on the sleepers and are fastened thereto.

Description

FILED OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a process and a device for the neutralisation of the new rails of railway tracks, previously brought to the site.

PRIOR ART
Until now the neutralisation of the new rails, that is to say their heating to a prescribed temperature, immediately before their fixing to the sleepers either during the substitution of the rails, or during the laying of a new track, represented a lengthy task which was carried out for the most part by manual operations and which required a great deal of time.
To substitute the rails, in fact, it is necessary ~irst of all that the old rails should be detached from the sleepers, moved to the side of the track and cleared away. Then the new rails, previously deposited along the track, have to be laid and fastened onto the sleepers.
Subsequently there takes place the operation called "neutralisation" of the new rails. The obj~ct of this neutralisation is to fix the rails in a condition of least expansion, either at a specified average tempera-ture (for example 25C) when the neutralisation takes place by heating of the rails, or with a distension of the rails corresponding to their expansion at this average temperature when the neutralisation operation is carried out by distension of the rails. 8y virtue of the neutralisation of the rails, there is a considerable reduction in the risks of breaking o~ the said rails in cold weather or of distortion on hot days.
The heating of the new rails laid on the sleepers is usually carried out by means of hot air ~lowers, which have to ~e moved regularly on the track, the two stretches of rails being treated simultaneously. Usually the heating is effected in several passes going from the free end of the continuous lengths of rails towards the fixed point and coming back in the reverse direction~
During the heating, the rails are slightly raised from their supports to permit them to extend freely between ~he point of heating and the free end of the continuous lengths of rails.
As soon as the prescribed extension is obtained, it is necessary to proceed to the tightening of the fastenings.
Measurement of the temperature of the rails is carried out by means of at least two magnet thermometers, and this measurement must last five minutes at least.
Howe~er, such measurements do not give very accurate results.
All these manipulations executed step by step, by portion of rails, rail after rail or long length of rail after long length of rail, demand a great deal of time.
Until the present time, these manipulations have not been the subject of any mechanisation.
The same manipulations were necessary during the laying of a new track, with the exception of course of the detaching and of the clearing away of the old rails.
The trains for renewal of the railway tracks, as for example those which are described in the documents EP-B-4985 and EP-B-19984, are designed to replace not only the rails, but also the sleepers and the ballast, and comprise no facility for the neutralisation of the new railsO

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
~ 30 The object of the present invention is to create a : process and a device for the mechanised neutralisation of the rails.
To attain this object, the process according to the invention is characterised in that:
- the new rails, before being laid on the sleepers, are 2 ~

heated continuously in order to be neutralised, the rails being for this purpose raised up and exposed to a source of heat which is moved in a continuous manner~
- then, the new rails, brought to and maintained at the temperature of neutralisation, are laid continuously on the sleepers in order to be fastened thereto.
The device for the impleme~tation of this process is characterised in that it comprises a vehicle provided with wheels in order to run on the old rails and comprising:
- at least one heating tunnel which is intended to be traversed by the new rails during the advance of the vehicle in order to neutralise them and which is provided with means for measuring and controlling the temperature of the new rails;
- means for catching the new rails, which have been previously brought to the site, in order to introduce them into the said tunnel.
The essential advantage of the invention is to permit the neutralisation of the rails in a mechanised manner, which brings significant savings in time and labour.
Other advantages of the invention result from the fact that the heating operation takes place continuously and while the new rails to be heated are not at all accommodated in the fastenings of the sleepers. Thus removed from the track, the new rails may be more easily exposed to the source of heat. Moreover, they "float"
freely, which permits the expansion of the metal to be carried out without constraints. The proposed system for continuous heating has, furthermore, the advantage of not requiring longitudinal transport of the treated rails: it is the vehicle for neutralisation which advances, while the new rails are only raised up. The heating as well as the temperature of the treated rails may respectively be controlled and measured much more easily and in a more 2 ~

accurate manner than directly on the track according to the non-mechanised current systems. Another advantage of the invention stems from the fact that during the heating of the new rails, the old rails may be detached and released, which makes a further saving in time.
During the substitution of the rails, the vehicle, preferably equipped with a heating tunnel for each stretch of rails, may run on the old rails and be equipped in this case with units for detaching the old rails.
The invention permits the neutralisation of the rails at an average speed of the order of 300 m to 400 m per hour, during the few allocated hours at night, therefore over approximately 1.5 to 2 km per night.
The heating is preferably carried out by high frequency induction.
In a preferred example, the tunnels are located between the rails of the track, in the zone of the rear end of the heating vehicle, and are preferably divided in two parts disposed one in front of and the other after the rear bogie of this vehicle, the rails are passing below the axles of said vehicle.
Preferred embodiments of the process are defined by Claims 2 and 3, and advantageous embodiments of the device are defined by Claims 5 to ~7.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ?HE DRAWING~
The invention will be described by means of the embodiments of the device by reference to the attached drawings.
Figures l to 3 show a first device formed by a vehicle arranged for the substitution and the neutralisation of the rails, represented in three successive parts.
Figures 4 to 6 show a second embodiment of such a vehicle.

Figure 7 represents such a vehicle in its entirety.
Figure 8 show a third embodiment of the vehicle.
Figures 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the tunnels alone for the vehicle 1 according to Figure 8.
Figure 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the vehicle.
Figure 10a is a plan view of th~ track to illustrate the positions of the old rails Rl and of the new rails R2 and their lateral displacement during the passage o~ the vehicle, as well as some components of this vehicle.
Figures 11 and 12 are enlarged sectional views of the tunnels for the vehicle of Figure 10 according to two different variants.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The device formed by a vehicle 1 is designed to remove the old rails R1 from a track and to lay in their place new rails R2 which are neutralised. The new rails R2 to be laid are previously disposed on either side of or in the centre of the track, approximately in the place ~or laying. The operations for depositing the old rails, for heating and for laying the new rails are all carried out continuously, at an average speed of, for example, 300 to 400 m per hour.
According to Figures 1 to 3, the vehicle 1 advances in the direction of the arrow on the old rails Rl, and it raises up the new rails R2 and heats them, while at the same time detaching the fastenings of the old rails R1~
During these tasks the new rails R2 do not undergo any longitudinal transport but remain, as it were, in place.
The vehicle 1 merely raises them up and displaces them in the transverse direction, progressively, relative to the stationary rails.
Vehicle 1 comprises three sections la, lb, lc, articulat~d at 3 and 3', which run on a leading bogie 5, intermPdiate axles 8 and 10, as well as a rear bogie 12.
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Along the length of this vehicle 1 are installed two heating tunnels 15 in the form of tubes, one tunnel per stretch of rails. These tunnels, principally supported by a frame 6, are slightly curved upwards and therefore are somewhat in the form of a vault having a rise of about 30 to 40 cm. The tubes forming the tunnels 15 are made of a slightly flexible material and/or are articulated.
In a forward compartment provided in the body 4 of the vehicle are located the drive motors and the generators for the heating of the tunnels; at the rear of the vehicle 1 is located a control cabin 13.
At the front of the vehicle 1 are installed means 14 for gripping the new rails R2 in order to catch hold of and to introduce these rails into the forward end 15e of the heating tunnels 15. These gripping means comprise rail lifters 14a mounted at the end of articulated levers 14b and which are adjustable by jacks 14c. The new rails R2 are previously welded in order to form a continuous stretch of rails hence joint-free.
For this purpose, long lengths of rails, for example of 108 m, which are composed of three rails welded in the workshop, are placed along the track and these long lengths of rails are gradually welded by machines as the train for substitution approaches. In this manner, it is the two continuous stretches of rails which are introduced into the two heating tunnels 15, where they are heated.
A preheating takes place in the tunnels, in the forward part 35, and a control of the temperature to the desired value of neutralisation is carried out in the part 35' of the tunnels, at the rear of the vehicle 1.
on traversing these tunnels the rails may float on rollers, which permits the metal to expand without constraint. For this purpose, the new rails R2 may be supported or guided by support rollers and/or guide rollers. If necessary, grippers with motorised rollers permit longitudinal displacement thereof, for example in order to adjust them to the old rails at the start of the laying.
As illustrated in Figure 3, the rear part of each heating tunnel 15 extends beyond the rear of the vehicle 1 and this rear part is suspended from a telescopic cantilevered beam 33 by a cable 34 which holds the rear end 15s of the tunnel where the heated rail R2 exits.
Pxeferably, the heating in the tunnels 15 is by induction. By creating a great number of magnetia fields enveloping the rail, it is possible to heat it rapidly right to the core, and to control thereby the amount of heating according to the intensity of the current~ The temperature of the rail, before and during the heating, is controlled and the intensity of heating is adjusted as a function of the external temperature and of the advance of the machine. In the case of an intermediate stop by the train, the heating is adjusted in order to maintain the desired temperature - in principl~ 25C - whatever may be the duration of the stop. This is done especially after the start of the work if the rear end of the stretches of new rails has passed through the tunnel and is welded to the forward end of the stretches of existing rails, for example of stretches laid the night before.
During the production of these first welds, there is a stop for a few minutes. However, it is also possible not to make thesa welds at that moment and to carry them out subsequently after the fixing of the new stretches of rails onto the sleepers.
The disposition of the heating and guide tunnels takes into account both the space required to detach the old rails Rl and the fact that the new rails R2 will be the more easily disposed without constraint on the sleepers, as they have been moved to a point vertically above their 2~t~ 2 laying position. This means that preferably the heating and guide tunnels will have approximately the same spacing as that of the rails on the track.
Of course it is possible to heat the two stretches of rails in a single heating tunnel. But this saving in the construction has the disadvantage that it is no longer possible to dissociate the control of the temperature of each stretch of rails and that the path of the sai~ rails must be corrected before the laying.
The vehicle 1 serves not only to heat the new rails R~, but also simultaneously to release the old rails R1.
These two functions are clearly separated in the actual structure of the machine. While the two heating tunnels 15, in the form of a vault, extend in the upper portion of the vehicle 1, the work stations for releasing the old rails are provided on platforms 16, 21, 25 and 27 suspended, below the heating tunnels, from the frameworks 7, 9 and 11 in a retractable manner by means of jacks 17, 22 and 28 for the raising and lowering movement. While working, the platforms may run on the track, which makes it possible to ensure, especially on curves, ~ correct positioning of the units and/or of the tools for detaching and fastening.
On the platforms 16 are located detaching stations with automatic sleeper-screw drivers 18 and movahle seats 19 for the workers who remove fastenings or release fix-tures. On the platforms 21 are provided movable seats ~3 for the manual sleeper-screw driving and movable seats 24 for the manual detaching.
The other platforms 25 and 27 are equipped with automatic detaching apparatuses 26 and are supplied with wheels 25a, 27a permitting them to rest on the rails on the track, and this considerably facilitates the accurate positioning of these automatic detaching apparatuses, the rise becoming negligible on the curves. The worX plat-2 ~ 2 forms of the vehicle 1 therefore permit the sleeper-screw-driving and the removal or the release of the fixtures, whether by hand or automatically.
If fastanings must bs completely removed, the latter are collected and conveyed by means of a transport system from the detaching stations of the vehicle 1 to the places where the new rails R2, leaving the heating tunnel, are fixed onto the sleepers by known means. This transport system is composed of several sections, of 10 which only the first sections 20, 20a, 20b are shown, and it extends up to the place for eastening the new rails (not shown); sections 20, 20b being horizontal belt conveyors and section 20a being a lifting transporter.
After the detaching and the release of tha old rails R1, the latter are caught by rail-guides 29 and rail lifters 32, mounted on an adjustable support 31 at the rear of the vahicle 1 which also comprises spacing and holding stays 30 of the released rails. The disposition of the rail lifters is such that the guiding of the rails operates by the simple advance of the vehicle 1. Then these old rails are cleared away towards the rear, either directly onto special transport wagons, or to be deposited in the centre of the track or by the side of the latter.
The vehicle 1 comprises, at the rear, a telescopic beam 33 which carries the section 20b of the system of transport of the fastenings, as well as the rear end 15s of Pach heating tunnel 15, suspended by a cable 34 and positioned in such a manner ~hat the new rails leaving each tunnel are laid on the sleapers at the places for their fixing. The work of fastening the new rails R2 is carried out by hand or in an automatic manner.
Figures 4 to 7 show diagrammatically a second embodiment of a vehicle for substitution and for neutral-isation of rails.

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-2 ~3 ~

Only the main parts are indicated by references; the parts corresponding to the parts of the first embodi-ment of Figures 1 to 3 bear the same references and are not described again.
The modifications in relation to the ~irst ~mbodiment are the following:
The means 14 for gripping the new rails R2 at the ~ront of the vehicle 1 have another configuration. This vehicle 1 rests on three bogies 5, 8' and 12, and it is articulated in the middle thereof at 3', and tharefore comprises only two articulated sections la, lb; it is likewise supplied with two heating tunnels 15 ~or heating the new rails R2, and with work platforms 16, 21, 25 and 27 to release the old rails R1. Each heating tunnel 15, represented partially in section in order to show sup-porting rollers 37 for the new rails, is extended towards the raar, in such a manner that between the moment when the new rail leaves this tunnel and the moment when the fixing of the fastenings locks the heated rail, barely more than two minutes elapse.
The end of each heating tunnel is suspended from the telescopic beam 33 of the vehicle 1 by suspensions 34'.
The part of the system for transport of fastenings, which part is carried by the vehicle 1, comprises four 25sections 20, 20a, 20b, 20'b.
Pr ~erably, the platforms of the first and of the second embodiment of the vehicle are equipped with computer-controlled robot-machines for the automatic detaching of the ~ixtures of the rails.
30The heating tunnels do not necessarily have to be continuous tubesj but may have tubular sections which may or may not be articulated. These tubular sections may also be disposed at a distance one from the other, each one comprising a heating unit, and are preferably con nected to each other by coverings or sleeves to retain the heat.
By referring to Figures 8 and 9, there is described a third example of a heating vehicle 1 designed to run on the old track R1, in the direction of the arrow, in order to raise the new rails R2, which have been previously deposited along the railway track, and to neutralise them by heating immediately before their layiny and, simultaneously, to detach the old rails R1 ~rom the track. Behind the vehicle 1, not shown in Figure 8, the released old rails ~1 are removed from the track and the new rails R2 are laid.
The vehicle 1 comprises a body 4 supported by a leading bogie 5 with two axles 5a and by a rear bogie 12 likewise with two axles 12a. Between these axles 5a, 12a are installed the two heating tunnels 15, 15', one for each stretch of new rails R2 (Figure 9).
As illustrated in Figure 9, these two tunnels 15, 15' are mounted in a common holder 40 disposed above the centre of the track and suspended beneath the body 4. It is formed by two lateral walls 40a separated by a common central wall 40b. The three walls of the holder join together at their upper portion and, at specified inter-vals, are extended by mountings 40c supended frsm the body 4, such that the positioning of the tunnels is centred in relation to the body 4 and consequently in relation to the track. The heating o~ the rails R2 to be neutralised is produced by high frequency induction: For this purpose, the rails R2 pass on the inside o~
inductors in the ~orm of one-turn coils 42, which coils are connected to inverters, and are displaced on yuide rollers 41 fixed in the walls 40a, 40b of the tunnels 15 15' between the inductors.
The disposition of these tunnels 15, 15' is such that the path of the rails R2 to be neutralised is located below the axles 5a, 12a, at a distance of between 20 to ' , f 40 cm, preferably between 25 and 30 cm, from the ballastO
By virtue of this disposition, there is no need to lift the rails very high and especially above the axles, which facilitates the work and the guiding of the rails.
On either side of the tunnels 15, 15' are provided work stations in retractable platforms 16, 21 suspended from the body 4 of the vehicle by jacks 17, 22 and on which are located automatic or manual detaching units, for example automatic sleeper-screw drivers 13 and movable seats 19, 24 for the workers who remove the fastenings or release the fixtures o~ the old rails to the sleepers.
At the front of the vehicle 1 are installed means 1~
for gripping the new rails R2, which have been previously disposed in the centre of the track or on either side o~
-the track. These gripping means 14 make it possible to catch and to introduce these rails R2 into the heating tunnels 15, 15'.
At the rear of the vehicle 1 ars provided rail lifters 31a which catch the heated new rails R2 at the exit of the tunnels 15, 15' and guide them on to the track where, after the old rails R1 have been removed, they will be laid and then fixed on the sleepers by known means.
Figures 10 and 11 show a fourth embodiment of a heating vehicle 1, advancing in thç direction of the arrowO The parts of the heating vehicle 1 which corres-pond to the parts of the previous examples have the same reference symbols. The heating tunnels are shorter than in the previous examples and are installed, as in the vehicle 1 according to Figure 8, such that the path of the rails R2 is located below the axles of the vehicle lo Vehicle 1 (Figure 10) supplied with a leading bogie 5 and with a rear bogie 12 runs on the old rails R1 and comprises a body 4 comprising a cabin 4a, compartments 4b for inverters which supply power at high frequency to the inductors of each heating tunnel, compartments 4c for the refrigerator sets which cool the inductors, a tank 4d for the fuel oil, generator sets 4e that supply power to the invert~rs, and sets of capacitors 4f associated with the inductors. The new rails R2, previously deposited in the middl~ of the track, are caught at the front of the vehicle 1 by gripping means 14 and laid onto the guide rollers 64, which are fixed on the framework of ~he vehicle and distributed along the latter, in such a manner that the new rails R2 can pass beneath the axles 5a, 12a and between the wheels of the bogies 5 and 12.
The heating tunnels are installed in the zone of the rear end of the vehicle 1 in the middle of the track, in a common holder 36 ~Figure 14). For the case con-sidered, they are divided into two parts 15a, 15b fixedto the framework 7, one situated before and the other after the rear bogie 12. For high-frequency heating, the part 15a comprises two inductor units 76, each having a length of 1 m, and therefore has a length of only 2 m, while the part 15b comprises only one inductor which is lm in length. Each inductor 76 has the form of a one-turn coil and is connected to a set of capacitors; the oscillating circuit formed by this coil and said capacitors is fed by the inverters. By virtue of the short length of the tunnel, the rails R2 are not required to be guided in the interior of the tunnel, but may pass through it freely. Of course, each part of the tunnel comprises two sections which are placed side by side, one for each stretch of rails, as shown in Figure 11 for the part~ 15a, 15a', which sections are provided with inductors 76 surrounding the two rails R2. In order to ensure a correct centred guiding, each part of the tunnels may be supplied with rollers 37a which bear on and run on the rails R2 passing this part, these rollers being installed before and after the inductors, 2~4~ 2 respectively between the inductors. The parts of the tunnels are suspended from the framework 7 in such a manner that they are slightly movable in relation to the framework in order to allow them self-adjustment.
According to the variant of Figure 12 the two sections 15a, 15a' of the tunnel providecl for each strech of rail are spaced, connected by a traverse 36a and suspended from the the framework 7 by means of jacks 7a which permit to lift them when the vehicle is running light.
Each tunnel is provided not only with rollers 37a bearing on the rails R2 but also with rollers 37b on both sides of each rail for the lateral guiding.
In order to detach the old rails R1, there are provided detaching units on two platforms 16 which are suspended from the framework 7; these platforms are equipped with tools for disassembling fixtures, such as automatic sleeper-screw drivers 18, and are supplied with wheels 16a in order to run on the rails R1.
At thP rear, the vehicle 1 comprises rail-guides 29 for the old rails Rl that are released, a cantilevered frame 38 carrying an adjustable support 31 provided with rail lifters 32 which lift the rails R1 (Figure 10) and move them apart (Figure lOa), as well as a tracked conveyor 39 running on the sleepers in order to prevent them from leaving the ballast during the lifting of the rails R1. The frame 38 may be displaced towards the interior of the vehicle by virtue of the rollers 38a running on slide bars on the framework 7.
Generally the vehicle 1 is followed by a vehicle 2 for assembly of the new rails, which is indicated only diagrammatically in Figure 10. Preferably, at the front of this vehicle is installed an auxiliary heating tunnel which comes into operation only after an interruption in the work for reheating the rails R2 which have already left the tunnel 15a, 15b before their fixing. In order to ';

supply the inductor in this auxiliary tunnel there is provided, as shown in Fiyure 10, a link 36' between the vehicles, comprising an electrical line and a cooling conduit from the inductor.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described but may exhibit numerous variants.

Claims (17)

1. Process for the neutralisation of the new rails of railway tracks, characterised in that:
- the new rails, previously brought to the site, before being laid on the sleepers, are heated continuously in order to be neutralised, the rails being for this purpose raised and exposed to a source of heat which is moved in a continuous manner, - then, the new rails, brought to and maintained at the temperature of neutralisation, are laid continuously on the sleepers in order to be fastened thereto.

2. Process according to Claim 1, characterised in that the source of heat is mounted on a vehicle running on the old rails which are detached during the passage of the said vehicle.

3. Process according to Claim 1, characterised in that the new rails are welded to form a joint-free stretch before being heated.

4. Device for the neutralisation of the new rails of railways tracks, characterised in that it comprises a vehicle (1) provided with wheels in order to run on the old rails (R1) and comprising:
- at least one heating tunnel (15, 15a, 15b) which is intended to be traversed by the new rails (R2) during the advance of the vehicle (1) in order to neutralise them and which is provided with means for measuring and controlling the temperature of the new rails (R2);
- means for catching (14, 64) the new rails (R2), which have been previously brought to the site, in order to introduce them into the said tunnel (15, 15a, 15b).

5. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the said tunnel (15, 15a, 15b) is situated below the body (4) of the heating vehicle (1), and in that the new rails (R2) pass below the axles and between the wheels of the heating vehicle (1).

6. Device according to Claim 5, characterised in that the tunnel (15a, 15b) is located between the rails of the track, in the zone of the rear end of the heating vehicle (1), and is preferably divided in two parts disposed one in front of and the other after the rear bogie of this vehicle.

7. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that there are at least two tunnels (15) located, approximately vertically above the places for laying the new rails and having approximately the same spacing as that of the rails on the track.

8. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that there is provided a heating tunnel (15, 15', 15a, 15a') for each stretch of new rails (R2) and in that preferably the said tunnels are installed side by side in a single holder (36, 40) situated in the centre of the track.

9. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the said vehicle (1) is equipped with stations (18, 19, 23, 24, 26,) in order to release the old rails (R1) from the sleepers, and means (29, 32) for guiding the detached old rails (R1).

10. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the stations for releasing the old rails (R1) are installed on platforms (16, 21, 25, 27) suspended from frameworks (7, 9, 11) of the vehicle and which are retractable, preferably the said platforms are disposed to be able to run on the old rails.

11. Device according to Claim 10, characterised in that the said platforms are equipped with robot-machines, preferably computer-controlled, for the automatic detaching of the fixtures of the rails (R1).

12. Device according to Claim 9, characterised in that a transport system (20, 20a, 20b) is provided for the collection and the conveying of the fastenings from the detaching stations of the vehicle (1) towards the place of fixing of the new rails.

13. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that each heating tunnel (15) is provided with support or guide rollers (37, 37a, 37b, 41) for the rails.

14. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the heating tunnel (15) is provided with motorised rail lifters permitting the longitudinal displacement of the new rails.

15. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that there is provided a cantilevered frame (38) at the rear of the heating vehicle (1), preferably displaceable towards the interior of the vehicle, this frame carrying an adjustable support (31) provided with rail lifters (31a) for guiding the rails.

16. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that each heating tunnel (15, 15a, 15b) is provided with a facility for induction heating.

17. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that at the front of a vehicle which follows the heating vehicle (1) is installed an auxiliary heating tunnel.