AssetID: 55105578
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Meet Ctrl Alt Deleaf: Britain's New Weapon Against The Scourge Of 'Leaves On The Line'
Caption: As autumn arrives, each year British commuters face the railways' biggest nemesis: leaves on the line. Although it’s the butt of many a joke, the leafy seasonal nuisance that turns into the railway equivalent of black ice. The goal: keeping millions of passengers safe and trains moving as the trees shed billions of leaves over the next three months. This year, however, there’s a new weapon against this deciduous devil - a special train called Ctrl Alt Deleaf. The train is the latest in a fleet of specialist leaf-busting machines designed to blast away the treacherous mulch. The name was chosen by the public in a nationwide vote, beating other pun-packed contenders such as “Pulp Friction,” “The Autumn Avenger” and “Leaf-Fall Weapon.” With more than half the votes, the cheeky computer-themed moniker stormed into first place. Rolling out from Effingham Junction in Surrey with an autumnal paint job, Ctrl Alt Deleaf will patrol the Wessex route, covering 170,000 miles of track across London, Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon. “It was fantastic to see so many members of the public get involved with naming a leaf-busting train,” said railway historian and TV presenter Tim Dunn, who helped whittle down the shortlist. “Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a name and vote for a winner! The leaf-busting trains are a vital tool in Network Rail’s operation to tackle the impact of leaf fall on the railways. I’m delighted that the public has been able to honour these marvellous machines with such a fantastic name.” Each autumn, around 500 billion leaves – half a million tonnes, or about the weight of 100,000 elephants – fall onto Britain’s 20,000 miles of track. Damp leaves get crushed under passing trains, creating a smooth, slippery film that reduces grip and interferes with signals. The result? Slower journeys, revised timetables, and the occasional exasperated sigh from passengers. Tom Desmond, Operations Director for Network Rail and SWR, put it bluntly: “Leaves on the line get crushed onto the railway, becoming like black ice on the roads, lowering adhesion and impacting acceleration and braking. ‘Ctrl Alt Deleaf’ is an amusing name for a serious bit of kit, which will blast the rails with water to clear autumn leaf fall contamination.” Network Rail isn’t just relying on a single quirky-named train as its leaf-busting fleet will cover more than 1.12 million miles this autumn – almost 45 times around the Earth – spraying the rails with high-pressure water and applying a gel to improve grip. Meanwhile, trains have been kitted out with smart sand dispensers that can automatically release up to 5kg of sand a minute when braking, cutting stopping distances dramatically. Elsewhere, 4x4 “Sand Rovers” patrol the lines, drones scout the network from above, and front-mounted cameras record high-definition video so engineers can pinpoint trouble spots. There’s even a quick-acting cleaner called Interflon LeafGuard that leaves behind a self-activating film to keep rails slick-free for longer. Despite the armoury, some operators still publish special autumn timetables in leaf-prone areas. Much like motorists easing off the accelerator on icy roads, trains need longer to brake safely, so schedules are tweaked to allow for cautious driving. And yes – if you’re wondering – delays caused by leaf-fall added up to thousands of hours last year. So, the next time you hear your train has been delayed by “leaves on the line,” spare a thought for Ctrl Alt Deleaf and its fellow mulch-fighters, waging a quiet war against the seasonal scourge — one soggy leaf at a time.
Keywords: feature,photo,video,network rail,trains,ctrl alt deleaf
PersonInImage: The Ctrl Alt Deleaf deleafing train.