Direct Rail Services' siblings 68017 "Hornet" and 68002 "Intrepid" work the 3J77/3J78 Carlisle Kingmoor to Carlisle Kingmoor rail head treatment train (RHTT).
Network Rail has a fleet of 50 RHTT wagons that operate daily around the UK during leaf fall season. They usually begin working in late September/early November until just before Christmas.
Leaves falling on the rail heads are compacted under the wheels of trains and produce a very slick, low-adhesion surface. This reduces the braking effectiveness of trains, which can be a safety hazard (as demonstrated in the recent Salisbury Tunnel derailment and collision).
The role of the RHTTs is to blast autumnal leaf detritus from the rail head, so as to improve rail head adhesion. It does this using high pressure water jets. This is a very noisy and messy job, as you'll see in my footage. Some RHTT wagons are equipped with the ability to apply Sandite, which further enhances rail head adhesion.
In this video We see the RHTT pass through Middlesbrough three times. There was a fourth, but sadly a TransPennine Express Desiro passed in front obscuring the view.
Footage was captured using a Panasonic HC-VX1 (aff. link) fitted with a Rode VideoMic Go (aff. link).
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