What are Relocatable Equipment Buildings (REBs)
An REB or relocatable equipment building is one of the most well known pieces of trackside equipment seen across the railway.
These ubiquitous, modular buildings sit at key railway junctions where they house safety critical railway signalling and interlocking equipment, electrification & plant power systems, switchgear systems and uninterruptible power supplies (such as UPS systems) trackside as well as the FTN or fixed telecoms network.
Why is an REB called an REB?
A railway REB is relocatable in so much that it is manufactured and often at least partly fitted on site at our workshop in Saltash, Cornwall before being delivered and moved into position at its intended site trackside across the UK. But once installed an REB is rarely ever relocated and doing so is not an easy job!
A major benefit of fitting the majority of the REB components before moving it trackside is that they can all be fully functionally tested before being positioned which can help to mitigate costly delays to installation should faults be found trackside.
What are REB combination buildings?
As well as being used as stand alone buildings, some REBs can have multiple functions. REB combination buildings are cost effective alternatives to having multiple trackside cabinets, designed not only to house railway signalling equipment but also to house the principal supply point (PSP) alongside, saving both space and money for the rail industry.
The life of an REB from design to positioning
So we’ve established that the relocatable element of the REBs name is a slight misnomer but how exactly does it get to its trackside location from our idyllic Cornish manufacturing site.
Design
Here at RSP, the life of a relocatable equipment building begins with design. Most of our REBs are based on Network Rail’s standard Type 1-9 sizing. We do, however, also offer a completely flexible service with bespoke designs by our team of IRSE licenced designers should customers require them for their rail project.
All of our designs use state of the art 3D modelling software to ensure the equipment rack sizing suits the final installation.
Manufacture, Fitting and testing
All our REB units are manufactured to the rail industry BR1615D specification and all units contain the BRSM440 Equipment Racking bar to mount the internal equipment. Wherever possible the REB’s domestic equipment is standardised to ensure continuity throughout a project and across the railway.
REBs are then fitted out at our manufacturing site in Saltash with all the required rail signalling equipment and power and network cabling with great care taken when working on these complex and safety critical components.
Once fitted the equipment can be cross checked and undergo 3A and/or BS EN61439 comprehensive functional testing in clean conditions at the factory.
Delivery and positioning
After manufacturing, fitting and testing, the REB can finally then be relocated to site by our team of highly skilled delivery partners who can not only assist with delivery services, but also assist with positioning by producing lifting plans and site surveys across the UK rail network.
Our REB products
Here at RSP our REB products are available in olive green or goosewing grey as standard with bespoke colours also available upon request as well as a multitude of options when it comes to lighting, ventilation, safety and security, floor reinforcement and interior walls.
With our skilled team able to assist at every stage of the process from design to manufacture, testing and installation RSP offer a streamlined and cost effective service when it comes to relocatable equipment buildings. Contact us now for all your REB requirements.