Portable
Rail 

Hunting 

System

Background

Rail hunting is a lateral oscillation phenomenon where train wheels alternately make and break contact with the inner track edges. Excessive rail hunting increases the risk of track wear, damage, and derailment. Factors including speed, track conditions, and wheel/track interaction play a significant role in determining hunting severity and, in turn, maximum allowable travel speeds.

Following a derailment on a critical rail corridor, a national network operator required a reliable, high-precision system to investigate whether rail hunting contributed to the incident. They turned to Elevate Controls to design a portable, autonomous, high-speed rail hunting detection system capable of long-term deployment in a remote, harsh environment.

The Challenge

The detection system was deployed in remote desert environments and needed to operate autonomously. The environment posed several technical constraints requiring out of the box thinking.

No on-site power, large day/night temperature swings, and extreme variation in natural lighting challenged power delivery and optical measurement fidelity.

Five scanning lasers collecting data at 2,000 samples per second across a 20-metre test section generated up to 8MB of data per train, requiring advanced acquisition and storage strategies.

The system had to be operational 24/7 for up to 12 months, triggering automatically on unpredictable train arrivals.

Only basic 3G connectivity was available at the site, requiring a fault-tolerant transmission method to transfer data to the analysis team located over 1,000 km away.

Railway

The Solution

Elevate Controls engineered an autonomous rail hunting detection system designed for long-term, unattended operation. It captured, stored, and transmitted real-time train wheel movement data accurately and reliably.

The designed system featured a range of innovations to overcome the challenges.

High-speed sensing and intelligent triggering

  • The system’s core was a CompactRIO controller that acquired synchronised data from five Micro-Epsilon scanning lasers mounted along the track.
  • Approach sensors placed 150 metres from the test section automatically triggered data capture as trains entered and exited the detection zone, eliminating the need for manual activation.
  • Each train’s wheel position relative to the inner rail was recorded, identifying sinusoidal movement patterns and enabling pinpoint detection of rail hunting effects.

Ruggedised for harsh environments

  • The electronics and optics were installed in sealed, weatherproof enclosures for long-term protection against dust, extreme temperatures, and environmental hazards.
  • A solar-powered battery system sustained operation around the clock, managing the high-power requirements of the lasers and acquisition controller.
  • Adaptive laser calibration software dynamically adjusts for ambient light conditions, enabling accurate measurements in intense sunlight and total darkness.

Fail-safe data handling and remote access

  • Data was locally logged to an industrial-grade SSD, ensuring no loss during capture.
  • A customised compression and transfer protocol sent captured data back to headquarters via limited 3G connectivity.
  • Engineers accessed the system remotely to monitor performance, troubleshoot, and manage storage, minimising on-site maintenance.

Rapid deployment and long-term operation

  • Over 12 months of continuous operation, the system captured each train that passed through the site, delivering repeatable data and uncovering patterns across specific rolling stock types.

The Outcome

The Elevate Controls rail hunting detection system delivered exceptional performance and operational insight, providing the client with a comprehensive data set to support post-incident analysis and long-term maintenance strategies.

Key outcomes included:

  • Real-time measurement of wheel movement patterns allowed engineers to correlate data with track geometry, speed, and rolling stock configuration.
  • The system enabled the isolation of specific locomotives and wagons exhibiting excessive rail hunting behaviour, which informed maintenance planning and asset tracking.
  • Operated continuously without failure for a whole year in harsh, off-grid conditions. Delivered actionable insights that improved decision-making on train speeds, track maintenance, and infrastructure upgrades to prevent future derailments.

Our Approach

Every control, monitoring, or test system project is unique. Elevate Controls follows a consistent development process that adapts to the unique requirements of your project and delivers a quality outcome every time. We use industry-standard tool chains that ensure consistent and efficient application of resources across every stage.

We offer a full-cycle development service from concept to deployment, and every stage in between. Whether you’re starting from a blank page or optimising an existing system, our team brings deep industrial experience, technical know-how, and a problem-solving mindset to every project.

Concept Validation

System Architecture

System Development

Deployment & Scaling

Maintenance & Evolution
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Our Services

Embedded Controllers

Elevate Controls offers full-cycle development of embedded controllers. Our consistent development process adapts to the unique requirements of your project and ensures a quality outcome every time. We use industry standard tool chains that ensure efficient use of resources, and design protect to allow for future variation and scalability.

Measurement & Automation

We supply custom measurement and automation systems for application in technology-based industries including mining & materials handling, renewable energy & power, transport, and manufacturing.

Our systems deliver superior performance for demanding applications that push the limits of traditional data loggers and PC/PLC controllers.

MatLab/Simulink Services

We are expert integrators of the Mathworks MATLAB/Simulink software toolchain for system modelling, simulation and control design of complex engineering applications.

Vehicle/Engine Control Units

We design, develop, validate and certify high-volume Vehicle/Engine Control Units.

We are a proven partner for VCU/ECU development with over 100,000 units currently in service.

Product Development and Supply

Elevate Controls can partner with you to develop your control, measurement, or automation product. We can manage the entire process to the point of handover or work as an embedded part of your product development team.

We develop products using fully documented industry-standard processes and toolsets that ensure that your product can be maintained, evolved, and supported for it’s projected commercial life.

We employ a consistent development methodology that delivers successful outcomes every time.

Test Systems

Elevate Controls develops custom test systems that are integral to every successful industrial or manufacturing business. Test guides and validates product development, tracks and maintains product quality, and is an essential element of post-production support and warranty management.

Specialised Industrial Automation

Elevate Controls specialises in custom solutions to industrial automation challenges that push the limits of traditional PLC/SCADA systems. We target challenging industrial R&D or test applications, specialised sub-systems within a traditional DCS, and process control for niche or pilot-scale manufacturing.

We have supplied systems to industries that include mining and materials handling, electrical power, transport, manufacturing, process industries, agribusiness, and engineering services.

We do not compete directly in the large-scale DCS or SCADA space.

Engineering Data Management

Traditional data management lags behind the exponential growth in the volume and variety of data collected in modern engineering workplaces.

Elevate Controls’ Engineering Data Management Solution is designed to meet the needs of small to medium-sized engineering groups that must manage, analyse, and report large quantities of mixed-signal data.

NI Alliance Partner

Elevate Controls is an NI Systems Integration Partner with over 30 years’ experience deploying NI-based systems into Australian industry.

We are one of Australia’s most awarded integrators of NI systems at leading industry events.

We have hands-on experience with all NI’s current & legacy hardware lines, and all NI software applications & frameworks. We are one of Australia’s leading LabVIEW software development houses, having worked with every version of LabVIEW since its initial release.

Fibre Optic Measurement

Fibre Optic Measurement delivers some unique benefits that complement the functionality of traditional electro-mechanical sensing systems.

Elevate Controls can deliver measurement and automation systems that seamlessly integrate Fibre Optic Measurement into traditional electro-mechanical sensing systems. This can address issues that may be challenging or impossible to meet with electro-mechanical sensors alone.

Contact Us

Our solutions leverage industry-leading platforms, including National Instruments hardware and software, ensuring reliability, scalability, and faultless integration with your existing infrastructure.

We partner with clients throughout the entire project lifecycle—from proof of concept to system development, deployment, and long-term support— with the added flexibility to integrate at any phase of your project.

Elevate Controls helps businesses accelerate innovation while optimising performance and cost.

Contact us today to discuss your specific requirements and discover how Elevate Controls drives efficiency, accuracy, and competitive advantage in your operations.



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