Paignton Rail Trials: How Hardlock Nuts Improve Fishplate Joint Reliability
To evaluate whether modern rail fastening technology could outperform traditional fishplate fastening practices, Staytite conducted a 12-month rail trial at Paignton.
The trial directly compared:
- A metric fishplate joint converted using Hardlock Nuts and Interflon Lube EP
- A traditional imperial fishplate installation using V-grade square and pear headed bolts, Renloc nuts and conventional black grease
Intelligent Bolts were installed to continuously monitor bolt load and provide objective performance data throughout the trial.
Over the 12-month monitoring period, 8,760 readings were collected from each monitored bolt, creating a detailed dataset comparing preload retention, maintenance requirements and overall joint performance.
The results demonstrated a clear difference between the two fastening approaches. The Hardlock-converted joint maintained stable performance throughout the trial without adjustment, while the traditional imperial installation required regular manual intervention.