Background information:
Concrete cable trays are used where data cables, electricity cables or gas pipes enter the surroundings of the maintenance path and/or the ballast bed. This can be anywhere, but cable trays are especially common on railway yards, viaducts and near sound walls. The cable trays can be found frequently in particular from and to light signals and rail safety elements. We also frequently see cable trays with gas pipes near switch engines. The functions of the cable tray are to structure the cabling in such a way that it is also easy to access if cables need to be replaced or added. But it is also easier to walk over the covers of cable trays without tripping, which could be happening over loose cables. Cable trays are available in various widths and depths, even depending on the various suppliers. The widths between 15 and 40 cm are most common along the track in the Netherlands. Wider cable ducts are used, for example, in so-called switching gardens of high-voltage substations. The cable trays are also frequently used in similar situations in neighboring countries such as Germany and Belgium.
Architectural details:
The narrowest cable trays have no special angle or T connectors because they are mainly used for thin, easily bendable cables. Narrow cable ducts are then placed at right angles to each other if desired and then a piece of side wall is taken away where necessary. The wider cable trays do have corner and T connection segments. It is not uncommon to see several cable trays next to each other in places where a lot of cabling is routed from point A to point B. The choice for several narrow cable trays instead of 1 wide one is made to better structure the cabling and often because the situation expands as the years pass. Laying a new cable tray next to an existing one is easier than replacing an existing one for a wider one.
When processing the Markenburg cable tray parts, it is recommended to first only place the skeleton layers with undiluted wood glue. Let this dry for a few hours. Then perform all wet work around it, such as ballasting or placing greenery. Finally, when everything has been allowed to dry, apply the top layer of the cable tray with a modest amount of undiluted wood glue.
