AIVR TLC (Tail Lamp Camera)
What is it
One Big Circle’s Tail Lamp Camera, or TLC, is a portable, rail-mounted video system that fits externally on a train’s tail-lamp bracket and captures forward-facing footage and thermal footage. It is part of the AIVR family of tools used to collect rail infrastructure data for review on the AIVR Platform.
Why it matters
The TLC gives rail infrastructure monitoring teams a quick, flexible way to gather track and lineside evidence from in-service trains without needing a permanently installed camera on each vehicle. That makes it useful for targeted inspections, improving route coverage, and faster review of infrastructure conditions.
From the same portable setup, users can inspect thermal footage for heat-related issues, and inspect lineside assets.
AIVR TLC (Tail Lamp Camera) housing, mounted externally on the tail lamp bracket of a train to capture forward facing and thermal video.
When and where
The TLC box is a Network Rail Signal Innovations Group concept that was made available to a number of suppliers to capture Infrastructure Monitoring data from the railway environment. It has been deployed since 2019.
Thermal imagery captured via the AIVR TLC housing, shown alongside the corresponding forward-facing video on the AIVR Platform.
How it works
TLC cameras capture forward-facing visible and thermal video while the train is moving. The footage is then made available to the AIVR Platform for upload and online review and analysis.
The TLC is referred to as a T-box, a sealed aluminium enclosure painted Signal Yellow to match the front end of UK trains. Optically polished glass inset protects the video camera. As this glass is opaque to infrared radiation, a second glass inset for the thermal camera is made of germanium, which transmits radiation in the 8 to 14 μm wavelength. This allows for the effective capture of thermal radiation.
Tested to all relevant standards, the rugged housing is designed for repeated redeployment between vehicles. The T-box is mounted by hand on a compatible locomotive or other vehicle with the right fixings, clipping to the tail lamp bracket on vehicles’ front ends.