Drop of knowledge #28

Table of contents:

1. 1. How to prevent failures in railway rolling stock?🚂 (testing guide) →
2. 2. Ecol becomes a member of the Polish Railway Chamber →
3. 2. Check also at ecol.eu →
4. 4. Upcoming conferences we are attending →
5. 5. Element of the month →

1. How to prevent failures in railway rolling stock?🚂 (testing guide)

Oil diagnostics is one of the most effective tools for reducing failures and downtime in the railway industry.

Thanks to oil analysis, it is possible to:

• detect component wear at an early stage
• assess the actual condition of the lubricant
• identify contaminants affecting system reliability

👉 In practice, this means fewer unplanned downtimes, lower maintenance costs, and higher fleet availability.

We have prepared a material that presents the key areas of oil diagnostics in the railway industry, along with a clear overview of the most important laboratory tests for the sector, divided into:

• gearboxes and bearings
• hydraulics
• fuels
• transformers

👉 See how oil diagnostics works in the railway industry:

2. Ecol is a member of the Polish Chamber of Railways

The Supervisory Board of the Polish Chamber of Railways has adopted Resolution No. 72/P/2025, admitting Ecol Sp. z o.o., based in Rybnik, as a member of the Chamber.

Membership of the Polish Chamber of Railways offers our company a range of benefits, including the opportunity to participate directly in key industry events, access to exclusive reports and analyses of the railway market, support in establishing business contacts, as well as participation in legislative work and consultations.

Membership of the Chamber also enables us to promote the company within the railway community both at home and abroad.

The Polish Chamber of Railways is an economic self-governing body operating as a non-profit organisation, which brings together entities involved in the railway market.

Established in 1999 under the Act on Economic Chambers, the Chamber currently brings together over 460 entities and focuses on representing and protecting the interests of its members, as well as supporting the development of rail transport in Poland.

3. check also:

4. Upcoming conferences we are attending:

• ➡️ 7–8.05.2026 | Automotive CEE Day, Opole
• ➡️ 11–13.05.2026 | BMP Conference: Repairs and Maintenance in the Chemical Industry, Jastrzębia Góra
• ➡️ 12–13.05.2026 | Maintenance 360, Aleksandrów Łódzki
• ➡️ 13–15.05.2026 | SPIE ENERGOTEST “Power system automation in the era of transformation”, Wisła
• ➡️ 14–15.05.2026 | Economic Committee and Transport Management Committees IGKM, Toruń
• ➡️ 19–21.05.2026 | New Gas in Energy Sector, Grudziądz
• ➡️ 20–21.05.2026 | Tour de Wind, Grzybowo
• ➡️ 20–22.05.2026 | Technical Diagnostics Forum, Malbork
• ➡️ 25–27.05.2026 | High Voltage Engineering Symposium, Poznań
• ➡️ 26–28.05.2026 | Modern Gravel and Sand Mines, Rzeszów

5. Element of the month

Titanium (Ti, Latin: titanium) is a chemical element valued for its exceptional mechanical strength and high corrosion resistance. Thanks to these properties, it is widely used in the aerospace, space, automotive industries, as well as in medicine (e.g. implantology). Titanium is also used in the production of high-durability alloys and as a component of protective coatings.

The presence of titanium in oil samples results from:

• wear of components made of titanium alloys used in advanced engineering designs (e.g. in aviation),
• the presence of additive packages containing titanium compounds – including modern engine oils, where they are part of additive systems improving operational properties,
• contaminants originating from production processes or the working environment – particularly in machines operating under demanding conditions, e.g. in mining, where the presence of titanium in oil is relatively common.

Titanium compounds, such as titanium dioxide (TiO₂), are widely used as pigments and components of protective coatings that increase material resistance to external factors.

Interesting facts:

• Titanium was discovered in 1791 and its name comes from the Titans of Greek mythology.
• It is characterized by a very high strength-to-weight ratio, making it one of the key materials in modern engineering.
• It is resistant to seawater and many aggressive chemical environments.
• In oil analysis, the presence of titanium may indicate wear of specific components or the presence of unusual additives; therefore, its identification has diagnostic significance in selected applications.