Stronger presence in Eastern Germany: VTG subsidiary, Waggonwerk Brühl GmbH, recently opened a new mobile service point in Vacha, Thuringia. With immediate effect, a mobile unit will now take over operations on damaged wagons in the region, including in Fulda and Hanau. The team at the service point will also have access to a quick-repair track equipped with an inspection pit and a 40-ton lifting jack unit. The unit is especially designed for exchanging wheelsets and performing quick repairs that cannot be performed on a mobile basis, thus ideally complementing the range of services on offer. "We are convinced that mobile service operations are the face of the future," states Sven Wellbrock, Managing Director of VTG Rail Europe GmbH. "Against the current background of digitalization and predictive maintenance, it is becoming increasingly important to perform smaller jobs quickly and flexibly. The opening of the new service point means that we are continuing down this path."
Individual service vehicle for even more flexible operations
The new presence in Vacha now means that the mobile service is represented at six locations throughout Germany, including Hamburg since December 2017. The introduction of an individually equipped mobile service unit, that allows many jobs to performed even more quickly at the same time as improving work safety, means that the mobile teams there are now even more operational. "During the development of this custom-made product, we brought in all our practical experience to optimize the processes for future mobile operations. The vehicle is perfectly designed for practical operations requirements," states Gerd Steinbock, Managing Director of Waggonwerk Brühl GmbH.
The truck is an Iveco Daily flatbed truck with a maximum payload of 2.8 tons, which is twice as much as the service vehicles currently in operation. The open truck bed can transport two complete wheelsets that can be moved by a loading crane permanently attached to the flatbed. The crane has a lifting capacity of 3.6 tons and can extend to a maximum of 6 meters. It can still lift some 600 kilograms while extended to 6 meters. This provides considerable relief to mechanics, especially when replacing buffers on a mobile basis, and also increases the level of safety during this work step. A powerful screw compressor is fitted under the truck bed and is driven directly by a 3-liter diesel engine over a second cardan shaft. Whereas a leak and functional test (LeFt) with compressed air in a 90 cubic meter tank wagon takes up to five hours with conventional mobile compressors, the underfloor compressor on the new service truck can do the same now in about an hour. Nevertheless, the vehicle dimensions at an approx. length of 7.5 meters and an approx. width of 2.6 meters are so compact that it can be easily moved and maneuvered in all conceivable operating areas, such as chemical plants or tank farms.
Another special feature of the vehicle is that it comes equipped with a double cabin so that as many as seven workers can be transported. This gives trainees from VTG RailTrain the opportunity to go out on service operations and gain experience in mobile freight wagon maintenance. The integrative training program at VTG RailTrain has been in place since 2017 and currently offers seven young persons with special educational support needs a chance to successfully take their first steps in their careers. The second year of training is due to start in the summer of 2018.