Business profile
Mechan makes its mark
Company firsts at home and abroad are reinforcing the reputation of Mechan and rewarding the depot maintenance specialist for its commitment to innovation and engineering excellence
S
heffield-based Mechan is looking forward to continued progress this year, after building momentum in its export trade and delivering equipment at home that will play a key role in keeping the British transport network moving. The firm secured its place in the record books after installing the largest capacity rail traverser in the UK to transfer freight locomotives between lines at the Port of Felixstowe’s new North Rail Terminal. With a capacity of 170 tonnes, the structure is one of a kind and the most advanced traverser ever produced by Mechan. Weighing 90 tonnes and measuring 30 metres in length, the behemoth is equipped specifically to handle future locomotives, which are expected to be larger than today’s trains.
On the up down under On the other side of the world, Mechan has further enhanced its export credentials by securing its first order down under. Thanks to links with local distributor, Unique Rail, the firm supplied a pair of ten
tonne bogie rotators to Australia’s Downer EDi Rail for the Newport depot in Victoria. They are the heaviest Mechan has ever produced and will be used to maintain up to ten different types of locomotive. This broad remit required design
modifications to increase the rotators’ lifting
capacity and add extra bolt holes to the structures. Unique worked with Mechan’s engineers to create a special adapter that would attach to various bogie frames. Typically, rotators are manufactured to support six to eight tonnes, but as freight trains in Australia are larger than the UK equivalent, the capacity was increased to ten tonnes.
Exports continue to play a starring
role in Mechan’s development and the firm is currently working with Associated Engineers, its partner in Hong Kong, on two new projects for national rail operators, MTR, which will increase its presence in the region. A total of 24 lifting jacks with a 20 tonne
capability and four bogie turntables are being constructed for the new Wong Chuk Hang depot on the south island line (east), due to open in 2015. Mechan has also been commissioned to provide a bogie drop for the Shek Kong maintenance facility that will serve the high speed Express Rail Link (XRL), connecting Hong Kong with Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Poor ground conditions on the island mean the firm’s standard bogie drop design needs to be modified to work with a shallower pit, but despite the changes, both orders are on schedule and will be ready for delivery in the spring.
February 2014 Page 127
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