What to see at Railtex 2013 #6

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In the run up to Railtex, Rail.co and the rail engineer will be looking at the must-see innovations on display at this year’s event.

Harmill Systems

Stand C111   

Harmill Systems, the specialist depot plant and equipment engineers, will be exhibiting its new innovative road rail Train and Bogie Mover (TM300). A 4-wheel-drive vehicle with 4-wheel-steering able to run on road and rail, the vehicle is remote controlled and is able to pull a 300 tonne train with ease.

9037_Train_mover_1 LARGE [online]Highly manoeuvrable, the vehicle weighs 6 tonnes and each of the four wheels is driven by a 6 kW motor. For maximum manoeuvrability, there are three steering modes: rail, crab and four wheel steering.

Other equipment manufactured by Harmill includes rail mounted inspection vehicles both powered and self propelled together with pit manipulators, side pit manipulators, autocoupler removal tools and a vast range of depot plant solutions Harmill Systems also carries out specialist design and build contracts in the railway environment such as centralised vacuum cleaning systems, dust removal systems and de-icing systems.

Healthcare Connections

Stand F61 

Healthcare Connections, established in 1998, is a highly experienced and trusted provider to the railway industry and beyond. The company operates a nationwide service specialising in drug & alcohol screening, industry-related medicals, preventative health schemes, health surveillance programmes, medical consultancy, absence management & medication checking.

Details of their new, innovative web-based bookings and administration system will be highlighted at Railtex. The secure interface provides clients with their own portal in which to make/manage bookings and receive results. Benefits to the client are numerous:

•    Clients will be able to login securely to perform a range of operations – make online bookings and appointments, complete online medical questionnaires, view/amend existing bookings, manage referrals and deliverables such as laboratory results and certification,

•    Instant client access to real-time and historical reporting and printing of certification copies,

•    Employers can view the live status of a job or referral,

•    Reminders of appointments via email or SMS messaging, reducing costs and avoidance of ‘did not attends’

The system is intuitive and simple to use – the map search facility makes finding a medical centre easy.

Henkel

Stand G94   

Henkel, the world leader in engineering adhesives, sealants and surface treatment products, is introducing two brand new systems at this exhibition.

The first is the new Loctite® Axle Corrosion Protection System that has been developed to extend the life of axles and reduce the high cost of premature replacement. This new introduction comprises a suite of proven Loctite® products that pre-treat the substrate to inhibit corrosion and promote adhesion and a flexible sealant to prevent corrosion at the axle transition and wheel overhang. This is topped by a fast-curing 2-part paint system that provides impact resistance and a very smooth surface finish. All products have been tested in accordance with CR/PE 0102.

The second highlight at Railtex is a new system for lubricating slide chairs. Originally developed for SNCF, the Loctite® LM416 is central to this new method. Following track trials at Norwich, Banbury and Penzance, this highly effective and cost saving product gained its HK072 Railtex 2013 image [online]Network Rail Certificate of Acceptance in September last year.

Henry Williams

Stand J60

Henry Williams continue to lead the way with their Class II products. They were the first to not only comply with but exceed the requirements of the Class II specifications written by Tahir Ayub and his team for “non-earthed” Signalling power distribution. They received Product Approval months ahead of any other suppliers in this field.

“Our products are blue sky thinking solutions, starting with a clean sheet and a wish list and engineering a bespoke product that fulfils all of the requirements, not just of the specification, but also of installers and maintainers whilst being mindful of the harsh environment that the equipment is being used in.” Says, Sales and Marketing Director, Steve Cotton.

The company has of course got the benefit of over 130 years knowledge of manufacturing products for the railway from permanent way products such as fishplates and G-clamps. Through wiring of signalling Location cases and REB’s to train detection and signalman’s panels.” This knowledge of the network literally from the ground up, allows our engineers to design a Joined up solution, they know what the equipment is for and how it will interact with equipment both up and down stream of the piece they are working on, because we make that piece too.” Adds, Managing Director, Andrew Nelson.

Henry Williams manufactures all of its products in the UK from the same Darlington site they have operated from for over 100 years. The company is a multi-discipline engineering firm that embraces its past as well as having a firm idea of the future and it’s place in it. Henry Williams is one of those companies that make you proud to be British.

Hughton International

Stand G31 

Specialist traction motor and MA set repairer Houghton International will be highlighting HiTRAX™, its solution for life extending traction motors and MA sets, and HiTRANS™, its patent pending transient dynamic MA set test process.

HiTRAX™ is claimed to be the only life extension insulation system in the world developed and marketed specifically into the traction motor market by a traction motor repair company, while HiTRANS™ electrically simulates full load conditions on any type of MA set, replicating exactly what happens in service.

The company is currently undergoing a £1.5 million expansion plan which will double capacity and see the installation of new balancing and undercutting machines along with a new silicone VPI plant, providing multiple VPI and TIG welding technology to ensure the comprehensive range of operations required for high quality AC and DC traction motor rewinds.

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