SEEKING to regain market share lost to road transport while avoiding the costs of purchasing new rolling stock, Bulgarian State Railways is placing contracts for the refurbishment of 3260 wagons with specialist outside suppliers.
VRZ-Karlovo is rebuilding Eaos open wagons to as-new condition, ensuring compliance with RIV and UIC standards for use in international traffic. After fully stripping the wagons, all rubber and metal-rubber parts are replaced, and the body panels renewed. New fixing points for covers are added to the frames. The Karlovo plant’s specialist underframe repair shop cleans the axleboxes and bearings, rebuilds the bogies and fits new plates for the central bearing and new wheelsets.
The frames and wagon flooring are sand-blasted back to bare metal. To increase the strength of the wagons additional cross members are being fitted between the sides and central beam. Inferior weld seams are repaired using modern welding machines. New 10mm sheet steel flooring and reverse curved frames are fitted, designed to support overloading to 1·3 times the specified maximum capacity. The drawbar equipment and the buffers undergo specialised repair, and brakes are cleaned and parts replaced where necessary. Full testing is carried out before the wagons re-enter service with BDZ.
