FINLAND: Vollert Anlagenbau has supplied a Tandem DER 150 radio-controlled shunting robot to move trains being loaded with iron sulphate at the port of Pori in Finland.
The 100 tonne machine has a Stage V-compliant diesel engine powering four electric motors on the four axles and can move a 2 000 tonne train at 0·5 m/sec.
The robot uses a hydraulic system to open and close the lockable wagon roofs which protect the load from the weather.
It can shunt wagons with SA3 couplers used in the 1 520 mm gauge region, as well as wagons with buffers commonly used elsewhere in Europe.
An automatic sanding system uses a measuring wheel to record the actual speed of the robot and increases the friction of the four drive axles in the event of slippage, ensuring reliable shunting despite rain, snow and ice.
Vollert has installed several repeaters along the 500 m radio link to ensure reliable transmission of the control data. A dashboard enables performance data to be evaluated over time, and there is remote maintenance access enabling fast and direct support from the Vollert service team in Germany at any time.
