UK: Specialist lifting equipment supplier Mechan has delivered a bespoke 130 tonne traverser to move vehicles between workshop roads at infrastructure manager Network Rail’s Holgate depot in York.
The traverser was commissioned by Story Contracting to replace a 50-year old unit that was at the end of its useful life. It has a larger capacity than its predecessor and a 145 m travel distance, and is designed to accommodate both the current fleet and vehicles which Network Rail is planning to use in the future.
Mechan has also designed and built a set of 12 lifting jacks to suit working conditions at Holgate, finishing them to an outdoor specification and altering the base arrangement to include castors for ease of movement. These modifications were necessary as the area in which they are situated is too tight for access with a pallet truck.
‘After viewing our installations for Hitachi at its Newton Aycliffe facility, Network Rail could see we were capable of delivering such a unique project, on time and on budget’, said Mechan Sales Manager Lindsey Mills. ‘Holgate is an historic rail depot, which brings its own challenges when maintaining modern rail vehicles, but following a series of overhaul schemes and investment in new equipment, like our jacks, it is now well placed to play an integral role in the North’s rail services.’
