Application · Rail

Positioning Supertram trams over a wheel lathe with a TP3000

A TP3000 with a custom coupling lines trams up over Supertram's wheel lathe to the millimetre, with the tram powered down. Estimated saving: around £80,000 a year.

At a glance

Result
≈ £80k saved a year
Customer
Supertram
Industry
Rail
Location
Sheffield
Machine
TP3000 Tractive Pusher

The challenge

Hours of powering up and down

Wheel maintenance at Supertram’s depot in Sheffield means positioning each tram over a wheel lathe to within millimetres. To move a tram, the team had to power it up, put a banksman at the far end and a spotter at the lathe to call the stopping point, then power it down again.

Powering up and down took around 20 minutes each way. With up to eight bogies on a tram, getting every wheelset over the lathe took hours and needed at least three people. It was labour-intensive, costly and repetitive.

The solution

A TP3000 with a custom tow bar coupling

We supplied a TP3000-1400, the heaviest-duty battery-powered pusher in our extra heavy range. We designed a custom coupling to fit Supertram’s existing tow bar, so the TP3000 can move a tram over the lathe with millimetre precision, without the tram ever being powered up.

Positioning is now done by two operatives, with the tram powered down throughout.

TT100 electric tug moving a six tonne overhead access gantry in a rail depot

The result

Days saved, and a safer job

  • No more powering the tram up and down between moves, which saves hours on every job
  • Two operatives instead of three
  • Accurate, consistent tram placement every time
  • A safer process for the maintenance team
  • An estimated saving of around £80,000 a year

For rail, tram and train maintenance depots, the same approach works for positioning bogies, carriages and trams on rails.

The machine on this job

  • TP3000 heavy duty electric tug in orange and black with a tiller handle
    Extra Heavy

    TP3000 Tractive Pusher

    For trams, rolling stock and the heaviest assemblies. Our most powerful tug, with power steering and 15,000 N of pull.

    On castors
    30,000 kg
    On rails
    300,000 kg

Since introducing the new Tractive Power TP3000 unit, we have saved days of time on a process that was so very labour intensive. The simplicity and ease of now positioning the tram has meant less people and less time to complete the work. We've estimated savings of around £80k per annum, along with creating a much safer working process for our employees.

Supertram, Sheffield

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Load Check

Moving something similar?

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