Mixamate’s giant concrete mix-and-pump
trucks and Van Elle’s piling rigs were
immune to the troublesome weather,
though their operators were not, and Van
Elle was another company to report real
commercial results from the Railworx show.
Exhibitors around the event reported
solid interest, Kinshofer received lots
of interest in their tiltrotator, ballast
tamper and sleeper changer attachments,
whilst Nijhuis Engineering, from the
Netherlands, reported overwhelming
interest in their BE-AR rail system.
Taylor Construction Plant also had some
big kit, a TXM road-rail excavator fitted
with a manipulator which waved a large
pole - it looked like an OLE structure or a
signal post - around the sky throughout
the show.
And there’s more
Tools and equipment hire specialist
A-Plant was in amongst the construction
exhibitors. So too was Wacker Neuson,
whose compactors are used extensively in
track renewals to flatten and compact the
trackbed before track is laid.
Force One, which specialises in the
vacuum excavation of aggregates and
earth - and ballast around track and S&C
- has developed a three unit ‘train’ to
work on track. The front unit is a road-rail
excavator fitted with the suction head and
hose. It’s coupled to a storage trailer, that
can hold up to 15 tonnes of spoil, and that
in turn is connected to the vacuum fan
unit which provides the suck. It’s still under
development, with a conveyor unloader
system planned for the spoil truck, but
should be working out on the rail network
next year.
GreenMech, which Rail Engineer visited
years ago, was also at Plantworx. The
latest Sure-Trak self-propelled chipper
now can cope with uneven ground as
well as steep slopes. An interesting
demonstration had the machine climbing
over unequal ramps - a good simulation
of conditions out on a railway cutting face
or embankment. Apparently, Network Rail
has recently placed an order.
Mecalac, a sponsor of the show, won
the award for best live demonstration.
The way its compact equipment moved
around the muddy compound was
fascinating to watch, and must have taken
lots of planning.Further features
Throughout the three days of the show,
one large indoor area was converted into
the Drone Zone. Here, around a dozen
suppliers had small stands, showing off
unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and
what can be done with them for surveying
and photography, while the bulk of the
area, behind a safety net, was used for
flying demonstrations.
In a flat, enclosed space, even one
as large as 2,300 square metres, it was
difficult to show what drones can doin terms of surveying the underside of
viaduct arches and pinpointing track
layouts, but the skill of the pilots was
certainly on show as they landed their
buzzing devices on predetermined
targets.
COMIT (Construction Opportunities
for Mobile IT), the organisation that aims
to improve understanding between the
construction and technology industries
and speed up the adoption of mobile IT
within the construction sector, had helped
stage the Drone Zone.
Tony Shooter, COMIT’s chair for
drone technology, commented: “What
better way to showcase today’s drone
technology in the construction sector,
than at Plantworx, where there is a
strong focus on innovation and leading
technologies. This event is probably one
of the most important developments in
advancing drones in the construction
sector.”
Joanna Oliver, CEA’s director of global
programmes, agreed: “Drones are already
changing the way the construction
industry operates and is growing at a
rapid rate. Plantworx is delighted to
showcase this advanced drone technology
to our visitors.”PLANTWORX/RAILWORX 75