Mechan supplies electric shunter07 January 2022

The rail depot equipment specialist is supplying a Rotrac E2 shunter to Direct Rail Services’ (DRS) Motherwell facility, following a 14-month trial to prove it can replace a diesel-powered locomotive.

The battery-powered shunter, manufactured by Mechan’s German partner Zwiehoff, is being used by DRS to move flatbed wagons in and out of the depot at all times of the day and night. It replaces a diesel shunter that was louder, more polluting and could only be operated by a train driver. The Rotrac, however, can be controlled by maintenance personnel, offering greater flexibility.

Mechan is the sole UK and Irish supplier of the Zwiehoff shunters. They use innovative battery technology to provide the necessary drive to move up to 500 tonnes and have a compact, simple design making them easy to manoeuvre and extremely robust.

Steve Wilkinson, DRS’s head of engineering, added: “We’re always looking for innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and this new electric shunter demonstrates our ambitions to reduce CO2 emissions wherever possible. It has proved itself to be as useful as a traditional diesel shunter and has been a hit with our engineers, offering more flexibility and zero exhaust emissions.”

Operations Engineer

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