The PTW rolls on into another country.

Who is the Customer?

Weighwell Engineering Ltd have added to their extensive portfolio and recently installed the patent approved Portable Train Weigher (PTW) at Inchicore Works in Ireland. Working alongside Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) and Hyundai Rotem (manufacturer of the 22000 trainset) the PTW 500-VB2X will primarily be used for the maintenance, overhaul and repair of various rail vehicles.

The PTW 500-VB2X is a static train weighing system that provides the flexibility to weigh the 201 locomotive and 22000 InterCity Railcars. The class 201 locomotive (which weighs in excess of 110 tonnes) is similar to the Class 66 locomotive and is used for passenger and freight operation. Whilst the 22000 DMU’s are used on the “InterCity” rail service with units travelling approximately 200,000km per annum between Dublin and other major cities throughout Ireland.

The reason for full train weighing?

The PTW 500-VB2X offers Irish Rail the portability to weigh each bogie at a time using three bases which is beneficial for the 201 locomotive but also the use of four bases to weigh each 22000 car instantaneously. The main reason for requiring our full train weighing system is that it can help “solve and bridge” the current knowledge gap.

The Portable Train Weigher (PTW) and mobile train weighing in general is a concept that Weighwell are experts and industry leaders in throughout the world. Weighwell have now supplied 29 different countries worldwide although we have carried out various hires throughout Ireland since 2008.

Paul Horsfall, inventor of the PTW commented that “receiving the order for a train weighing system at Inchicore Works was very pleasing. Inchicore is a location with rich history and heritage and it is a fantastic opportunity to help support and provide our well renowned train weighing expertise for Irish Rail’s requirements.”

Weighwell’s static and in-motion train weighing equipment is well proven in the rail industry and our dedicated knowledge in portable train weighing is unparalleled. For further information on our flagship product the PTW or information on our ptwX software please don’t hesitate to contact us.

In-motion train weighing in the UAE

Who is the customer?

Weighwell Engineering Ltd have recently supplied a PTW1 HD to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Situated a few hours away from Abu Dhabi, the portable in-motion train weighing system will weigh granulated sulphur at the Shah site.

The customer Al Hosn Gas aims to develop and operate the Shah Field utilising the highest engineering and maintenance standards. Primarily involved in sour gas processing the Shah site will extract, process and export sulphur from the sour gas reservoirs.

The robust and easy to use weighing system is situated at the rail loading facility. At this facility the liquid sulphur is converted into solid granules and the weighed goods are then transported to a sulphur handling terminal in Ruwais via Etihad Rail. Close to 3 million tonnes of sulphur is expected to be produced at the Shah site each year, with the sulphur itself being exported to fertiliser plants throughout the world.

The reason for in-motion weighing

The primary application for the train weighing system is to “check weigh” wagons that show a vehicle imbalance. The loading of the wagons can take up to four hours and previously if a vehicle imbalance was identified the entire train would have been sent back to the rail loading facility to be reweighed and the load adjusted. The installation of the Portable Train Weigher (PTW) will solely weigh wagons shown to have an imbalance/incorrect weights thus providing sufficient time and cost savings.

The PTW1 HD is an in-motion train weighing system that weights trains at speeds up to 5km/h. The system has accuracies of +/- 2-3% dependent on site conditions (+/-1% in ideal conditions) and can provide individual wheel, axle and wagon weights. The total wagon weight of the rail vehicle’s when filled will be 130 tonnes and the PTW1 HD with its 40 tonne axle capacity is more than capable for long term reliable operation and accurate check weighing. The PTW1 HD operates via our in-house developed digital indicator unit with the weighing data outputted via a simple printout or exported to a USB for further more in-depth reporting. The main advantage of the portable weighing system is its robust characteristics and ability to operate in harsh environments.

Paul Horsfall, Managing Director “The recent installation in Abu Dhabi shows the international appeal of our patented PTW, extensive knowledge of the portable train weighing industry and ability to provide worldwide support”.

For more information on the granulated sulphur project please view the below video:

Full Train Weighing system at Hitachi North Pole Depot

Who is the Customer?

Weighwell Engineering Ltd have been involved in a variety of Hitachi projects over the last 10 years and we have now installed a full train weighing system (PTW 500-VB2X) at Hitachi’s new North Pole Depot.

The North Pole Depot was previously used for Eurostar’s fleet of trains up until 2007. Hitachi have now reopened the site to provide maintenance to a variety of different trainsets such as the Class 800 and Class 801 Hitachi Super Express Trains. The Hitachi Super Express trains will operate on the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line and are an integral part of the ‘Intercity Express Programme’.

Full Train Weighing.

Similar to the train weighing system installed at Hitachi’s Ashford depot, our rail weighing equipment provides individual wheel weights across the total train. This is beneficial in fleet refurbishment and modification. Our portable patented systems have a basework length of only 500mm and can be installed without major modifications to the existing rail track (such as drilling or welding). This allows a full train to be weighed instantaneously with minimal installation time.

Software for weighing trains.

Our ptwX software is used to provide the weighing results for our static train weighing systems. Designed with the end user in mind and used as a diagnostic tool we can provide the wheel load information for all 8 wheels (4 axles) at the same time and wheel numbering specific to the train configuration. Ultimately our software can help enhance the role that train engineers and depot managers have carried out for decades, with information that can allow for greater efficiency and precision.

The Portable Train Weigher (PTW) can weigh single axles, bogies and the total train and is the first ever mobile equipment used for testing the weight of railway rolling stock. As well as having a significant impact in cutting excessive train maintenance costs our systems can also help reduce the potential risk of derailments.

A weighing system for Africa’s first ever high speed line.

Weighwell Engineering Ltd have installed a full train weighing system (PTW 500-VB2X) for Africa’s first ever high speed line having been seen as the most appropriate and convenient solution to the customer’s needs.

The full train weighing system in Tangiers will initially weigh Alstom TGV Duplex trains whilst Société Marocaine de Maintenance des Rames à Grande Vitesse, a 60:40 joint venture between ONCF and SNCF will maintain the trainsets as part of 15 years deal worth €175 million. Our weighing system the PTW 500-VB2X will weigh double deck trains that will go into operation primarily on the Tangiers to Casablanca route which is expected to carry up to 10 million passenger per year and reduce the journey time to 2 hours and 10 minutes.

The PTW 500-VB2X was chosen due to its lightweight and portable nature. The ability to provide highly accurate wheel, axle and total vehicle weighing results and understand the weight distribution was also a major advantage. Our ptwX train weighing software which graphically displays the weighing data also catered towards our clients’ needs by configuring the language to French.

Morocco’s Tangier high speed train depot was officially inaugurated on the 20th September with high speed operation expected after static commissioning and testing. Paul Horsfall, Managing Director said “our work overseas has led to longstanding relationships with a diverse range of illustrious names with PTW’s in over 25 different countries. The recent installation in Africa’s first ever high speed rolling stock depot showcases our versatility and commitment to understanding different cultures and practices in foreign markets and tailoring our product portfolio towards an ever increasing international audience’.

Weighwell move to new premises.

Weighwell Engineering Ltd have now moved to a state-of-the-art 11,000 square-foot property. Suited opposite sports pitches in the picturesque village of Darton (Barnsley). We are only 4 miles from Barnsley town centre and 2 miles from Junction 38 of the M1 Motorway. Barnsley is famed for its industrial engineering heritage with various groups and communities dedicated to its historic industries.

The move into bigger premises is due to an increased demand for our bespoke train weighing systems and expanding rail portfolio. The expansion also allows an increased focus on new and existing markets and ultimately the ability to provide a better service to you, the customer.

Another feature of the property is dedicated meeting rooms with video conferencing, so that we can communicate more effectively with our international customers. Our existing and potential customers can also visit our new premises and gain greater knowledge on our in-house developed ptwX software and understand how to install and operate a PTW from the comfort of our offices.

Paul Horsfall, Managing Director of Weighwell commented, “The new move allows Weighwell to reaffirm and strengthen our commitment to providing a reliable, innovative and quality service. As a market leader in portable train weighing systems (with hundreds of systems worldwide) our recent expansion can help support greater operations in the future with decreased lead times and help continue our research and development into new and existing products.”

Please note that any deliveries sent to our former premises in Sheffield, will need to be redirected to our new premises. If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us via email or telephone on +44 (0) 114 2699955. You can find the full address of our new premises below:

Weighwell Engineering Ltd
Weighwell House
Woolley Colliery Road
Darton
Barnsley
S75 5JA

Weighing chlorine tankers in Corpus Christi (USA)

Who is the customer?

O.N. Stevens Water Filtration Plant. Based in Corpus Christi (Texas)

What do they do?

Operating out of a very modern hi-tech building (in virtually the middle of nowhere), O.N Stevens produce the drinking water for half a million people in the surrounding area of Corpus Christi. On average the Filtration Plant produces 80 million gallons of water a day, which is equivalent to 40 miles of railroad tank cars!

The weighing system Weighwell delivered, calibrated and installed (alongside our American agents) earlier this year was two full train weighing systems (PTW 500-VB2X). These train weighing systems can provide a variety of information and in this case were used to weigh two tankers. The purpose of the train weighers is to monitor the chlorine usage used to purify the clean water. This is one stage of the treatment process which begins when the raw water is diverted from the Nueces River.

The reason for full train weighing.

The premise is that a full tanker of chlorine is parked on the train weighing system and the weight is recorded on O.N Steven’s SCADA system. SCADA is essentially a control system that can be combined with a data acquisition system. With our full train weighing systems we are able to monitor the weight in the tanker until it gets to a point where they need to reorder more chlorine.

The primary reasons for two VB2X systems is the flexibility to allow O.N. Stevens to transfer the ‘filling heads’ to the other weigher as they only have a temporary storage for chlorine (up to one tonne). This ultimately allows for greater efficiency and the capacity to have the second tanker ready to go.

The benefits of our PTW 500-VB2X is that it is a portable, reliable and simple to operate with the ability to weigh the full wagon wheel loads simultaneously.  The compatibility of our PTW also allowed Weighwell to link to Rice Lake indicators via iqubes which are essentially intelligent junction boxes.

Origins of the Portable Train Weigher (PTW)

Created by inventor and Managing Director Paul Horsfall at the age of 22 in 1988 Weighwell since its inception has grown exponentially in the field of weighing trains. Originally a Wakefield based company we pride ourselves on offering bespoke train weighing solutions. Our flagship product the Portable Train Weigher (PTW) was launched in 1997 with rigorous testing taking place. This has led to Weighwell working with some of the largest and prominent train operators, manufacturers and rail consultants throughout the world.

So what is the Portable Train Weigher?

The PTW is quite simply a train weighing system that isn’t permanently fixed into the track. This allows our weighing systems to be used in multiple locations and installed quick and easy. We offer two methods of weighing static or in-motion. Our static systems have an accuracy of +/- 1% and provide individual wheel weights. Whilst our in-motion systems weigh trains at speeds up to 5km/h, have an accuracy of +/- 2-3% and provide axle weights.

Our PTW has two ‘bodies’ (per basework) which both incorporate a loadcell and are fitted into parallel sections of the rail. Our train weighing system has a frame which lifts the wheel tyre of the rolling stock a maximum of 2mm (thus keeping the flange within the rail head). This allows the weight to be sent to the loadcells, which is then interpreted by our software or indicator.

Is the Portable Train Weigher any good?

As with any company we like to stress the benefits and advantages of our PTW over other train weighing systems, however we feel one of the most important indicators of success is external recognition. Our train weighing system the PTW was granted Millennium Product status by the Design Council, which was an initiative that identified innovative and forward thinking products. This award covered products that are of genuine inventiveness and provide that vital leap in imagination. Basically the PTW was a product nobody had ever seen before.

At the time, people thought that weighing a train portably was an impossible concept. However since then we have won multiple DTI awards and been recommended for the Queens award for Enterprise. In fact we have actually used a PTW to check the safety of the Royal train (with the plans destroyed long ago for security reasons). Despite being proud of our past achievements we still aim to continue leading the way with highly specialised portable train weighing systems and having being originators and inventors of the Portable Train Weigher we believe we are best placed to accomplish this.

Trains need to be weighed but how?

This was the question posed as a Coffee Time Challenge in Eureka magazine a few years ago.

Background

There are a variety of problems when needing to understand the weight of trains especially freight trains such as:

• Is the weight distribution of the vehicle loaded evenly?
• Is the vehicle loaded or unloaded?
• How much to charge for carrying the good/commodity?

The need to accurately understand the weight of trains is primarily for safety reasons, to ensure there is no damage to the rails or worse a train coming off the rails. Another important reason to weigh trains is for e-commerce purposes and understanding the value of the precious commodity transported such as coal, grain, sand or stone. Accurate weighments ultimately allows those that are transporting the goods the peace of mind that they are accurately transporting the correct amount in a safe and accurate manner.

The Challenge

The challenge posed in Eureka magazine was:

If there is a suspected or potential problem with the weight of a vehicle, how would you weigh the wagon when not in the vicinity of a weighbridge?

This is a challenge as we all know that potential problems can result in higher operating costs due to the importance of maintaining schedules within the rail industry and that the strive for efficiency paramount. Also if there is a potential issue it’s unlikely that the train will be able to move to a fixed installation. The issue with a fixed installation is that the modifications to the track are permanent, which if used only once would be uneconomical, time consuming to install and very complex.

The Solution

The solution is to provide a system that is quick and simple to install and which can accurately weigh wagons by axle or as a total vehicle such as our in-motion train weighing systems (PTW1 and PTW1 HD). Our Weighwell PTW1 and PTW1 HD can weigh the train in-motion and are portable meaning that within 15 minutes you can start weighing wagons. This is important if you need your train back onto the railway infrastructure whether that be on a national rail network or a private network moving heavy minerals and material at steelworks, power stations, quarries or mine’s.

Since the development of our in-motion train weighing systems, they have been widely used in the UK, Continental Europe, the Far East, Australia and the USA. The added advantage of our systems is that once hired or purchased we can train your staff to operate the train weighing systems in-house.