23.10.15
GWR brings back Voith contract to maintain Class 43 HSTs
Great Western Railway (GWR) has contracted with Voith to provide maintenance for the Class 43 High Speed Train (HST) power cars in the south west.
When it was re-commissioned in 2003, the HST fleet was fitted with 134 Voith cooling systems, now due for a second major overhaul.
Voith and GWR use a float of cooling systems to maintain service obligations during the overhaul programme, which is set to be completed at the contractor’s service centre in Greenford – a dedicated workshop that looks after rail products such as couplers, electrical boxes, flexible coupling, transmissions and gear units.
All components are cleaned and inspected using original NDT methods, with standard wearing parts renewed.
The cooling system is then reassembled and undergoes a function and tightness test on Voith’s test bench before trains are delivered.
The 40-year old Class 43 diesel power cars and HST fleet are to be replaced over the next few years by the new Hitachi Super Express Class 800/801s, currently being built by Hitachi in its new Newton Aycliffe facility, and, on routes to the south west, the similar AT300s.
(Top image c. Nick Rice, Flickr)