14.11.07
Contractor’s use of Huck bolts results in maintenance free track
A UK railway track manufacturer has improved the working environment for its workforce, reduced their manufacturing costs and produced track requiring less maintenance after installation.
Caerphilly based KGJ Price (Railway Contractors Ltd) was established in 1985 and now employ 60 people, supplying, installing, maintaining and repairing railway sidings and components throughout the UK and Ireland.
AFS, with Huck® fasteners as a key brand, engineer high quality, high performance fastening systems serving a variety of applications predominantly in the truck, trailer, commercial vehicle body builder, auto and railcar markets.
Introduced to the benefits of Huck products in 2004 by specialist distributor to rail manufacturers Permalok Fastening Systems Ltd, KGJ Price now recommend their use, where appropriate, to all of their potential customers seeking on advice on the most effective fastening solution.
Steve Thomas, production manager at the KGJ Price production facility explains: “Although some of our engineers had prior knowledge of Huck products whilst at previous employers and were keen to start using them immediately, the benefits appeared marginal against the tooling investment costs. However, Doug Smith from Permalok was persuasive and combined with the engineers’ insistence and machinery secured at a good price we seized the opportunity and haven’t looked back since. We had used threaded fasteners, where two cast spacers are placed inside and outside the rail’s web, to prevent the square head of the bolt from turning whilst being tightened up. The parts included a nut, bolt, two spacers and a washer which is a cumbersome and more expensive operation, whereas now we simply use Huck’s C50L? bolt and accompanying collar. It is easy to install and requires no maintenance once the completed crossing or switch has been laid. In fact track will wear out and require replacement before the fasteners do.”
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