A SMALL battery-electric machine will be a permanent replacement for a diesel shunter at the Direct Rail Services depot at Motherwell, following a successful 14-month trial.
Supplied by the German firm Zwiehoff, the Rotrac E2 is not only quieter and more environmentally-friendly, but can also be operated remotely by maintenance staff, rather than requiring a train driver.
The simple design and robust nature of the shunters, which are capable of moving weights of up to 500 tonnes, combined with easy manoeuvrability, has proved to be a selling point for the vehicles.
At Motherwell, the Rotrac works day and night, moving flatbed wagons in and out of the depot. It was supplied to DRS through Zwiehoff ’s sole UK supplier Mechan.