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and access equipment, with versions that suit the requirements of both the European and American markets in the most demanding environments. Over the last ten years, we have made ever-increasing inroads into the supply of equipment for the rail transport market.
TWO YEARS OF Covid and what do you get? Well it would seem that we get chaos, if one is to glance at the headlines and the state of air travel in Europe at present. But it isn’t all doom and gloom – other modes of freight transport
Ukraine, and the EU suggesting a stopgap solution to utilise the European rail network to get the grain out, and it certainly suggests that the rail network is as vital as it has ever been.
MAKE AN OFFER Which begs the question, what can Fort Vale bring to the rail industry? It may help to give some background. Founded in 1967, Fort Vale quickly established itself as a supplier of valves to the petroleum industry, its products being praised for their excellent build quality, innovative design and ability to withstand the toughest environments. Success in one field led to applying those same qualities to other areas and Fort Vale is now the world’s leading manufacturer of valves and fittings for the safe transport of liquids, powders and gases. The company’s emphasis has always been one of continual improvement – incremental change borne out of research and experience that leads to a world-beating product, using the best materials and technical know-how derived from the last 50 years of operation. Ostensibly, we are just applying the lessons we have learned over that time period. The problem is the same across all spheres – how to load a wagon safely and securely, with minimum ingress, and then let it out again, safely and securely, with minimum egress. A rail car or rail wagon is essentially the same type of freight tank that is used on railroads, but the terminology, equipment and regulations differ between the US/Canadian rail industry and the European rail industry – European rail wagons are manufactured in accordance to Regulations concerning International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail (RID), while US rail cars and equipment are manufactured in accordance with Association of American Railroads (AAR). Similar to road transport, the rail wagon/rail
are getting back to normal without any problems at all. In fact, rail freight is proving adept at solving logistical nightmares that road, air and sea cannot, with usage back to pre-pandemic levels in the UK. Add to that the considerable shortfall in wheat yields because of the war in
The rail wagon market is a highly diverse sector, both in terms of customer specifications and geographical operating conditions. Fort Vale has many years of experience in designing valve solutions for liquid and gas transport globally, which has enabled us to produce a range of robust valves
car is a stainless steel or carbon steel pressure vessel surrounded by insulation and mounted on a bogey. Liquid rail wagons/rail cars will be carbon steel if carrying oils and fuels, or stainless steel if carrying chemicals. Rail wagons/rail cars are also manufactured to allow the transport of gases. These are
CATCH THAT TRAIN RAIL EQUIPMENT • RAIL HAS PROVEN ITSELF AS A RELIABLE TRANSPORT MODE DURING RECENT DISRUPTIONS, BRINGING A FOCUS ONTO TANK CAR EQUIPMENT. FORT VALE’S ASHLEY LEACH* EXPLAINS
HCB MONTHLY | JULY-AUGUST 2022
