Making on Track Working Safer and More Efficient

McCulloch Group is a Scottish based company that provides the world’s railways with their innovative solutions to improve safety and efficiency on track

Now operating in the UK, Europe, North America and Australasia, McCulloch Group’s fleet of machines take on railway maintenance tasks that would otherwise be time consuming, costly, and sometimes dangerous, to carry out manually.

Founded 30 years ago, McCulloch Group was founded on a desire to do better. Solving problems is at the core of the business, as is innovation – and have been since the very first product, the TRT™, was invented by the McCulloch brothers in a yard, in a small Scottish village.

30 years, and many products later – the fleet of machinery was recently enhanced yet again, with the creation of McCulloch Group’s first all-electric piece of kit – the TRTe. For decades, the challenge on the railways has always been safety. McCulloch Group was born of innovation; creating technical solutions that make on-track work safer for all. Whilst rail infrastructure projects still have their dangers, the new challenge is one that, if tackled properly, will save the planet.

With government targets encouraging more and more of the countries companies and infrastructure agencies to set their own ambitious sustainability goals, providers of infrastructure solutions – need to get greener. The TRTe™ is a step towards this, one which will make a sizeable contribution to the move towards zero emission working practices. Here’s a breakdown of the McCulloch fleet and the problems it’s solving across the world’s railways.

The invention that kick-started it all, was the Trac Rail Transposer (the TRT), a mobile, remote-controlled machine which lifts and moves sizeable lengths of rail and associated ironwork across project landscapes. In the last 15 years it’s operated in the UK with 99.7 per cent proven reliability and is now trusted by infrastructural organisations such as Network Rail, Paris Metro, London Underground and Kiwi Rail. It also has a variety of attachments which minimize the need to bring other equipment on to the track, including a rail saw, a plough, and a jib arm.

The Rail Saw attachment releases zero emissions and carries out the functions of a hydraulic long arm saw. With full use possible from a standing position, this attachment not only minimises additional machinery on site but also protects the workforce from fatigue and back injury due to its position.

Moving on to the Plough attachment, again this piece of supplementary kit clears the majority of ballast from the side of the track and from sleeper ends, without bringing a further machine on site. The TRT Plough eliminates manual handling and fatigue and can work on most track types. On one project, you can have multiple TRT and plough systems working in conjunction with each other.

The final attachment, the mounted Jib Arm, allows for the safe and easy lifting of track furniture. This attachment for the TRT operates off of the TRT’s own power supply, again minimising emissions that would be generated by hiring a separate piece of kit entirely. The Jib is capable of lifting various track furniture up to a maximum of 990kgs.

This patented system removes and replaces rail panels swiftly and safely. Another remotecontrolled piece of technology, the Panel Lifter creates an instant exclusion one which eliminates any handling issues and keeps on track teams safe while panels are removed and replaced. It works incredibly quickly, meaning it’s a more efficient process – an incredibly important factor to consider on projects with limited possession timescales.

The MMPV is a self-mounting, self-propelled vehicle which, with a crane attachment, can also be self-loading. It can be adapted to a variety of tasks on the railways and is best put to use in environments where significant volumes of materials and track furniture need to be moved, where waste and equipment need to be removed from the infrastructure, and where track occupation times are limited due to scheduled train movements.

The McCulloch InfiniTy (previously known as the TCT) is a solution that lifts, transports, and dispenses cable from pre-wound cable reels. Again – it’s an entirely remote-controlled piece of kit and so completed this task more safely and efficiently than traditional methods. The rubber tracked machine is easily moveable across the infrastructure and can lift and dispense reels of cable up to 1,600mm in diameter and two metric tons in weight.

To find out more about the McCulloch Group products, visit mccullochgroup.com or follow them on LinkedIn to see the machines hard at work on the world’s railways.

Whilst safety and efficiency will always be a top priority for those operating in rail, the last decade has also brought a new challenge – one which is going to require the transformation of how we work, to solve.

Net Zero targets are now firmly in place across governments and businesses across the UK, Europe, and wider globe. As we, as an industry, try to clean up our act in a significant enough way to actually achieve the ambitious targets, as problemsolvers our next challenge is to create a Net Zero Solution.

In September 2022, the TRTe – the newest member of the McCulloch Group fleet, was launched. The TRTe offers all the same services as the TRT but with the added benefit of being entirely electric. It has been designed in response to the climate crisis and the need for rail organisations to meet ambitious Net Zero targets. Entirely battery powered, the TRTe also reduces noise pollution on track, an issue which is faced by many projects operating near residential areas.

By providing the industry with an effective, all-electric solution McCulloch Group plays its part in transforming the industry, acting as a catalyst for change.

McCulloch Group’s motto is ‘we’re built for rail people, by rail people’ – meaning it understands the day-to-day challenges faced by companies and on-track teams alike. Here are just a few of the useful features you’ll find across the fleet:

• Many products are entirely remote controlled, meaning a safety exclusion zone is created when operating.

• Products can be operated during the day, or at night.

• Most of the fleet can operate in completely live environments.

• The kit is designed to move on rubber tracks, meaning it can easily move around uneven track landscapes and around track furniture.

• Much of McCulloch kit is incredibly agile, meaning it can easily move within difficult environments such as tunnels, bridges and other tight spaces.

• For large projects, some of the products can be used in conjunction with others to create a system. This means that even the largest quantities and volumes of track and line can be manoeuvred.

• McCulloch products are now trusted worldwide, with fleets in operation as far afield as Autralasia, North America, and Malaysia.

• McCulloch Group is a trusted partner to companies like Affective Rail, the Paris Metro, London Underground, Kiwi Rail, and Network Rail.

With 30 years of successful business now past – McCulloch Group is excited for all that the future holds, here with its domestic operations in the UK, and internationally as it takes on more work on the world’s railways.

Tel: +44 (0)330 0130 010

Email: sales@mccullochgroup.com

Visit: www.Mccullochgroup.com

Address: Riverside Works, New Mill Road, Kilmarnock, KA1 3JG UK

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