Melvelle takes TrackPack electric

New Australian tech on show at AusRAIL

Australian-owned rail equipment manufacturer, Melvelle Equipment will debut two new technologies alongside its well-established range of portable rail maintenance and construction equipment solutions at AusRAIL PLUS.

The second product Melvelle will debut at AusRAIL PLUS is its Australian-designed rail tensor, a tool used during both greenfield track construction, as well as track replacement and maintenance. Melvelle says the tensor is designed with safety and ease-of-use at the forefront of design.

“The only components over 20 kilograms will be the cylinders,” he said. “And we’re applying some innovative ideas to alleviate some ofthe more common OH&S issues around this work. “Currently, when a crew loads the tensor onto the rail, they build the tensor up upside down, balanced on the head of the rail, and then they flip it over. When they flip the tensor over, with the jaw arms and everything in it, it’s quite heavy and can be hard to control. We’ve got an innovative method of building the tension and rotating it into position.”

Melvelle’s stand will also feature products from companies for whom Melvelle is an exclusive distributor in the region, including Rail Products UK, Knox Kershaw, Permaquip, ABTUS, ROV Group and Rotabroach. You can visit Melvelle at AusRAIL PLUS Stand 191. A SECOND-GENERATION, FAMILY -owned business based in Newcastle, Melvelle Equipment leverages a local team of engineers to help solve problems for rail owners and maintenance businesses. In one example, last year it delivered its locallydesigned and manufactured lightweight, rapiddeployment rail trolleys to the Melbourne Metro network, after discussions found there was a need among some rail operators for such a solution. The company’s CEO, Andrew Melvelle, tells RailExpress Melvelle has had to book a larger stand at this year’s AusRAIL PLUS than it did two years ago in Brisbane, simply due to the wide range of successful products it has to display.

Along with its existing range, the company will debut an electric battery pack to power its Trackpack solution, and its new Australiandesigned rail tensor.

The battery pack to power Melvelle’s Trackpack is designed to serve as an alternative to the internal combustion, petrol and diesel engines. Melvelle’s Trackpack is a complete hydraulic power unit with boom arm and rail trolley, designed to allow the use of multiple hydraulic work heads without the need for numerous power supplies. The design, which uses adjustable counterbalance positioning, means weight on operator handles never exceeds five kilograms. Melvelle says the electric battery solution was designed, like so many of the company’s products, to respond to a consumer need. “Our customers are seeing the benefits of going green with their power systems, and this is our offering in that space,” he said. One customer Melvelle says has been particularly keen for a battery-powered solution is New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Currently, they have our Trackpack system, but in the petrol version – or ‘gas’ as they call it,” he said. “They want to use more of our equipment in the underground, so they would prefer the battery power pack in that application.”

For now, the electric battery solution is suitable for several key workheads in the Trackpack range, but this will soon be expanded to the full range. A new electric battery solution will offer an alternative to a petrol engine for Melvelle’s Trackpack solution.