The Gautrain project is big business for specialist heavy lifting and transportation company Vanguard which was awarded the contract by Bombardier, a subcontractor to Bombela, to transport the carriages and locomotives over an 18-month period. The project started at the beginning of December 2008 when the first two locomotives arrived in Durban harbour from Bombardier’s manufacturing facility in Derby, England. They were offloaded from the ship directly onto specially designed Vanguard trailers. The custom-built extension deck with rails was used in combination with a six axle trailer configuration and gooseneck to transport the 47 ton locomotive. “Vanguard’s modular trailer and its flexibility, hydraulics and self-steer rear axle capabilities are key factors in the success of this project,” says James Robinson, Vanguard project engineer. “The locomotives and rail cars measure between 18 and 21 metres in length and weigh in at 46 700 kilograms each, so positioning the trailer precisely on-site is crucial.” Once on site, the trailer was driven into the shunting yard and positioned exactly in line with the rails. The steering of the rear axles of the trailer was separated from the front of the trailer and an operator used the self-steering capability to assist the driver in manoeuvring the trailer into place. “Once we were in place, we placed an 18-metre ramp behind the trailer. Using the trailer’s hydraulics, the gooseneck was raised while the rear axles were simultaneously lowered. The winch was then released, allowing the train to roll onto the rails,” says Robinson. The trip from Durban to the site in Midrand, Johannesburg took approximately three days and required police escorts. Due to height restrictions, the convoy followed alternative routes along the 800 kilometre journey. “The project involves the collection of a total of 94 locomotives and carriages, with 13 more shipped in from overseas. The balance of the train units will be collected from South African-based, The UCW Partnership, located in Nigel, Gauteng,” he said.
