Voith to retrofit Class 142 wheelsets for Angel Trains in the UK

Angel Trains, one of the UK’s leading rolling stock leasing companies, announced that it has appointed Voith to supply 188 new final drives and cardan shafts to its fleet of Class 142 diesel multiple units. Voith has modified the design of its KE-485 final drive to enable it to be a drop-in replacement with no vehicle modifications and the work will improve the units’ reliability, reducing service and maintenance costs for its operators.

Voith will deliver complete new wheelsets comprising a modified gear unit, axle, wheels and axle bearings

Voith will deliver complete new wheelsets comprising a modified gear unit, axle, wheels and axle bearings. In addition, Voith is supplying a new cardan shaft as part of its bundle offer and the final drive and cardan shaft will not require overhaul for the next million miles of operation. The delivery of the units will take place during 2015. Angel Trains Class 142 units are currently in operation with Arriva Trains Wales and Northern Rail.

Mark Hicks, Technical Director at Angel Trains said: “This upgrade contract reinforces Angel Trains’ commitment to long term asset stewardship and providing excellent value for our customers. Voith was a natural partner for this project because its flexible and innovative approach has been instrumental in producing an integrated driveline package.”

Voith holds Railway Industry Supplier Approval Scheme (RISAS) certification across its complete UK portfolio of services. The Voith factory in Heidenheim, Germany, was also recently certified by RISAS for wheelset assembly. The company is now in the process of obtaining the RISAS Approval for Ultrasonic Axle testing (UAT) of wheelsets.

Voith is becoming increasingly involved in a broad spectrum of optimization projects, including retrofits, upgrades of vehicle drivelines and couplers, and reduced life cycle cost initiatives. These technically demanding projects serve to prove the high quality of the Voith portfolio, its wealth of expertise and know-how and the benefits of direct cooperation between stakeholders.