As part of a joint investment with Northern, the new wheel lathe at the Allerton TrainCare Centre will make train maintenance more efficient.
The machine, affectionately named ‘Tina’, after the Proud Mary singer, allows for the reshaping, balancing and repairing of wheels without needing to remove them from trains, minimising disruption to passenger services. In collaboration with Northern, Network Rail has introduced this advanced wheel lathe to ensure the smooth operation of the train fleet, making sure train ‘wheels keep on turning’ seamlessly.
The work to bring the wheel lathe into service began in September 2023, with Network Rail contributing £6.8 million as part of the joint investment with Northern. This upgrade continues Allerton Depot’s history of wheel lathe use, dating back to the 1950s.
Clinton Ralphs, Network Rail North west route sponsor for the project, said: “It’s fantastic to see the new tandem wheel lathe now operational at Allerton Depot, significantly improving the efficiency of our wheel turning process.
“This joint venture with Northern has allowed us to revive a key aspect of Allerton Depot’s history, by installing the new wheel lathe equipment at the depot, giving improved capacity, performance and reliability for Northern. After much anticipation, it’s wonderful to witness its arrival, which will undoubtedly enhance the engineering capabilities at the depot.”
Jack Commandeur, engineering director at Northern, said: “Tina is a very much welcomed addition to the engineering arsenal and will enable us to repair wheels without having to remove them from the train, which makes the process far more efficient.
“Turning wheels on the lathe extends their life and reduces the costs associated with replacing them. The increase in wheel lathing capacity also means trains will spend less time out of passenger service for maintenance.
“This has been a significant project to deliver requiring perseverance and co-operation on all sides and I am thankful to the team at Network Rail, my colleagues here at Northern and our suppliers for delivering this fabulous new capability.” Engineers at Allerton depot have been receiving training on how to use the new wheel lathe in the last couple of weeks and she will now enter regular service.
