By using this site, you agree with our cookies usage in accordance with our cookies policy. You can always disable cookies in your browser settings.

6+

6+

Russia’s first freight car with tilting roof put into trial operation

26 April 2022
Reading time ~ 3 min
11-2151 railcar at PRO//Dvizhenie.Expo in 2019
11-2151 railcar at PRO//Dvizhenie.Expo in 2019. Source: Alexey Puzanov, train-photo.ru
Litvintsova Olga, Editor of International Projects, ROLLINGSTOCK Agency
Reading time ~ 3 min
Stolchnev Alexey, Russian Projects Editor, ROLLINGSTOCK Agency

Russia: The 11-2151 boxcar, which has no analogues in the country, was produced by Altaivagon for the IntertransCargo company, which began its trial operation on the Krasnoyarsk Railway. After its successful completion, the car should be put into mass production.

The certificate of conformity for 11-2151 boxcar was received by Altaivagon in February 2021. The main design feature of the new car is a roof that can be tilted in both directions, which allows loading heavy, light, long, and bulky goods that cannot be loaded through the door of a traditional boxcar. The roof can be tilted both electrically and manually using the steering wheel.

Loading containers through the 11-2151 railcar roof Loading containers through the 11-2151 railcar roof. Source: rzd-partner.ru

The articulated design of two identical bodies with a movable joint and a total volume of 230 m³ allows the car to be used on tracks with small radius curves. The carrying capacity is 93 t. The maximum useful length inside each body is 12.7 m.

It is worth noting another design feature – fittings and guides built into the floor, due to which the baxcar can carry containers. According to the manufacturer, a full load can accommodate four 20-ft or two 40-ft containers of 1AAA, 1AA, 1A, 1AX, 1CC, 1C, 1CX types.

The service life of the car is 32 years, the mileage from construction to the first depot repair is declared at the level of 450 thsd km (or 5 years).

In 2021, Altaivagon returned to the traditional 3rd place in the production of freight cars in Russia, giving the way only to the United Wagon Company and Uralvagonzavod. According to ROLLINGSTOCK Agency, 8.9 thsd cars were produced at the facilities of Altaivagon (+11.2% by 2020), the main share of production was boxcars and flatcars. At the same time, according to the financial results of the year, the company fixes a loss under RAS of 1.9 bln RUR ($25.8 mln USD) against 1.4 bln ($19.4 mln USD) profit a year earlier. The company’s revenue last year increased by 8% to 31 bln RUR ($420 mln USD), the cost of sales – by 23% to 30 bln RUR ($407 mln USD).

Altaivagon has been modernising production for several years in order to increase its efficiency. In 2021, Messer plasma cutting machines were added to the previously acquired four FANUC robotic systems for assembling and welding a wide range of freight car parts, which, according to the company, has reduced the consumption rate and saved more than 1,000 t of metal. At the end of the year, the plant received a preferential loan of 150 mln RUR ($2 mln USD) at 1% from the Development Fund of the Altai Territory for the purchase of the third automated welding line. One set of such equipment should make it possible to replace 8 welders and allow them to be moved to other jobs.