Customised cable carrier system for UK's largest transfer table

• What was needed: System for safe guidance of the motor, bus and emergency stop cables between the transfer table and the control unit
• Requirements: Maintenance-free, insensitive to salt air, wind, snow and ice as well as flying debris
• Field of application: railway technology

Mechan Ltd. is an industry leader in the development of handling equipment for railway depots and workshops. At the North Rail Terminal at the Port of Felixstowe, Mechan has built the largest transfer table for locomotives in the UK. It increases the capacity of the terminal's rail network by 25%. The system is 30 metres long and can handle locomotives weighing 170 tonnes. The transfer table is approached from eight tracks. Gantry cranes, which extend across the entire width of the tracks, load the bogies with containers. The locomotive is driven on the transfer table to the loaded bogies, coupled and forwarded for transport on the rail network.

The motor, bus and emergency stop cables must be routed safely between the moving transfer table and the control unit. Initially, the use of a motorised cable reel was considered, but this would require slip ring contacts. There were concerns about maintaining the communication signals, so this solution was rejected. When looking for an alternative system, it was important to keep the challenging environment in mind: Felixstowe is a maritime, corrosive location with heavy rainfall and salty sea mist. Due to the high moisture content of the environment, there is also a high risk of ice and snow in winter. The cold winds from the North Sea also bring snow and icing. In summer, on the other hand, the wind blows debris around. The cable carrier system must function reliably under all these influences and should ideally require a minimum of maintenance.

The engineering team at igus® provided the perfect solution for this application: the basic flizz® complete system. It consists of an energy chain from the E4.1 series, which travels in a weatherproof stainless steel housing and is filled with chainflex® cable. The 30 metre long system was installed on site by the igus® installation team. It is extremely low-maintenance and reliably protects the cable from the weather and dirt. The cables can be easily retrofitted and are always guided through the e-chain® with a defined bend radius. This prevents them from snagging, getting caught and tearing off. The advantage over the cable drum is that there are no slip ring contacts and no separate drive is required; the e-chain® is simply attached to the moving part of the system and travelled along with it.