Mechan secures future of Historic London Bogies

18th November 2014

Sheffield-based Mechan is using its advanced engineering skills to breathe new life into railway equipment still serving London almost a century after its introduction.

The rail depot maintenance specialist has refurbished two accommodation bogies, believed to date from the 1920s, for London Underground's Acton Depot. Because the accommodation bogies are so old and little is known about their manufacture, Mechan had to strip the units down and carry out reverse engineering to establish how they were constructed. Worn parts were then replaced, for example, the axle bearings and they were shot blasted and repainted, before being delivered back to Acton. Accommodation bogies sometimes known as dummy bogies are used to move rail vehicles around the depot once they have been separated from their bogies. Lee Pitts, Mechan's sales manager, said: -Considering their advanced age, Acton's accommodation bogies were in remarkably good shape and although we knew little about their provenance, the technology behind this type of equipment is still recognisably the same. We were, therefore, able to use our experience and engineering skills to understand the composition and achieve an extremely high quality finish. They returned to the depot looking as good as new and ready to serve another 100 years. Mechan is expecting more equipment from London Underground to make the journey to Sheffield for refurbishment. The companies have a history of working together, most notably on the restoration of a 50 year old turntable from Waterloo, the only subterranean depot in the capital. For more information about the depot maintenance products manufactured and repaired by Mechan, telephone (0114) 257 0563 or visit www.mechan.co.uk.