Majorlift Hydraulic Engineering are a Bristol based manufacturer of specialist lifting equipment. Established in 1971, we have been designing and manufacturing lifting equipment for use in automotive, aerospace and defence applications and are now being asked to supply specialist lifting equipment for rail applications. We have developed a standard range of tools for handling components up to 1 Tonne in weight, although we have the technology to lift up to 40Tonnes!
Increasingly, we are being asked to work alongside the depot’s H&S team to develop safe methods of removing large, often heavy & frequently awkward shaped components from carriages, locos & wagons.
The most recent example of this is where we have been asked to provide tooling for the safe removal and refitting of the Holset adaptor on the cardan shaft of the Class 15X unit, fitted with a Cummins diesel engine, in service with GWR at Exeter. The Holset adaptor performs as an intermediate clutch on the prop shaft and it prone to wear. Before Majorlift’s involvement, this was a three-day job, requiring the engine to be dropped so the train was out of service and there was also potential for serious injury. Having worked successfully on previous projects, Majorlift were invited to review the procedure by GWR’s H&S team. Following an initial visit, a tool was produced, offered up, adjusted for fit and taken off site for completion and painting. The final product was delivered to site & GWR were astonished to find the Holset adaptor can now be replaced by two people in under three hours! This freed up the train to get back into revenue earning service. Due to the way the adaptor is held & manipulated, it is a very safe operation, with much reduced risk of injury.
Another stunning feature is that the Holset tool is fitted as an attachment to Majorlift’s proven Rail Jack, and so is a highly economical adaptor, rather than a completely new tool. This makes the Rail Jack a productive and very cost-effective addition to the workshop. We have already designed adaptors for use with accumulators, fans, gearboxes and alternators fitted beneath carriages & engines.
Although our Rail Jack runs on the pit floor, we are encouraging designers to include a “jack rail” in all new pits being installed. This allows users to future proof their facility by building in the ability to run lifting equipment – such as our industry leading commercial pit jack – along the length of the bay to support, remove and refit heavy components from anywhere under the carriage, wagon or locomotive being maintained.
Design and manufacture of all of our products happens in our factory just outside of Bristol. We used 3D Computer modelling to ensure that components are not over stressed and will be stable in use. We can also use the same software to model the underside of the rail vehicles and the pit to ensure we have the necessary space to carry out the work and to design mountings to fit the unit being serviced.
Our manufacturing facility uses modern CNC technology to machine 95% of the product from raw materials – including all the rams & cylinders, power packs and air motors. Retaining this inhouse allows us to rigorously control the quality of the products and the lead times to our customers. We have invested in a highly flexible manufacturing process that allows cost effective manufacture of small volumes of products.
Majorlift can produce large and small solutions, tailored to the customer’s needs – our largest application was to manufacture a bespoke lift for the removal and replacement of engines, gearboxes, cooler and fuel units from the Siemens Class 185 Diesel Train. Probably our smallest product is a turnbuckle, used for securing the trailing arm on bogies being moved for servicing.