Komatsu wheeled excavators chosen for rail use
09/05/2002

Philmor Rail of Usk in Monmouthshire is currently converting a batch of 15 Komatsu PW130ES wheeled excavators to road/rail specification on behalf of a number of customers.

Initially specialising in the manufacture of railway trailers, with over 180 supplied since the company was formed in 1996, Philmor now produces a variety of track repair machinery including its own design of road/railer.

Philmor's design for this category of equipment incorporates a unique turnbuckle system which allows easy adjustment of the drive transfer between the excavator's tyres and the supporting rail wheels in order to maintain maximum efficiency regardless of tyre wear or weather conditions.

Most of the units being assembled are to Philmor's heavy duty specification which involves replacement of the standard counterweight with a heavier, specially constructed item plus extra chassis weight built into the side mounted tool boxes.

Commenting on his choice of Komatsu for this project, Philmor's managing director Adrian Phillips said: "The 14 tonne PW130 is a compact machine and therefore ideal for rail use and once we have carried out the heavy duty conversion it has the lifting capability of a standard 18 or 19 tonne machine. Our customers particularly like this outstanding performance and the machine's overall controllability and we find it perfect for converting because of its large and robust underframe and two-piece boom."

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