A Star Performer

June 2, 2023

A STAR PERFORMER

London’s Eurostar depot, Temple Mills, holds special significance for Mechan – it is home to the very first bogie drop we designed to service two maintenance roads.

THE CONTRACT

In 2007, Temple Mills was constructed at a huge cost of £402 million in preparation for the arrival of the continental fleet.

There is no means of lifting Eurostar trains in the UK, so a bogie drop was needed to carry out work on undercar equipment. We were approached by Rail Link Engineering to create a drop that had the capability to make transfers from the depot’s two maintenance roads to a service road, via two moveable bridges.

The design was complicated by the fact the articulated bogies on the Eurostar are very tall. This meant an extremely deep pit had to be built to allow them to pass beneath the bridge on road two and reach the storage area.

THE RESULT

Temple Mills’ bogie drop is consistently in demand. It is not only used for casualty repairs, but also campaign changes, when all bogies are replaced and refurbished. Even though the equipment has proved reliable, our engineers are in regular contact with the depot to assist with servicing, call outs, etc.

Douglas Graham, Eurostar’s contract and facilities manager, said: “The ongoing support we receive from Mechan is excellent, maintenance is always carried out on time and to a very high standard. Technical support is also available when required and the training of our teams on how to use the equipment has always been professional and structured.

“I have no hesitation in recommending Mechan’s bogie drops and we would be happy to facilitate a visit to our depot to view the equipment in use.”