Allelys Heavy Haulage has put a pair of bespoke-built five-axle power-steered low-loaders from Andover Trailers into operation, which will deliver the first of a new generation of high-tech passenger trains to arrive in the UK.
The two low-loaders were joined by a third Goldhofer trailer to collect the Hitachi Class 800 train as it was unloaded from a transporter ship at Southampton docks, for delivery to the Old Dalby test track near Melton Mowbray. The train forms the first in the government’s £5.7 billion InterCity Express Programme (IEP), destined to enter service on Great Western from 2017 and East Coast from 2018.
Andover said it built each extendible low-loader to support the full scope of rail industry work carried out by Allelys, while offering the versatility to undertake general heavy haulage duties as well.
Each trailer has a payload capacity of up to 80 tonnes and can be extended to a total length of 28 m. For the new Hitachi trains, they ran at just under 26 m and operated under STGO Category 3 load conditions.
“This was a very high-profile movement and the trailers performed well throughout,” said Allelys transport manager, Robert Ford. “You can’t acquire a trailer for this kind of work off the shelf; we liaised closely with the design team at Andover to get the specification just right.”
