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FROM THE PAGES OF THE RAILNEWS
Engineer’s auto-coupler refurb is ‘outstanding success’
TYNE and Wear Metro operator Nexus is saving £20,000 a year by refurbishing and manufacturing auto-coupler components from its metro cars, rather than having to purchase completely new units.

And it’s all down to maintenance engineer Steve Rowell from Metro fleet depot in South Gosforth, Newcastle. He devised a refurbishment pro-cess for the trains’ draft tube and shear ring, two key parts of their auto-couplers, which has won him the annual award for Best Use of Metro Assets.

Steve said: “I went through original specifications and revised the process whilst improving the design. All the design changes have been calculated and verified to ensure they match original specification, and a sample batch is sent away for independent force testing to ensure compliance.”

Metrocar auto-couplers provide mechanical and electrical connection between vehicles and are designed to allow train swing and rotational movements and withstand dynamic forces.

Metro director Mick Cabro said: “Steve’s reclamation pro-cess was a complex task because industry standards set stringent limits with which all components must comply, but he has achieved outstanding success.”

Photo Steve Rowell shows the refurbished coupler components.