Every vehicle delivered by ZWEIWEG International GmbH & Co. KG is ready for a busy life in two spheres: on the road and on the rails. Bringing this safely to fruition requires German engineering technology, a large portion of solution-oriented thought, an eye for detail, and last but not least, connection technology that functions reliably 100% of the time.
Driving like you're on rails
This was the slogan for a German automotive company shortly after the turn of the millennium. ZWEIWEG has lived this motto in their day-to-day business for the last six decades. The company, which was founded in 1940, currently operates under the name ZWEIWEG International, a member of the ZAGRO Group. At the company headquarters in Leichlingen on the Rhine, around 75 employees are engaged in highly specialized special purpose vehicle manufacturing. 20 to 30 vehicles are delivered per year, which can drive on both roads and also rails. They are used for overhead cable installation, track cleaning, rail welding, shunting, or as rescue vehicles, among other things. Customers around the world esteem these ZWEIWEG conversions. The base is formed by conventional motor vehicles – from pickups to 40-ton trucks.
Every Delivery is Unique
A conversion can take up to twelve months, depending on the tasks that the two-way vehicles are supposed to carry out. “Aside from the rail excavators, we do not deliver any standard products,” explains Dirk Löscher, Design Manager, who has been with ZWEIWEG International for 35 years. “There are countless parameters that we have to consider during project development: track profiles, including curve radii that that we have to cope with and the necessary ground clearance, weight distribution for safe locomotion on rails and roads, retaining the structure gauge, etc. Our vehicles are individualized to an extremely high level.” In addition to the mechanical conversions, like the rail running capability, ZWEIWEG alters and expands the working tools, lifting platforms, superstructures, etc. as well as the entire electrical system of the base vehicle. “This begins with something as basic as the lighting systems: rails and roads have different mandatory requirements for lighting. For rail operation, we completely shut down the street lighting, and vice versa,” explains Löscher.
Manual assembly: The vehicle electrical system is completely modified over the course of the conversion.
Each Individual Cable is Modified
The specialists at ZWEIWEG install their own control cabinets in both the driver's cab and also elsewhere in the vehicle. The vehicle application profile determines the control system and the necessary signals. “The controllers process between 100 and 200 signals in each of our conversions. The palette extends from parameters that monitor the pressure on the rail axles, or are responsible for controlling the rail undercarriage, up to to travel clearances or the communications from the working platform to the vehicle control system,” explains Löscher. The electricians on his team are presented with many challenges in each project. The control cabinets and cable paths are always individually designed. The space available in the cabinets is quite limited; the arrangement of a total of 250 to 300 terminal points per vehicle must be precisely prepared. “With an average conversion time of a year, one could possibly conclude that we don't work under time pressures,” mentions Löscher. “However, we are constantly reducing our turnaround times, and the electricians are always the ones who provide the final touches. Finding and correcting wiring errors is time consuming and should be avoided under all circumstances, regardless of the narrow spatial conditions.