Wascosa, Europe's first provider of freight wagon systems, together with AnQore and Tatravagonka Poprad, has delivered further proof of its continuous innovation in freight wagon construction. The newly developed tank wagon for acrylonitrile is setting new standards in terms of safety and wagon design. 100 new wagons will be delivered by the end of 2020.
Wascosa has developed a new tank wagon for acrylonitrile for and with AnQore (formerly DSM Acrylonitrile BV), and which has been one of the leading players in the field of specialty chemicals for over 50 years. The new wagon design is a further development of the Wascosa safe tank car®, which was successfully launched in 2010. The most striking features are the self-supporting tank construction as well as the special headshield, the “PS02 Protection Shield" from the system supplier EST Eisenbahn-Systemtechnik, which was specially developed for this wagon. The PS02 Protection Shield protects the tank in the event of a collision with the wagon next to it or with other vehicles and obstacles. Because it is located far forward at the front of the wagon, it repels dangers to the tank as early as possible, rather like the lateral anti-climb protection above the buffers.
As well as providing added safety, the advantages of this new design are a significant increase in productivity of chemical transport by rail, e.g. through weight savings. This has been made possible by a more efficient use of materials, which was determined by means of calculations using the finite element method and verified in practical tests. Despite the additional, modern safety features, the wagon has an enlarged tank for acrylonitrile with an optimised volume of 93 m3.
Further features of this new design are the derailment detectors, the crash buffers with a particularly long deformation path, the anti-climbing protection in accordance with RID TE 25 a) as well as telematics.
In the words of Peter Boon, CEO of Anqore: "We have deliberately decided to go beyond the legal requirements in order to set this new safety standard for rail transport".
For Peter Balzer, CEO Wascosa, this new wagon is a clear demonstration of Wascosa's innovation culture: "As a provider of freight wagon systems, we are committed to meeting the highest customer demands. Constant progress and the determination to provide the greatest possible safety for dangerous goods tank wagons are part of our DNA and are what continuously drive us to break new ground and to constantly introduce new innovations within the European freight wagon market".
"The new wagon from Wascosa shows that increased tank wagon safety does not have to be at the expense of the payload," says Marián Moravčík, Company´s Chief Design Engineer of Tatravagonka Poprad. "The self-supporting construction of the tank enables weight savings of at least 500 kg".
Due to COVID 19, the start of the delivery has been delayed a little. In addition to the 25 wagons already delivered, a further 75 will be delivered by the end of the year.
