Two-way

One Unimog replaces two shunting locomotives.

The rail network in Germany is roughly three times as long as that of the country's motorways. Naturally, it has to be continually maintained, renewed and repaired. Work takes place at several hundred track construction sites every day. And often that means: new sleepers, please! DW Schwellen GmbH specialises in the manufacture of prestressed concrete track sleepers and prestressed concrete turnout sleepers. At the production sites in Güsen, Neuss and Augsburg, the company manufactures sleepers so that German rail traffic can roll as smoothly as possible.

Rail sleeper production in Neuss

Heavy-duty work.

The standard sleeper is 260 cm long and weighs 288 kg. Individual rail sleepers weigh up to 352 kg – depending on the railway's requirements. The standard sleeper must be laid every 60 centimetres. That adds up when a line is rehabilitated or newly built over several kilometres. At the Neuss plant, 52 employees take care of sleeper production. They produce up to 1,200 units a day. However, before they are allowed to be delivered, they must cure for seven days. Only then is the concrete’s prestressing force guaranteed to be 100 percent.

Ein gelber Zweiwege Unimog steht auf einem Gleis in einem Bahnbereich. Daneben steht eine Person in Warnkleidung mit einer Fahne.

Ein gelber Zweiwege Unimog steht vor einem Gebäude.

Ein Gabelstapler hebt Betonplatten von einem Waggon ab. Ein Arbeiter in Warnweste und Schutzhelm steht neben dem Waggon.

Ein Zweiwege Unimog fährt auf den Schienen eines Betriebsgeländes. Er zieht einen langen Anhänger mit Gleisschwellen.

A loading specialist.

A Unimog U 423 with a ZAGRO two-way body reliably supports the loading of the finished sleepers on the company premises. Six hundred meters of track have been laid here to enable the sleepers to be loaded onto railway wagons. Whenever empty wagons are needed, the yellow two-way Unimog shunts them precisely to the loading point.

“The Unimog is much more flexible and faster.”

Martin Samarra, production and rail operations manager, DW Schwellen GmbH

Versatile.

Two diesel locomotives from the 1950s and 1960s (Köff 2 with 128 hp and a weight of 17 tonnes) have recently been retired. "The Unimog is much more flexible and faster – not to mention the environmental aspect regarding fuel and maintenance. We can also carry out street-cleaning work with it when we don't need it for shunting," explains production and rail operations manager Martin Samarra. The Dücker sweeper FKM 240, which is deployed as required, has a working width of 240 cm.

A yellow two-way Unimog stands next to a blue locomotive. Both vehicles are positioned on a paved surface, with a building in the background.

At the Neuss works gate, the DW Schwellen Unimog hands over the loaded wagons (a maximum of 180 sleepers per wagon) to colleagues from RheinCargo. From here they are delivered directly to the track construction sites across the country.

Project implemented with Unimog general representative: RKF-BLESES GmbH

Ranks among the top positions.

For the necessary in-plant shunting work with heavy wagons, the Mercedes‑Benz car plant relies on five road-rail Unimog.

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Unimog instead of a locomotive

The new two-way Unimog U 423 with ZAGRO conversion at the port of Königs Wusterhausen ensures safety and efficiency on ten kilometres of railway track thanks to its automatic track monitoring.

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Versatility built in from the start

Bayernhafen Regensburg is the hub for freight transport throughout eastern Bavaria. That calls for an all-rounder capable of towing, lifting, spreading or cutting clearance profiles.

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The rescue shuttle.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Indonesia uses a road-rail Unimog U 423 from ZAGRO as an innovative rescue vehicle.

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The Unimog – an expert on rail tracks

On the premises of the Société de Garage de Morsbach (SGM) they rely on the Unimog U 423, because no other vehicle performs the job of shunting freight wagons better.

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Tandem in the tunnel.

In Amsterdam, GVB relies on specially adapted road-rail Unimog. The all-rounder for rail and road can be coupled with other Unimog – together they can manoeuvre train weights of up to 2,000 t.

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