Services
Reliable maintenance of your freight wagon fleet at the highest level is our promise – in the workshop, on your premises or on the track.
Waggonwerk Brühl is your experienced partner for rolling stock maintenance, mobile repairs, spare parts procurement and wheelset reconditioning for your freight wagons. Our core competence lies in refurbishing and converting tank cars, standard freight wagons and intermodal wagons, and servicing wagon components. We guarantee good value for money, while carrying out all service work efficiently and in line with the latest standards, guidelines and legal requirements. Absolute precision and a focus on safety are the hallmark of everything we do: they are part of our DNA as a company. At the same time, our highly qualified team makes sure your wagons are back on the rails as quickly as possible.
Service portfolio
Here is a detailed list of our individual services:
All the services we offer are based on your individual needs and the condition of the wagon in question. Our repair services range from minor ad-hoc repairs to restoration after severe damage. Specifically, our portfolio includes the following maintenance and repair services:
- Maintenance work on tank cars, standard freight wagons and intermodal wagons
- Repairs after severe damage
- End-to-end handling of incoming wagons under the terms of General Contracts of Use for Wagons (GCU)
- Insulation repairs up to complete refurbishment
- Repainting and touch-up painting
- Wagon condition inspections and protocols for newly leased wagons and wagons returned at the end of a lease
- Welding of cracks in underframes and bogies, on the saddling and on the tank, reinforcement rings and joints around the dome
Unterframe revisions
Alongside maintenance and repair services for the superstructure, we also perform underframe overhauls. State-of-the-art technical fittings enable us to complete all necessary servicing work on underframes quickly, reliably and efficiently. Due to the continuous qualification of our skilled workers, we are able to meet the highest quality standards and significantly reduce the time your freight wagons spend in the workshop. Your fleet will be up and running again very quickly. We perform the following tank car and freight wagon revisions:
- Underframe revisions in compliance with G 4.0, G 4.2 and G 4.8
- Bogie revisions in compliance with D 1, D 2 and D 3
- Braking tests in compliance with BR 0, 2 and 3
Tank inspections
General tank inspections are carried out in a specially equipped part of our main facility in Wesseling. Here, inspections can be performed in parallel on several platforms. A computer-assisted pump system allows tanks to be filled precisely (to within a few litres). All test procedures are monitored by external experts who are present on site at all times. All these measures speed up our work processes and minimise inspection-related downtime for your tank cars.
Quick-repair service
To handle particularly time-critical repairs on your rail freight wagons, we have launched a quick repair service. The aim of this service is to complete standard maintenance work on your freight wagons carefully and accurately but also very quickly – to get your wagons back on the rails without delay. Our express-repair service is available for cleaned and uncleaned tank cars, standard freight wagons and intermodal wagons. It includes the following services:
- Tank car inspections Z und W
- Wall thickness measurement
- GCU damage
- All work on the running gear and underframe
- All work on the brakes
- Wheelset replacement, EVIC inspections, wheelset measurement
- Tank functionality and leakage tests
- Valve repairs, inspection of safety valves and adjustment of excess pressure/vacuums
- Sealing replacement
- Paintwork touch-ups
- Inscriptions
- Insulation repairs
- Inspection and repair of freight wagon superstructures
Surface treatment and cleaning
Our maintenance services include professional surface treatment of your wagons, covering everything from the removal of corrosion to new markings/lettering and repainting. All our services are tailored to your specific requirements and performed in close consultation with you. The surface treatment of your freight wagons is carried out professionally, carefully and quickly. Here is a detailed list of our individual services:
- Sand blasting: Sand blasting cleans the surface in preparation for a new coat of paint. Alternatively, it can remove corrosion, dirt and adhesives without leaving any residue. Depending on surface requirements, we use a variety of blasting agents – from superfine roughness to coarse surface quality.
- Interior and exterior blasting of steel tanks: Our expert staff always select the most suitable blasting agent depending on requirements and the customer’s specifications.
- Surface preparation: Professional preparation of the wagon surface lays the foundation for a durable coating. Our experienced staff are familiar with a wide range of procedures and apply them appropriately to suit the surface properties.
- Painting and corrosion prevention: Above and beyond the technically safe and impeccable condition of your wagons, we also take their appearance very seriously. We handle the renewal of all markings/letterings prescribed by the railway authorities, as well as cleaning the exterior or a complete repainting. Such visual alterations involve only minimal idle time.
We are also happy to clean your wagon fleet, deploying state-of-the-art equipment to clean your tank cars ready for inspection. On request, we can also provide cleaning to UIP standards.
Here is a detailed list of our cleaning services:
- Depressurizing gas tank cars (LPG)
- Tank car staining and passivation
- Cleaning of petroleum cars
- High-pressure cleaning
- External washing
Modernization and conversion
Our maintenance activities include services that go beyond mere repairs. We can also upgrade your wagons in line with cutting-edge technology and/or align them with your specific requirements, thereby extending the service life of your wagon fleet. Modernization enables the flexible deployment of your freight wagons to cut costs. We have the expertise to convert wagon components to meet your individual needs and bring them into line with the technical state of the art. Our services in this field include:
- Converting bogies and brakes
- Converting tanks, including valve adjustments and changes to the emptying equipment
- Other conversions and modernizations to meet your individual preferences and requirements
Wheelsets are critically important to the safety of your freight wagons, and wheelset quality is crucial to smooth operation and maximized fleet uptime. Our experienced experts are constantly adding to their knowledge in order to consistently deliver the reliable and high-quality reconditioning of your wheelsets. Modern machining equipment and special tools are used to deliver top-quality maintenance. We do everything to ensure the safety of your fleet, inspecting and reconditioning wheelsets as follows in accordance with international norms:
- IL – Bearing inspection
- IS 1 – Reconditioning of wheelset profiles
- IS 2 – Bearing inspection and extended non-destructive testing
Two criteria are of utmost importance when repairing freight wagons: professionalism and speed, so that your wagons are quickly back in service. In the event of damage, malfunction or imminent breakdown, our six experienced mobile teams will be where your wagon is in the shortest possible time, whether on your premises or somewhere along the line. With a fully equipped workshop truck, the mobile service teams are based at the following locations:
- Main Waggonwerk Brühl workshop in Wesseling
- Service workshop in Syke
- Service workshop in Schwarzheide
- Service workshop in Alstätte
- Service workshop in Lutherstadt Wittenberg
- Service workshop in Hamburg
As in our stationary workshops, mobile servicing is also performed by expert personnel – safely, reliably, to the same high quality standards and with the same cutting-edge technology. On site, we can handle both minor repairs and major maintenance work.
Our mobile services at a glance:
- Brake repairs with braking tests
- Replacement of underframe components such as suspension springs
- Bogie and underframe repairs
- Marking/inscription work and the removal of graffiti
- Repairs to emptying and filling equipment, with full protective gear where necessary
- Replacement of valves
- Repairs to or replacement of safety equipment
- Assistance with loading and unloading issues
- Sealing and functional testing
- Wheelset replacement (subject to certain requirements)
- Replacement of couplings (subject to certain requirements)
- Minor insulation repairs
How you benefit from our mobile service network:
- Fast repairs on your premises or on the line significantly reduce your wagon downtime.
- We provide the same comprehensive mobile maintenance service as in the workshop.
- Your wagons are back on the rails very quickly, giving you a crucial competitive edge.
- You avoid empty runs to workshops and save on transfer costs.
- Short downtime periods enable you to optimise fleet deployment and capacity utilisation.
Our webshop sells an extensive assortment of spare parts for freight wagons of all shapes and sizes – from indicator cylinders to traction devices. Fast availability of parts means you get your wagons ready for use without delay, saving you precious time for repairs and conversion and returns your wagons back into service as quickly as possible. Upon request, we will notify you immediately of the price of each part. Here is a selection of the many spare parts you will find in our webshop:
- Underframe components such as brake pads, traction devices, buffers and corner steps for freight wagons of all shapes and sizes
- All kinds of sealing components
- Components for filling and emptying equipment, such as bottom valves, discharge valves and safety valves for chemical, petroleum and gas tank cars
