Production plants for sleepers and bearers
Thanks to its consolidated know-how in the design and construction of long-line and Carousel systems, WEGH Group is able to provide turnkey solutions for the production of railway sleepers, slabs for ballastless systems and bearers for prestressed reinforced concrete switches.
With a wide range of installations all over the world, our company offers both long-line plants, with production capacities from 120 to 4,800 sleepers per day, and Carousel plants, with production capacities from 25 to 150 sleepers per hour.
Our references feature installations of more than 70 plants in over 30 countries, including Brazil, which has a plant with a production capacity of 4,800 sleepers per day.
In order to best cope with the variables of the local context, such as, for example:
- the supply and quality of raw materials available on site;
- climate conditions;
- regulatory compliance;
WEGH Group is able to assist the client in the choice between the two production systems, long-line and Carousel, to identify the most suitable solution.
Long-line railway sleeper and bearer plants
The long-line production plants for prestressed reinforced concrete sleepers and bearers have a level of automation that allows them to operate in a wide range of production contexts.
The plant control system is electromechanical and allows the operator simple and intuitive semi-automatic management through an ergonomic console.
A further added value of long-line plants for concrete sleepers and bearers is the use of single or stranded wires with improved adherence, which is easy to source, even locally. This saves money on the end product, as well as distributing prestressing loads more efficiently.
Long-line plants have production capacities ranging from 120 to 4,800 sleepers per day and are set up to meet the requirements of the client and the reference market.
The modular logic and the high production flexibility of the machines in Wegh Group’s long-line production plants makes it possible to implement production lines with low, scalable investments.
The main production machines, combined with ad hoc production layouts, can be used on several parallel long-line lines: this feature allows the achievement of the production capacity required by the market, through gradual investments.
Carousel railway sleeper and bearer plants
Carousel production plants for prestressed reinforced concrete sleepers and bearers are characterised by a high level of automation. The machines that make up the various stations of the production process are managed and controlled by PLC (programmable logic controller), which ensures high precision and reliability.
WEGH Group offers production plants with production capacities of 25 to 150 sleepers per hour.
A special feature of the WEGH Group Carousel plants is that they offer different prestressing systems such as:
- high-adhesion wires;
- wires with anchor plates at the ends:
- post-stressed, using sheathed wires bolted to the anchor plates.
The Carousel system is a versatile solution that adapts to different production needs. In addition, Wegh Group’s Carousel concrete sleeper production plants are made up of modular components, designed to guarantee an increase in hourly production, based on market needs, simply by installing additional machinery alongside the existing ones.
This system is greatly facilitated by the fact that Carousel plants do not require foundations or civil engineering structures: this allows for mobility, easy disassembly and re-assembly at other sites.
Main features
Sleeper type
Monoblock
Production output
400 to 1600 sleepers/day in standard version
Other production outputs upon request
Pre-stressing type
Bonded tendons (indented wires/strands)
Transfer to pre-stressing station
By hydraulic cylinders
Concrete transfer to distribution station
By automatic systems upon request
Concrete casting
Assisted with semi-automatic machines
Concrete vibration
By external, high frequency electric vibrators
Strand cutting
Assisted with semi-automatic machines
Mould oiling – laying of wires/strands
Assisted with semi-automatic machines
Sleeper demoulding
Assisted with semi-automatic machines featuring a vacuum system
Main features
Sleeper type
Monoblock
Production output
25-50-75-100-125-150 sleepers/hour
Pre-stressing type
Bonded tendons (pre-stressing)
With head anchoring (pre-stressing)
With sheathed wires (post-tensioning)
Transfer to pre-stressing station
Simultaneous on both sides and on all tie-rods
Concrete transfer to distribution station
By automatic systems upon request
Concrete casting
Assisted with automatic machines
Concrete vibration
By vibrating benches featuring external, high frequency electric vibrators
Manufacturing steps
Semi-automatic to automatic, depending on plant output/type
Main features
Sleeper type
Bi-Block
Production output
25-50-75-100-125-150 sleepers/hour
Concrete transfer to distribution station
By automatic systems upon request
Concrete casting
Assisted with automatic machines
Concrete vibration
By vibrating benches featuring external, high frequency electric vibrators
Manufacturing steps
Semi-automatic to automatic, depending on installation output/type
Effective maintenance with Wegh Easy Maintenance
The Wegh Group is able to provide turnkey solutions, including the supply of test laboratories and the equipment necessary for constant quality monitoring of the product manufactured, from presses to devices for dimensional and non-destructive testing.
In order to ensure constant support for our clients, we have put in place after-sales programmes tailored to the needs of each client. These include the Wegh Easy Maintenance programme, designed to support the client in more efficient maintenance management.
Wegh Easy Maintenance includes spare part packages for each machine, depending on the number of sleepers produced, to optimise warehouse stocks, and on-site audits and inspections. These are aimed not only at the general assessment of the plant, but also at the continuous training and updating of the maintenance personnel working in the plant through special courses.
Carousel and long-line ballastless slab manufacturing plants
The manufacturing plants for ballastless prestressed concrete slabs have been part of the WEGH Group’s portfolio since the early 1980s. We were the first manufacturer of concrete ballast plants in Europe to develop a production system in accordance with EU regulations.
WEGH Group designs and manufactures complete manufacturing plants, both long-line and Carousel, for the production of precast elements that make up the ballastless railway, metro and tram infrastructure, such as, for example, the pre-stressed reinforced concrete platforms used in the Arianna® system.
Machinery and equipment for Carousel and long-line systems
Wegh Group can supply machinery and equipment and carry out partial or complete revamping of old manufacturing plants.
Through constant investment in research and development, WEGH Group offers innovative and cutting-edge solutions for production, in terms of OEE machines, as well as for the optimisation of energy consumption. We also combine this with the implementation of systems (SCADA) for the control and analysis of production data, in line with the Industry 4.0 plan.
The synergy between the Plant and Railway Structure Business Units facilitates continuous improvement of the reliability, availability, quality and productivity of the manufacturing plants, guaranteeing cutting-edge technology.
Through the gradual modernisation of equipment and machinery, with a focus on critical production issues, WEGH Group is able to assist clients by formulating a dedicated step-by-step revamping plan, highlighting the necessary investments and timelines.