Pink Floyd on New Tracks

At first glance, there seems to be little connection between a 70s progressive rock band and the Bulgarian railway. But Pirtek Redditch has customers with just such an unlikely association.

Some years ago, the Bulgarian Railway Company (BRC) explored the possibility of acquiring surplus electric trains in the UK and operating them in Europe. One of the models earmarked for possible use was the West Coast class 87s that had been recently retired from UK service. Using the rolling stock intermediary Romic, the remaining 87s were purchased and stored at Long Marston airfield at Stratford by Electric Traction. But more of them later.

BRC originally intended shipping the locos to Bulgaria for conversion but decided to see if they could be converted in the UK. They approached Glenn Edwards, managing director of Electric Traction which is based on the site, to tackle the refurbishment. For Edwards, a long-standing loco fan and AC Locomotive Group preservation company member, this was an opportunity to mix business with pleasure. Setting aside the sentimentality, refurbishment also made sound financial sense. A new train would cost BRC £3.2 million; a refurbished one £250,000. And the scrap value of these discontinued trains was just £18,000.

But refurbishment was not without its challenges. "These are trains that were built in the 60s and they seem to have just about every odd connector conceivable somewhere in the body. One of the really troublesome parts was the carbon dioxide extinguishers fitted to the roof, they had some really weird BSP fittings,” Edwards recalls. “But Pirtek Redditch came to our rescue. In fact, it got to the point where I would call up Pirtek and simply say 'find me one of these' hand over the part, and hope. Without fail they have managed to either locate or make every part we needed. They came up trumps every time.”

The refitting involved considerable electrical and mechanical work to return them to operational service. This work has involved Pirtek at every stage as they replaced every hose on the hydraulics, braking and fire systems, countless seals, rubbers and battery fixtures and in finding connectors, some so old they had Whitworth threads.
 

The 18 month programme has seen the locos stripped back to bare metal, new floors and cabs installed and finally repainted in the national carrier's livery, which prompted a slightly tongue in cheek suggestion, as Edwards recalls.

"We discovered that one of the carriers was Floyd Rail. We asked if it was anything to do with the rock group, to which the answer was no, but their managing director was a big fan. We suggested that we finish the next batch of locos in black with a vivid pink band around the train and christen them the 'Pink Floyd class'. They loved the idea and the train was suitably finished in the new eye-catching livery."

“As a rail fan, it's nice to know we have given these locos a new lease of life." Edwards says. “The refurbishment wouldn't have been possible without Pirtek. It was very satisfying working with them and I think they got as much enjoyment out of producing an odd part and seeing it work, as we did,”

Refurbishing Bulgaria-bound trains in Stratford is one thing. Delivering them to their final destination is quite another. Enter another Pirtek customer, heavy haulage specialist, Allelys, which uses a six-axle, 130 tonne, 25 metre Goldhoffer trailer pulled by a DAF 8x4 tractor unit to move the Pink Floyd. Both units have hydraulic lifting and suspension units for easy loading. Transport Manager Robert Ford explained his connection with Pirtek, "We run a national account through Pirtek Redditch because they give the company such good cover in the UK and Europe. We get a good pricing structure from them and their response time is excellent, always within the 1 hour ETA,” Ford asserts. “They are the hydraulic specialists and we have entrusted them with our hydraulic repairs for years."
 

Which brings us back to Long Marston-based Motorail Logistic, a company that repair, refurbish and store rolling stock for the UK rail network and which currently has almost 1,000 rail wagons “in stock”.

Pirtek Redditch works in conjunction with Pirtek’s centre of excellence for rail-related installations at Pirtek Swindon, replacing the brake and air hoses as well as the quick release couplings. Together, they replace the components on up to 150 wagons every year.

Pirtek Redditch collects the hoses, dispatch to Pirtek Swindon which in turn repairs or replaces each hose and delivers it back to Pirtek Redditch within 24 hours. "We have been a Pirtek customer for 2 years and I simply can't complain about the service. They are very reliable and their prices compare very favourably with the competition,” concludes Motorail Logistics’ Managing Director Steve Dunmore.

“All of the units are pressure tested and we have never had a failure. We often need to put units back into service at very short notice and Pirtek always rises to the challenge."