The VTG fleet is growing: 156 wagons for transporting hot coils will expand the portfolio of standard freight wagons in the future. The Shmmns wagons can be loaded with coils of steel strip at a temperature of up to 500 °C, with a possible total load of around 70 tons. The wagons were built by the French manufacturer INVEHO UFO and are now used for steel transports in Spain: All 156 wagons are leased to ArcelorMittal, the world's largest producer of steel products. The new wagons run between the Arcelor plant in Aviles in northern Spain and the plant in Sagunto on the Mediterranean coast in the province of Valencia. From here, for example, companies in the European automotive industry are supplied with processed flat steel products.
Loading goods with high demands on the design of the wagons
Shimmns wagons for transporting coils have long been part of the VTG portfolio – but so far only for cooled steel strip rolls. In designing the Shmmns wagons, some adaptions have been made to allow the loading of hot coils. The underframe, for example, is equipped with a protection against temperature transmission. "This eliminates waiting times for the steel to cool down, so the goods can be loaded directly onto the wagons – a significant increase in efficiency in rail freight transport," says Tim Bredenbeck, project engineer new builds at VTG.