Logistics and industrial goods provider Vollert has installed a radio controlled shunting system at the Port of Pori in Finland. 

The port’s rail system is crucial for its bulk service provision, with iron sulphate the most common to be transported through the gateway. 

Vollert said it has provided a Tandem DER 150 shunting robot to move freight trains from ship side to waiting locomotives. 

The product uses a diesel-electric drivetrain powering four electric motors (one on each axle.) to move the 100 ton shunter along the 500 metre track.  

Vollert has also installed several repeaters along the along the track for the radio control system “to ensure reliable transmission of the control data inside and outside the track system.” 

“The system ensures automatic switching between the stations for optimum control of the transmission and reception power. Another automatic sanding system uses a measuring wheel to record the actual speed of the robot and increases the friction of the four drive axles in the event of slippage. This ensures reliable shunting even in adverse weather conditions such as rain, snow and ice,” Vollert explained in a statement. 

This technology allows the shunter to move trains loaded with up to 2,000 tons at a speed of 0.5m/s. 

The shunter can be coupled using the Central European coupling system and the Eastern European version. 

“This means that both couplings with central buffers (SA3) and the outer buffers commonly used in Central Europe can be coupled and moved with the shunting solution from Vollert,” the company explained. 

“The SA3-compatible wagons are also coupled and uncoupled automatically.” 

Remote maintenance of the shunter can be undertaken from Vollert’s offices in Germany, adding to the robot’s remote capabilities.