Up to 300 kg of cargo stays in the wagon after unloading
A crew of four with shovels and crowbars takes up to 20 minutes to clean a gondola. The Sweeper GT brush machine does it in 3–5 minutes — with no one inside the wagon body.
Why a wagon is never empty
Even free-flowing cargo partially stays in the wagon body after unloading — in the corners and on the inner beams. In open wagons the residue depends on moisture and cargo properties: after a rotary dumper pass, up to 300 kg of coal can remain on the floor and walls. A wagon released with residue means lost product, contamination claims on the next cargo and demurrage penalties.
Open wagons: Sweeper GT
The Sweeper GT cleans the wagon body in 3–5 minutes (depending on residue), fully sweeps the floor and walls and gathers the residue at the wagon end — for a grab bucket or discharge through the hatches. Instead of a four-man crew with shovels and crowbars — and 20 minutes per wagon.
Covered wagons: vibration
In covered wagons, residue in corners and on beams is practically impossible to collect by hand. The best tool is a powerful VH-500 vibrator: the impact reaches the most hidden spots of the wagon body where cargo collects.
Paired with a rotary dumper
Terminals already pair railcar vibrators with rotary dumpers for complete wagon clean-out in one cycle. The VH-500R is now being deployed: vibrators built directly into the rotary dumper, running on a single control system and one algorithm with the dumper.
Honest limitations
At 2–3 wagons a day, mechanised cleaning usually doesn't pay off — check our savings calculator or ask an engineer.
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