Huddig RAIL Among Tomorrow’s Profs

With the aim of training Sweden's best railway technicians, Nässjö Järnvägsutbildning (Nässjö Railway Training) is setting its sights high in every department. Its own training sidings and a complete signal box and points means that trainees encounter reality during actual training. In addition, the school has its own Huddig 1260C Rail – a backhoe loader fully equipped for assignments on and alongside the track. A collaboration with Huddig representatives VöXss Maskin AB ensures the school always has an ultramodern machine at its disposal. 

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Nässjö Järnvägsutbildning acquired its first Huddig at the end of 2012. It too was a 1260C built for railway use and was equipped with a lift. Its replacement arrived in the middle of October this year. The multi-year agreement recently signed with VöXss Maskin AB means the machine will be replaced annually.

Pre-eminent machine type

‘The industry is switching increasingly to this type of backhoe loader as they are so versatile. The machines allow the use of all facilities and they are fully mobile,' says Marcus Nordal, instructor and machine operator.

Because Huddig dominates the market for railway machines, it is especially beneficial that our trainees gain experience on this particular type.

All-rounder

The school's Huddig is used every day in the training sidings.

‘Before we acquired our first Huddig, we used a smaller wheel loader and a mini excavator and we also rented a boom lift. A backhoe loader fitted with a lift combines everything we need in a single machine, what's more with significantly higher capacity,' says Rolf Svensson, railway technology instructor.

His colleague Thomas Wenström, who also teaches railway technology, emphasizes the value of trainees getting to know the equipment they will later meet on an everyday basis. The machine's bucket, backhoe unit and lift are put to good use as various types of work must be carried out.

'The backhoe loader is a great all-rounder. We use it to replace sleepers, install overhead lines, sweep away snow and for vibrating tarmac, digging cable ducts and a lot more besides. Ours is the only school in the country where trainees get to install overhead lines at full working height. All in all, this means training is very true to life,' says Thomas.

Flexible lift

Trainees Erik Granberg and Ruben Strandberg were among the first to try out the lift on the school's new Huddig.

'It was extremely simple and easy to operate,' they declare.

Erik and Ruben are taking a one-year vocational training course in qualified signal technology. They're getting along great and are truly happy with their choice of vocation. Both have a keen interest in electronics, and in Erik's case, working on the railway runs in the family so it wasn't hard for him to get on the right track.

'You can tell the school is dedicated – it invests in excellent facilities and really great equipment,’ Erik and Ruben agree.

Shared opportunities

Access to a fully equipped railway machine from Huddig opens the door for new initiatives at Nässjö Järnvägsutbildning.

'We are now able to develop a concept aimed at machine operators with assignments on the railway,’ Marcus Nordal tells us.

Thomas Wenström remarks that there is a general lack of people with railway know-how.

'This is also true of machine operators, so we’re also able to make an important contribution in this area too,' says Thomas, who is convinced that good kit helps to raise the level of interest.

The collaboration also provides VöXss Maskin AB and Huddig AB with the ability to demonstrate a fully equipped railway machine in its proper environment – on tracks with no traffic.

'The collaboration provides concrete benefits for us both, and that's exactly the way we want it to be,’ Tommy Andersson and Fredrik Sporrenklint at VöXss Maskin AB point out.