UK: New £8.9 Million Wheel Lathe in Operation at Allerton Depot

A new, 8.9 million GBP wheel lathe is now fully operational at Northern’s Allerton TrainCare Centre.

The lathe, nicknamed ‘Tina’ after the late Tina Turner, allows for the reshaping, balancing and repairing of train wheels without removal from the vehicle bodies themselves, minimising service disruption.

Funded in part by Network Rail, who contributed 6.8 million toward the lathe’s installation, work to bring the machine began in September 2023, and continues the Allerton Depot’s storied history of wheel lathe use, which dates back as far as the 1950s.

Clinton Ralphs, Network Rail North west route sponsor for the project, said:

It’s fantastic to see the new tandem wheel lathe now operational at Allerton Depot, significantly improving the efficiency of our wheel turning process.

This joint venture with Northern has allowed us to revive a key aspect of Allerton Depot’s history, by installing the new wheel lathe equipment at the depot, giving improved capacity, performance and reliability for Northern. After much anticipation, it’s wonderful to witness its arrival, which will undoubtedly enhance the engineering capabilities at the depot.

Engineers at the Centre have already been receiving training for proper use operation of the wheel lathe, with regular service now underway.

Jack Commandeur, engineering director at Northern, said:

Tina is a very much welcomed addition to the engineering arsenal and will enable us to repair wheels without having to remove them from the train, which makes the process far more efficient.

Turning wheels on the lathe extends their life and reduces the costs associated with replacing them. The increase in wheel lathing capacity also means trains will spend less time out of passenger service for maintenance.

This has been a significant project to deliver requiring perseverance and co-operation on all sides and I am thankful to the team at Network Rail, my colleagues here at Northern and our suppliers for delivering this fabulous new capability.