Client Feedback

McCulloch Rail is delighted to receive feedback from our customers. To date we have had a number of very positive comments sent to us by some of our clients and we have decided to post some of them on here.

Message sent by Alan Morris, Network Rail Area Mobile Plant Engineer (Scotland East)
Just to say thank you to all at McCulloch Rail that were involved with the recent Trac Rail Transposer works at the various sites for Network Rail Scotland East. The feedback from the various sections managers and track engineers that you worked for to myself has been unanimous, excellent job done, helpful staff on the night with a positive can do/will do attitude and good value for the money service.

Message sent by Daniel Markey AMIMechE, Network Rail, Technical Support and Planning, Inverkeithing
Just a wee e-mail to thank you all for the great job you did for us at Dunfermline last week. I didn't get the chance to say to the lads on the night, but I really appreciated their help. I was really impressed with your kit: they're awesome machines and so fast!

Message sent by David Storrie, Works Manager, Track Renewals Division, First Engineering
Can I take this opportunity to thank you all at McCulloch Rail for their effort and professionalism in contributing to a successful weekend at Saltcoats. Carrying out the delivery of a 713 Yard Cat 11 in 28 hours is a major achievement within the renewals industry and First Engineering are fortunate to have motivated and focused partners in helping us deliver successful renewals.

I think, involving you and your staff at an early planning stage was paramount in the delivery of this site and I hope that this will continue for the foreseeable future.

Message sent by Phil Brown, Area Mobile Plant Engineer, Thames Valley.
Network Rail Thames Valley would like to thank the McCulloch Rail team for all the effort and an excellent job which you did for us down in London at such short notice. You managed to install 6 x 709ft rails under live OHLE with the adjacent line open to traffic, which in turn allowed us to remove the speed from the main line approach into Paddington Station.

Your staff were so keen and willing to help which was such a refreshing change and the Trac Rail Transposers performed outstandingly. We will definitely be using you again in the near future.

Message sent by Simon Tillot of Network Rail for work we carried out at Victoria Station, Manchester.
McCulloch Rail, superb performance. Not only the machinery but the staff were also extremely helpful at mucking in with the lads, which we needed as the block times were a lot shorter than originally planned.

Highly recommended.

Message sent from Samuel Barribal, Projects Department Area Services, Kent.
We are very pleased with the way the Trac Rail Transposers worked. This definitely showed us that these machines work easily around the third rail. Also the scrap recovery process using the Unimog and trolleys was a quick and safe way of removing the scrap rail that your team had burnt up into 30ft lengths.

Message sent by Chris Bremner, Section Manager, Network Rail, Leeds Sent by e-mail on 13th October 2008
I had the honour of first seeing your machinery which was being utilised on a Track Renewal site near Filey on a stretch of single line.

My role was as a delegate for the maintenance department at Leeds.

I was that impressed with the speed and safety of the operations, that I came back with the mindset of never using an RRV again for re-railing, assuming that your machinery was available.

I have been usuing the Trac Rail Transposers for the past 3 weekends and have another planned for this coming weekend.

The work has been undertaken under OHLE and not having to wait for the isolation is a time saving factor.

The staff are also very helpful and are wiling to 'muck in' if required

Message sent by e-mail from Ian Turnbull, ATME, Network Rail, Chester, 04th November 2008
Blaenau Ffestiniog re-railing
The Bleanau FFestiniog branch is a single line which begins at Llandudno Junction and ends at Blaunau Ffestiniog, 27m 1100yds. The track is mainly Bullhead jointed but does contain some Flatbottom CWR, the geographical constraints beyond Betws y Coed necessitating numerous checked curves of 20 chains radius.

Due to rail wear, 382 rails are required to be changed, largely because of issues with fishplate clearances.

The usual method of changing 60ft rail lengths on a single line is to use two RRV's, one each end of the 60ft rail when removing and installing. Problems have been encountered using this method as only one rail can be moved at a time, the RRV's requiring running rail to stand on. The process is time consuming, expensive and carries the risks associated when using RRV's.

For financial reasons the work has to be delivered before Christmas 2008, the time constraints meant a re-think of the existing use of road rail excavators to re-rail. Following investigation it was opted to use McCulloch's machines. Billy McCulloch attended a site visit to asses the sites and assist in the manpower required to support their re-railing machines, Trac Rail Transposers.

The work started on Saturday the 1st November, the first shift running rails to site, the next two shifts re-railed. The early shifts were deemed to be a learing curve for the Network Rail staff, as they gained familiarity with an alternative method of re-railing.

The results of the first weekends work were impressive, 42 sixty foot lengths of rail were changed, which was well in excess of expectations.

The Network Rail engineering supervisors expressed their approval and wanted this to continue as their preferred method of re-railing. They identified that the McCulloch machines, the Trac Rail Transposers, were quicker and the staff felt more comfortable working in close proximity to the McCulloch machines than they did when using RRV's.

Many thanks to you and your staff for their assistance and I look forward to many more productive shifts working together.


Message sent by e-mail from Jimmy White SM(T) Carstairs P/Way
Thank you for bringing your Trac Rail Transposers to Uddingston Junction on Saturday 28th February for the removal/installation of 42B Points.
It was the safest and quickest way to remove/install the half set of switches and it was a pleasure to work with your staff. I look forward to working with you again in the near future.



Message sent by e-mail from Simon Tillot, Track Section Manager, Carnforth
Just a thank you message for the work you carried out last weekend, 26th April 2009, when you removed 20 x 1A (36hr) defects by re-railing 1200 yards of CWR in one shift. It was a first class job carried out with professionalism and a determination to complete the work within the time scale allowed in a very safe manner.
As recommended before I would say to any planner needing a large re-railing item guaranteeing "Book McCulloch Rail"


Message sent by e-mail from Phil Kirkland, Head of Rail Infrastructure Engineering, Newcastle Metro
Just a short note to say that we had a perfect weekend and everything went safely and to plan.

The crew worked extremely safely and professionally and the equipment was perfection in itself.

The plan that was set up, and the target to achieve the rail works within 'normal' available hours was closely monitored and taking into account some extra activities included, we did in fact beat the theoretical deadline. This provides me confidence to move forward in the near future with additional works.

I am particularly impressed at the measured approach taken by the crew, the way that no move is made until all the equipment has been checked and confirmed and the way that all moves are done at a controlled walking pace with safety as a number one priority.

The experience may have been new to the crew in a different environment, but they adapted well.

Please pass on my personal thanks to everyone at McCulloch Rail for making this first venture a safe and resounding success.

All other activities were also successfully delivered and our blockade possession was actually handed back 90 minutes ahead of plan.