The modern handcar is a response to contemporary needs; its author is Michał Januszko, a student at the Faculty of Design of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The supervisors of his thesis are Magdalena Kochanowska, PhD, and Daniel Zieliński, PhD.
The diploma project ‘Practical Study of the Design Process – Concept of a Working Railway Machine’ arose from the need to develop new solutions for railway workers. The draisine produced today often neglects functional, usable, ergonomic and aesthetic aspects, which affects the work of the team. The student wanted to make the draisine, as a working tool, more user-friendly.
The concept is also an attempt to find the most optimal solution to the design problem of maintaining and repairing the railway infrastructure, which is steadily gaining importance in the context of a sustainable economy. For this reason, the vehicle has also been designed for long-term use of at least 30 years,” explains Michał Januszko.
While working on the concept design, the student conducted seven interviews with railway employees, which allowed him to explore the extensive topic. As he noted, the topic of design has probably never been discussed in Poland when it comes to the design of draisine. He also consulted the concept with the manufacturer, the Railway Vehicles Works, which put him in touch with engineers. A modern handcar of his design could be successfully manufactured.
What distinguishes the vehicle? The draisine is characterised by a lowered load bed for easier access, the integration of dedicated tool and material boxes, a comprehensive cab design taking into account the needs of workers, the integration of a toilet, a unique configuration with the engine at the front and a raised cab.
The vehicle is able to pull or roll at least a dozen platforms due to its power and heavy weight. It enables materials to be transported in comfort. The load bed allows the loading of 6-metre-long rails and the unloading of loose materials by tilting. Its width allows cross loading of sleepers. The height of the body ensures sufficient loading capacity, but also the possibility of moving freely onto the body from the vehicle in order to operate a crane, for example. However, the vehicle deck can also be used for loading. The space between the crane and the box allows 12-metre-long rails to be loaded, which is not possible on almost any draisine I have had the opportunity to examine during this project. The size of the box also allows tools and other work equipment to be easily transported
It would be my dream to be able to work on the implementation of a rail working vehicle in the future, based on the work and the stylistic assumptions made in this work, and I hope that one day I will see such a vehicle traversing our rails,” sums up Michał Januszko.
source: Michał Januszko
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