GGT GMEINDER GETRIEBETECHNIK GmbH
Gmeinder and Its Yellow Fleet Gearbox Family
This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine, Issue 3 2022.
GGT GMEINDER GETRIEBETECHNIK GmbH from Mosbach, Germany is continuously strengthening its position in the supply of gearboxes for the Yellow Fleet.
Gmeinder is a market leader in gearboxes and drives for special purpose vehicles, railway cranes, track inspection vehicles, tampers, machines for track construction and renewal, maintenance vehicles, etc. Decades of experience and know-how at Gmeinder, passed down from generation to generation, is your guarantee of quality and reliability.
The company is now releasing a range of upgraded gearboxes on the market. Firstly, there is the GGT 224S range of shiftable gearboxes for cranes and multi-purpose vehicles. This is a two-stage helical gearbox with two different ratios optimised for cold environments (-40°C). The gearbox or the complete drive can be tested in such temperature conditions at Wikov MGI, a sister company, where they have experience in testing gearboxes for arctic conditions. The gearbox is equipped with a switching mechanism for the three positions: travel mode, working mode and position for towing. The switching mechanism is mechanical with a sliding sleeve that catches the corresponding claws of a gear coupling. The switching mechanism can work only when stopping the vehicle. This type of gearbox is not powered by an electric traction motor, as is common on most rolling stock, but by one or two hydrostatic motors on one or both sides of the gearbox.
Another type is the GGT 263S/630 gearbox for maintenance vehicles. Again, this is a two-stage helical gearbox, this time with a fixed gear ratio. The gearbox housing is made of aluminium alloy for the necessary weight reduction. The gearbox is optimised for very low working speeds under full load (< 1km/h). This requires a specially designed gearbox to ensure a sufficient oil supply to the bearings and gears during all load conditions, even on steep uphill and downhill rides. This could be achieved without an oil pump.
