After 20 years of loyal services : the complete overhaul of the Z2
Photo reportage
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5 March 2018
To guarantee the safety and comfort of their customers, CFL regularly carry out maintenance and repair work on their rolling stock. After 20 years of loyal service, the electric railcars of the 2000 series, commonly referred to as Z2s, undergo a major overhaul, the “operation caisse”. Given the average lifetime of approximately 40 years, this overhaul, carried out after more than 3 million kilometers on average, is also called “mi-vie” (half life). In their central workshop, the staff of the CFL then particularly takes care of this type of rolling stock.
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- After a complete disassembly, the doors of the Z2 are overhauled and appear in new splendor. During maintenance work, special attention was given to the door opening mechanism and controls.
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- Trampled by millions of passengers: the Z2’s entrances are also overhauled. Be it the replacement of the stairs …
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- or the running boards with their support bracket.
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- To ensure customer comfort, the seats, including the frame, are removed, washed and repaired as needed. Before the seats are reinstalled, the floor is cleaned. The curtains are also dismantled, washed and reassembled at this time.
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- On the occasion of the “mi-vie”, the bumpers of the Z2 electric railcar, the so-called buffers, are also maintained and overhauled.
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- This also applies to the couplings, be it the automatic Scharffenberg coupling which is mounted on both ends of the railcar and that allows the connection of two Z2 railcars, or the rigid coupling connecting the two elements of the series 2000 electric rail car.
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- In order to always guarantee a clear view, the glazed elements, such as the windows or the headlights of the electric railcar, are polished or, if necessary, replaced.
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- In order to counteract the paint bleached out after 20 years of sun exposure, the employees of the central workshop completely foil the boxes of the electric railcar. Compared to the paint-based procedure, this method has some key advantages, such as: the speed, easier handling or the fact that the foiling can be carried out in parallel to the other upcoming maintenance works.
