A complete “Bogie Workshop” ready to perform any test in the railway sector
Welcome to the Easydur world for the railway sector
In the railway sector, vehicle safety and reliability largely depend on the quality and precision of maintenance and testing activities for bogies.
A well‑established trend in recent years is the development of integrated facilities, known as Bogie Workshops, where testing, inspection, and adjustment operations are centralized within a single, well‑equipped structure to meet every need.
In this context, the concept of an integrated Bogie Workshop goes beyond mere assembly or disassembly of the bogie: it encompasses a complete ecosystem of machines and systems designed to test, measure, and certify every mechanical and functional component.
Functional Integration in the Bogie Workshop: Comprehensive Testing of Rolling Stock
An integrated Bogie Workshop is designed to sequentially manage all phases of testing for bogies and their components.
The goal is to create a linear, coherent workflow that reduces processing times, minimizes errors, and increases precision through automation and digital measurement tools.
Such a bogie workshop system typically includes:
Full-load testing stations for complete bogies
Test benches for coil springs and air springs
Test benches for leaf springs
Dynamic test benches dedicated to functional verification of dampers
Infrastructures for handling railway bogies
Software infrastructure for monitoring and data storage
Testing complete bogies
At the heart of the integrated Bogie Workshop are the test stations for testing assembled bogies.
These systems use electromechanical pressers to simulate the vertical loads that a vehicle exerts on the bogie under real operating conditions.
The aims of the testing procedure include:
- Evaluating weight distribution across wheels
- Assessing the elastic response of the suspension system (both primary and secondary, in all the different configurations)
- Measuring geometric properties of the assembled bogie (corner heights, wheelbase, and various other distances and parameters)
- Verifying the sealing integrity of pneumatic suspensions and detecting any leaks
The perfectly coupled dual-press setup of Easydur bogie test presses, is equipped with load cells available in different configurations (commonly 10 + 10 Ton or 20 + 20 Ton), and enables calibration of the optimum shim plate thickness to ensure compliance with technical standards.
Two main configurations are available:
- Pit version: recessed installation, with track sections flush with workshop rail, enabling seamless in-line testing
- Floor version: raised platform with extensions allowing bogie loading via lifting jacks and other systems
Pit version
Floor version
Wheel and Axle Weighing Systems
To assess static load distribution, integrated Bogie Workshops are provide with machines equipped with high-precision modular weighing systems (lower load cells). These are often positioned within the test frame for the bogie itself and installed on short track sections.
They enable measuring:
- Weight per individual wheel
- Weight per axle
- Weight per left or right side
- Total bogie weight
Such measurements are essential for verifying balance, preventing uneven wear, and reducing derailment risk. Easydur systems operate without requiring structural modifications to internal workshop track and deliver an accuracy of ± 0,5%.
Coil springs testing
Coil springs, a critical component of the primary and secondary suspension, are tested on benches that evaluate their stiffness and deformation under load.
Key parameters measured include:
- Load at constant displacement
- Deformation at constant load
- Load-displacement derivative (stiffness)
- Symmetry and parallelism of the spring’s behavior
These systems generate characteristic curves for each spring and compare them against reference values defined by manufacturers or technical standards. Automatic “pass/fail” classification is based on software-set tolerances, ensuring only compliant springs are accepted and all results are fully traceable.
An advanced feature in coil spring test systems is a movable “Chasse” table on X and Y axes, which supports the lower plate.
This system can be
- Passive, semi-automatic (measuring lateral displacement only)
- Passive with load cell (measuring both displacement and load)
- Fully automatic (motorized on both axes with load cells to detect lateral force and displacement in real time)
“Passive” Chasse system
“Active” motorized Chasse system
Air springs testing
For pneumatic suspension systems, test benches simulate axial load conditions (with dynamic versions available) to evaluate air spring response by verifying:
- Pneumatic sealing
- Elastic behavior under compression
- Differential response related to internal pressure
- Elastic return and fatigue cycles
These tests are crucial to ensure the air suspension system responds reliably under variable loads, vibration, and temperature changes.
Leaf springs testing
Leaf springs, more common in lightweight or older railway vehicles, are tested by applying static axial loads and cyclic loading to measure flexural behavior. The structure comprehends two rollers, which hold the spring at the ends, and guide it during compression/extension and a central plate, which allows for compressing the leaf spring.
Recorded data include:
- Load-deflection curves
- Dynamic stiffness
- Behavior under repetitive stress cycles
- Easydur leaf spring testing solutions allow to test also helical springs, and to measure Chasse values as well
Including this testing capability allows the Bogie Workshop to service older or special rolling stock.
This machine can test both leaf springs and helical springs
Dampers testing
Dampers are tested to verify their ability to dissipate mechanical energy through internal fluid viscosity.
The test benches can:
- Measure force as a function of compression and extension speed
- Analyze force-velocity curves
- Simulate variable-angle mounting for swing-arm dampers
- Execute specified test cycles (e.g., graphing the second of three test cycles)
These data are essential to ensure that vehicle dynamic behavior is not compromised by faulty or degraded dampers.
Example of test performed at an angle, selected via software
Data Management and Automation: the real heart of an Integrated Bogie Workshop
The element that truly transforms an operation into an integrated Bogie Workshop is its centralized software.
All data from mechanical tests, weight measurements, and functional checks are collected, processed, and stored in digital databases.
Core capabilities include:
- Identification of bogie model and test type (via manual input or QR/barcode scanners)
- Sequential control of testing cycles
- Full traceability, complete with history log and digital certificates
- Interfaces for integration with ERP and maintenance management systems
Moreover, the network infrastructure supports remote control, result synchronization, and comparative analysis across vehicle series, fully aligned with Industry 4.0 principles and using bidirectional OPC-UA protocol.
Why choosing Easydur Bogie Workshop and train maintenance machines
Integrating testing systems in a Bogie Workshop for bogies and their components has become a de facto standard to ensure safety, quality, and operational efficiency.
Through a modular and automated approach, the modern Easydur Bogie Workshop instruments centralize mechanical, functional, and metrology testing, delivering consistent results, reducing downtime, and providing full traceability of all activities.
Contact the Easydur customer center to explain all the testing needs of your railway bogie maintenance or production workshop!
Integrating testing systems in a Bogie Workshop for bogies and their components has become a de facto standard to ensure safety, quality, and operational efficiency.
Through a modular and automated approach, the modern Easydur Bogie Workshop instruments centralize mechanical, functional, and metrology testing, delivering consistent results, reducing downtime, and providing full traceability of all activities.
Contact the Easydur customer center to explain all the testing needs of your railway bogie maintenance or production workshop!
One of the most common and exhaustive norms regarding bogie testing, is the DIN 25043-7 standard, with which Easydur testing instruments comply.
