Rail Equipment Rebuilds & Refurbishing

ADA Lifts

MBI has designed and retrofitted several heritage passenger rail cars with hydraulic lifts that enable those with disabilities to easily enter and exit the car. This design slides onto the undercarriage when not in use and is available at all stops. The design complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and receives consistent praise from users.

Hopper Rebuild

This ex-East Broadtop narrow gauge hopper was recently rennovated by MBI with new center still and new bottom steel on the dump panels. It will see service on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway.

Steam Engine Crown Brass

Steam engine rebuilds are difficult and time consuming and often done in the heritage railway shops.  MBI has been involved in a number of engine and car rebuilds, mostly focused on machining large custom engine or wheel components.  Here are some images of machining and fitting the crown brass of old engine #18.

Wheel Refurbishing

Worn steel wheels can be refurbished back to their original sizes and contours.   Using a special jig, weld buildup is applied to the old wheel and the wheel is then machined to tolerance.   Damaged bearing seats can also be repaired using an automatic boretec welder.  They are then rebored to their original size. This approach is particularly important for heritage equipment where the original style wheel castings would be expensive to fabricate. 

In the picture above, you see the first bead being applied and then on the right side, you see that multiple weld beads have been layed down and another level is being added.