In 2018, Taylor Woodrow Contractors began construction of a series of extensions, upgrades and refurbishments to the existing Norwich Crown Point Depot for Abellio Greater Anglia. The works were needed to convert and extend facilities to provide servicing, maintenance and stabling for a new fleet of longer trains from the Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler.
For stage one of the works in 2018, Jewers Doors were contracted to supply two sets of Swift-SEW doors for the depot openings at ‘Road 16 & Road 17’ on an old existing shed. Each set of doors were manufactured for an opening 4.6m wide x 6.4m high and are electrically operated in four leaves, with two leaves folding to each side clear of the opening. The Swift-SEW bi-folding door has been purpose-designed to accommodate taller openings, overhead electrification wires and rail tracks through the doorway so it is ideal for this application.
Following the success of the Swift-SEW doors, early in 2020, Jewers was involved in the design of a further door to Road 14. Being too wide for a Swift-SEW door, we proposed a bi-parting top-hung Osprey folding door in eight-leaves. One half of the door would serve as the train entrance into the depot and the opposite half as a workshop door for forklift access bringing bogies and other heavy stock into the depot. This versatile door solution is 6.5m wide x 5m high and was delivered and installed earlier in 2021. The door was installed with a special bottom track, designed to work around existing railway tracks while still allowing the door to operate seamlessly.
All three doors are fitted with full opening and closing safety devices to prevent impact with vehicles or personnel, and are controlled with fully programmable PLC control panels which link directly with the depot protection system for added safety within the challenging rail depot environment.