The contest for the name of turnout logistics train car concludes

Switcher – this will be the name of the train cars that will form the core of the logistics of turnouts introduced to the market by KZN “Bieżanów”. The winning proposition was submitted by Mr. Wojciech Diufer, who received the prize – a Dell Latitude 3540 laptop. We would like to extend our congratulations to Mr. Diufer.

KZN “Bieżanów” announced the contest for the name for specialised train cars for turnout transport on the last day of July. Nearly 200 participants submitted their propositions. Since the terms of participation in the contest also included answering some additional questions on the KZN “Bieżanów” brand, and due to “first come, first served” principle adopted for identical or similar names, in the end over 100 authors qualified for the contest.

“The propositions were very interesting and unique. There was also a good deal of humour and specific, railway jargon,” comments Ryszard Leszczyński, Chairman of the Board of KZN “Bieżanów”. “However, we were looking for a simple name that would convey the function of our system. At the same time, we wanted the name to be relatively self-explanatory to the people in the industry or railroad enthusiasts not only in Poland, but also in Europe and globally,” adds the KZN boss.

“We could only pick one name; furthermore, to protect ourselves against any third party claims, we decided to check the propositions in terms of any potential legal conflicts with existing Polish and European trademarks in the transport industry and, more specifically, railway vehicles,” explains Remigiusz Tytuła, who coordinated the contest. “Some of the name we found interesting, had to be discarded in the selection process. This was also the reason we had to prolong the name selection process.”

In the end, KZN “Bieżanów” settled on “Switcher” as the most suitable name for their train car and system. “The name is self-explanatory, industry-specific and international. It refers directly to the turnout structure, for which we have developed the entire logistic system, centred around our specialised train cars,” emphasises Remigiusz Tytuła. “Following a more loose train of thought, one of the representatives of the company participating in the name selection process, picked up the similarity of the word Switcher to Witcher, and pointed out that the train car and the system “deal” with issues related to the quality and time of turnout incorporation as efficiently, as Geralt of Rivia deals with monsters in the fantasy world created by Andrzej Sapkowski…”, the KZN representative adds cheekily.

During the next trade fair, the first type A tipping train car (equipped with hydraulic crane) will be christened “Switcher”. Aside from the very long train cars (27.5 m length), equipped with cranes (type A) or an extended loading platform (type B), also includes modules, bracings and mountings. All those elements form the base of the safe technology of turnout logistics in blocks, suitable for all types of junctions, including those with 1,200 m radius. The capabilities of the new system will be demonstrated during the upcoming TRAKO 2015 trade fair on 22 and 23 September at 11 AM and 3 PM, respectively, and on 24 and 25 September at 11 AM.

The KZN technology was able to come to life thanks to the funding received from the National Centre for Research and Development, under Innotech – a support programme for innovative solutions.