VMAC announced its partnership with the BC Forest Discovery Centre to support critical railway maintenance efforts by providing the use of its new G90 Gas Driven Air Compressor with FlexDrive AirFlow Management System (AMS), helping prepare the site for its annual opening.
Located in Duncan, British Columbia, the BC Forest Discovery Centre is a 100-acre open-air museum dedicated to preserving the history of the province’s forestry industry. A key feature of the site is its operational narrow-gauge railway, which requires ongoing maintenance to ensure safe and reliable operation for visitors each season.
In preparation for opening, volunteers and staff undertook an extensive railway tie replacement project across the property, a process that requires driving large numbers of railroad spikes. To do this, crews rely on a specially modified pneumatic jackhammer. However, generating enough compressed air on-site quickly became a major bottleneck.
Previously, crews were charging two large receiver tanks using a standard 240V shop compressor, then transporting those tanks to the work area. Each trip only provided enough air to drive two to three spikes before needing to return and recharge, significantly slowing progress across the 2.5 km railway loop.
By introducing the VMAC G90, crews now have continuous, mobile compressed air available directly at the jobsite, eliminating the need to shuttle tanks back and forth and dramatically increasing productivity. The G90 with FlexDrive AMS automatically adjusts airflow and pressure to match application requirements, and its compact design allows crews to bring air directly to the worksite, removing downtime associated with stationary compressors and limited air supply.