Narrow Gauge locomotive

Northeast, 9th November: The Central Railway Loco Workshop in Parel has manufactured the fifth ‘Narrow gauge locomotive’ for Northern Railway. The locomotive will be utilized for hauling passengers and goods trains on the Kalka Shimla railway section of the Ambala Division of Northern Railway.

Ministry of Railways shares a glimpse of a locomotive on tweeter. “Kalka Shimla rail section gets another locomotive: Central Railway Loco Workshop, Parel in Mumbai has manufactured Narrow Gauge locomotive to be utilized o­n the Kalka- Shimla Railway Section,” Railway Minister wrote while sharing the pictures.

The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a 2 feet 6-inch narrow-gauge railway in North India known for dramatic views of the hills and surrounding villages. The narrow gauge rail line starts its six-hour journey from Kalka and finishes at Shimla. Built between 1898 and 1903 under the British, the train chugs along acres of lush greenery, through 102 tunnels, 864 bridges, and 919 stunning curves.

In 2008, UNESCO added the Kalka–Shimla railway to the mountain railways of India World Heritage Site celebrating the cultural legacy of the country.

This is the fifth locomotive of the order which has been placed for 12 locomotives in the Parel workshop of the Central Railway. The workshop has already manufactured and dispatched four such locos dunce November 2019.

This is also the third loco manufactured during the lockdown period. These locos are provided with dual-cabs to drive from either end with good visibility of the track ahead. They are equipped with a cold start to enable their work in severe winter conditions in Northern India.

The locos are also equipped with an ‘On-demand cooling system’ to cool the engine as per requirement. Diesel engine performance parameters are projected on an electronic screen.