Central Railway Loco Workshop, Parel in Mumbai has manufactured and turned out 1st narrow Gauge locomotive for Northern Railway after lockdown was imposed. The loco will be utilised for hauling passenger and good trains on the Kangra Valley Railway Section of Firozpur Division of Northern Railway.
The workshop has already manufactured and dispatched two such locos in Nov 2019 and Jan 2020. Prior to this, Sanpada and Matunga Workshops turned out first and second EMU rakes respectively after periodic overhauling (POH) and Parel workshop turned out first Tower Wagon after POH during lockdown.
Kangra Valley Railway
The Kangra Valley Railway is a 2 ft 6 inch (762 mm) gauge railway that runs from Pathankot in Punjab to Joginder Nagar in Himachal Pradesh. It runs through the Sub-Himalayan region of Kangra Valley and is 164 km (101.9 miles) long.
The loco was manufactured while adhering to social distancing norms and limited resources due to the prevalent lockdown conditions. This is the 3rd locomotive out of order placed for 12 Locomotives on Central Railway.
Features of the ZDM-3 Manufactured by Parel Workshop
These Locos are provided with dual cab to drive from either end with good visibility of track ahead. The locos are equipped with cold start to enable their working 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. The air-brakes are similar to Broad Gauge Locos.
Diesel engine performance parameters are exhibited on the electronic screen. The locos are provided with safety features such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Vigilance Control Device and Electronic Speedometer with a recorder. Heavy-duty compressors are installed to cater for future requirements of air brake trailing loads. Hand brakes provided on both Driver’s Cab.