Indian Railways WCAM class

The Indian Railways primarily operates fleet of Electric locomotive, electric and diesel locomotives, along with several compressed natural gas (CNG) locomotives. Steam locomotives are operated on a few World Heritage Sites and also run occasionally as restored train, heritage trains. A locomotive is also known as a loco or more popularly as an engine. The country's first steam locomotive ran on the Red Hill Railway (built by Arthur Cotton to transport granite for road-building) from Red Hills, Chennai, Red Hills to the Chintadripet bridge in Madras in 1837.

Classification

Locomotives were classified by track gauge, motive power, function and power (or model number) in a four- or five-letter code. The first letter denotes the track gauge. The second letter denotes motive power (diesel or electric), and the third letter denotes use (goods, passenger, mixed or shunting). The fourth letter denotes a locomotive's chronological model number.

In 2002, a new classification system was adopted. For newer diesel locomotives, the fourth letter denotes their horsepower range. Not all diesel locomotives were reclassified, and the fourth letter continues to denotes their model number.

A locomotive may have a fifth letter, generally denoting a technical variant, subclass or subtype: a variation in the basic model or series, or a different motor or manufacturer. Under the new system, the fifth letter further refines horsepower in 100-hp increments: ''A'' for 100 hp, ''B'' for 200 hp, ''C'' for 300 hp and so on. A WDP-3A is a locomotive, and a WDM-3F is .

The system does not apply to steam locomotives, which are no longer used on main lines. They retain their original class names, such as M- or Indian locomotive class WP, WP-class.

Syntax

*First letter (gauge):
**W – Broad gauge (wide) –
**Y – Metre gauge (yard) –
**Z – narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge
**N – narrow gauge (toy)
*Second letter (motive power):
**D – Diesel
**C – Direct current, DC electric (DC overhead line)
**A – Alternating current, AC electric (AC overhead line)
**CA – DC and AC (AC or DC overhead line); CA is considered one letter
**B – Battery (rare)
*Third letter (job type):
**G – Rail freight transport, Goods
**P – Passenger
**M – Mixed (goods and passenger)
**S – shunting (rail), Shunting (switching)
**U – Multiple unit (Electric multiple unit, electric or Diesel multiple unit, diesel)
**R – Railcar

In WDM 3A, W denotes broad gauge; D denotes diesel power; M denotes mixed use (goods and passenger service), and 3A denotes (3,000 + 100). In WAP 5, W is broad gauge; A is AC electric; P is passenger service, and 5 indicates that the locomotive is the fifth model used.

Broad-gauge (5 ft 6 in) locomotives

Electric

AC electric

Broad-gauge AC electric classification codes are:

* WAM – Wide AC electric mixed
* WAP – Wide AC electric passenger
* WAG – Wide AC electric goods
* WAU – Wide AC electric multiple units

AC Mixed class (WAM Series)

AC Passenger class (WAP Series)

AC Goods class (WAG Series)

AC electric multiple unit (WAU series)

*Electric multiple units are designated WAU-1 to WAU-4.

DC electric

These locomotives, no longer in use, were used only in and around Mumbai with 1.5 kV DC power. All sections of Central Railway, including Thane to Mumbai CST (Main Line), Nerul to Thane (Trans-Harbour Line), Vadala Road to Mahim (Harbour Line, connecting Central and Western Railway) and Panvel to Mumbai CST (Harbour Line) have been converted to 25 kV AC.

Broad-gauge DC electric classification codes are:
* WCM – Wide DC electric mixed
* WCP – Wide DC electric passenger
* WCG – Wide DC electric goods
* WCU – Wide DC electric multiple unit

DC Mixed class (WCM Series)

DC Passenger class (WCP Series)

DC Goods class (WCG series)

DC electric multiple unit (WCU series)

WCU 1 to WCU 15 Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units (EMU) were used in the Mumbai region.

Dual (DC and AC)

Broad-gauge DC and AC electric classification codes are:
*WCAM – Wide DC and AC electric mixed
*WCAG – Wide DC and AC electric goods

Dual Current Mixed class (WCAM Series)

These locomotives are used only in the Mumbai area. They were built to prevent the need to change locos. Mixed locomotives are:

Dual Current Goods class (WCAG Series)

Battery

Broad-gauge battery classification code is:
* WBCS – Wide battery DC electric shunter
* WCAS – Wide DC(Battery) AC Shunter

Battery shunter class (WBCS series)

In 1927, English Electric and WBC built two shunters for yard use in Mumbai, Bombay with Bo-Bo bogies. They were of the WBCS class. Rated at , they weighed 58 tons. These are now preserved in National Rail Museum in Delhi. They were charged using the 1500 V DC OHE which was available there.

Battery shunter class (WCAS series)

The locomotives are classified as WCAS. Where W means Wide Gauge, C means DC(Battery), A means AC power, S means Shunting.

Dual-mode

Broad-gauge diesel and electric classification code is:
* WDAP – Wide Diesel and AC electric passenger

Dual mode passenger (WDAP series)

These locomotives are used on routes that can run on both electrified and non-electrified tracks. Their main purpose is to prevent the need of engine change in electrified routes. Passenger locomotives are:

Diesel

Broad-gauge diesel classification codes are:

* WDM – Wide diesel mixed
* WDP – Wide diesel passenger
* WDG – Wide diesel goods
* WDS – Wide diesel shunter
* WCDS – Wide converted diesel shunter
* DEMU – Diesel electric multiple unit
* DHMU – Diesel Hydraulic multiple unit

Mixed class (WDM Series)

Passenger class (WDP Series)

Goods class (WDG Series)

Shunter Class (WDS Series)

Converted shunter class (WCDS series)

The WCDS6, a YDM4 locomotive, was converted to broad gauge by the Golden Rock Railway Workshop for large industrial companies; the first one was delivered to RITES. New water and air lines were added, the control stand was modified, and it has a dual brake system.

Diesel multiple units

A few routes have Diesel multiple unit, DMU service. Depending on their transmission system, they are classified as DEMU (diesel-electric transmission) or DHMU (diesel-hydraulic transmission). There is diesel railcar service (known as railbus) in several areas.

Steam

Nineteenth-century railway companies ordered custom-built locomotives, usually from British manufacturers. The multiplicity of similar-but-not-identical designs increased manufacturing cost and slowed production. During the 1890s, many British manufacturers were recovering from work outages, thus Indian railway companies looked to Germany and the United States for locomotives. Engines used were:
*Bengal Nagpur Railway:
**Class F: 0-6-0
**Class GM: 2-6-0 (probably modified)
**BNR class HSG: 2-8-0+0-8-2 Garratt, India's first successful Garratts
**Class M: 4-6-2 (probably modified)
**BNR class N: 4-8-0+0-8-4 Garratt, India's largest locomotive. One is preserved at the National Rail Museum, New Delhi
**BNR class NM: Similar to N class; ten were built in 1931 by Beyer, Peacock & Company, and it was withdrawn in the late 1960s.
**BNR class P: 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt; four were built by Beyer, Peacock & Company in 1939. During the early 1970s, they were at the Bhilai (BIA) shed before being withdrawn.
*Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway:
**BB&CI class P: 4-6-2
**Class A: 2-4-0T, probably an Atlantic (locomotive), Atlantic; was at the Palej shed.
**Class U36: 0-4-2, used on hauling suburban trains in Mumbai, Bombay
**Class D1: 4-4-0; one was named ''Princess May''.
**Class M: 4-6-2 (probably modified)
*East Indian Railway, East Indian Railway Company:
**Class CT: 0-6-4T, probably converted to a Superheater#Locomotives, superheater.
**EIR class G: 2-2-2T. First two named ''Express'' and ''Fairy Queen (locomotive), Fairy Queen''. Built in 1855, the latter is the world's oldest locomotive to be in working order. Later rebuilt by Perambur Loco Works. Housed at East Indian Railway Company, East Indian Railway (EIR)
**EIR class P: 4-6-0
*Great Indian Peninsula Railway:
**GIPR classes Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4: 0-8-4T. Used on Thal Ghat as Bank engine, bankers for pushing trains up the Western Ghats.
**GIPR Class F and F3: 2-6-0
**GIPR class J1: 0-6-0
**Class D4: 4-6-0; one is named ''Hero''.
**Class D5: 4-6-0 passenger locomotive
**Class E1: 4-4-2 Atlantic built by the North British Locomotive Company in 1907–8. Rebuilt with a superheater between 1925 and 1928.
**Class T: Tank locomotive used for hauling Mumbai suburban trains
**Class Y: 2-8-4T
**Crane tank: 0-6-0T; one is preserved at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi.
*Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway:
**M&SM class V: 4-4-0; one is preserved.
**Class BTC: 2-6-4T, based on BSI Group, BESA specifications
**Class T: 0-4-2; one is preserved in Chennai, Madras.
*Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway:
**NSR class A: 2-6-0T (No. 48, probably an Atlantic) preserved at the National Rail Museum, Delhi.
*North Western State Railway:
**Class EM: 4-4-2 (probably modified); one is preserved at the National Rail Museum
**NWR class GAS: 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt; one built in 1925, and retired in 1937.
**NWR class P: 2-4-0
**Class E1: 4-4-2
**Class N1: 4-8-0
*Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway:
**Class B26: 0-6-0; one is preserved at the National Rail Museum.
*Others:
**Class B: 2-6-0
**Class E: 2-4-0
**Class F: 2-8-2, built between 1926 and 1950 by Nasmyth Wilson for service on Central Railway zone, Central Railway (CR).
**Class G: 2-6-0, probably intended for freight
**Class NA2
**Class PTC: 2-6-4T, owned by Northern Railway (NR); probably a converted passenger locomotive
**Class Y2: 2-8-2T, reclassified L2
**Phoenix: 0-4-0T; one is at the National Rail Museum.
**Ramgotty: 2-2-0T; the National Rail Museum's oldest locomotive, it was converted to broad gauge.
**''Sultan'', ''Sahib'' and ''Sindh'': Hauled the train from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, VT to Thane, Thana in 1853.

Designs

After acrimonious words in ''The Times'' and Parliament, the British Engineering Standards Committee (later the BSI Group#History, British Engineering Standards Association) began designing a series of locomotives for use by Indian railways. The first two designs emerged in 1903: a 4-4-0 passenger and 0-6-0 goods. They were revised in 1905 and 1906 with additional heavier, more-powerful locomotives:
* Indian locomotive class SP, Class SP: Standard passenger (4-4-0)
* Indian locomotive class SG, Class SG: Standard goods (0-6-0)
* Indian locomotive class PT, Class PT: Passenger tank (2-6-4T)
* Indian locomotive class HP, Class HP: Heavy passenger (4-6-0)
* Indian locomotive class AP, Class AP: Atlantic passenger (4-4-2 (locomotive), 4-4-2)
* Indian locomotive class HG, Class HG: Heavy goods (2-8-0)
* Indian locomotive class HT, Class HT: Heavy tank (2-8-2T)

These advisory BESA designs were customized by the railway companies, which used different classification systems; only the state-operated railways used the class designations SP, SG, PT, HP, AP, HG and HT. When superheater#Locomotives, superheating was accepted, superheated versions were classified SPS, SGS and so on (if built with superheaters) and SPC, SGC and so on (if converted from Superheated steam#Saturated steam, saturated to superheated).

After World War I, larger and more-powerful locomotives were designed by British consulting engineers for the Indian government. They began to appear in 1927:
* Indian locomotive class XA, Class XA: branch passenger 4-6-2 design, 12.5-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class XB, Class XB: light passenger 4-6-2 design, 17-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class XC, Class XC: heavy passenger 4-6-2 design, 19.5-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class XD, Class XD: Light goods 2-8-2 design, 17-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class XE, Class XE: heavy goods 2-8-2 design, 22.5-ton axle load

* Class XF: light shunting 0-8-0 design, 18-ton axle load
* Class XG: heavy shunting 0-8-0 design, 23-ton axle load
* Class XH: 4-cylinder 2-8-2, 28-ton axle load; none were built
* Indian locomotive class XP, Class XP: experimental passenger 4-6-2, 18.5-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class XS, Class XS: experimental 4-cylinder 4-6-2, 21.5-ton axle load
* Class XT: light tank 0-4-2T, 15-ton axle load

During India in World War II, World War II, large numbers of 2-8-2 locomotives were acquired from the United States and Canada and classified AWD and CWD. The Baldwin Locomotive Works adapted the USATC S160 Class locomotive design for India, and it became USATC S160 Class, class AWC. Sixty broad-gauge locomotives were built in 1944 as part of an order of 180 S160 engines. In addition to modified frame spreaders, axles, cylinders, and cab, the Indian locomotives had a turbo generator and electric lighting (not included in the standard European design). Many parts (including boilers) were identical to those in standard-gauge locomotives.

Although new classes were designed shortly before the war, many did not enter service until the post-war period. The new classes were indicated by the change of broad-gauge prefix from ''X'' to ''W'', and plans were implemented to begin manufacturing locomotives in India. The new classes were:
* Indian locomotive class WP, Class WP: passenger 4-6-2, 18.50-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class WG, Class WG: goods 2-8-2, 18.50-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class WL (1939), Class WL (1st): light 4-6-2, 16.00-ton axle load (four for North Western Railway in 1939; all to Pakistan during partition of India)
* Indian locomotive class WL (1955), Class WL (2nd): light 4-6-2, 16.75-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class WM, Class WM: 2-6-4T, 16.25-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class WT, Class WT: 2-8-4T, 18.00-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class WU, Class WU: 2-4-2T, 16.50-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class WV, Class WV: 2-6-2T, 16.25-ton axle load
* Indian locomotive class WW, Class WW: 0-6-2T, 16.50-ton axle load

All broad-gauge steam locomotives in India have been withdrawn from normal service, with only occasional steam specials continuing to operate.

Metre-gauge (3 ft 3⅜ in) locomotives

Electric

Metre-gauge electric classification codes are:

* YAM – Metre gauge AC electric mixed
* YCG – Metre gauge DC electric goods
* YAU – Metre gauge AC electric multiple units

AC mixed class (YAM Series)

DC goods class (YCG series)

AC multiple units (YAU series)

In the Chennai area.

Diesel

Metre-gauge diesel classification code is:
* YDM – Metre gauge diesel mixed

Mixed class (YDM Series)

Steam

*Nilgiri Mountain Railway X class
*BESA designs:
** Passenger (4-6-0)
** Mixed (4-6-0)
** Goods (4-8-0)
** Tank (2-6-2T)
*Indian Railway Standards designs of the late 1920s
**Class YA: 4-6-2 with 9-ton axle load (none built)
** Class YB: 4-6-2 with 10-ton axle load (161 built for India and 50 for Burma)
** Class YC: 4-6-2 with 12-ton axle load (15 built for India and 13 for Burma)
** Class YD: 2-8-2 with 10-ton axle load (171 built for India, 61 for Burma, and 25 for East Pakistan)
** Class YE: 2-8-2 with 12-ton axle load (none built)
** Class YF: 0-6-2 with 8-ton axle load; later examples were 2-6-2 (111 built for India)
** Class YK: 2-6-0 version of the 2-6-2 YF, 8-ton axle load (25 built for India)
**Class YT: 0-4-2T with 8-ton axle load (2 built for India)
*Wartime designs:
** Class MAWD: 2-8-2 USATC S118 Class
** Class MWGX: 4-6-2+2-6-4 Garratt
*Indian Railway Standards post war designs
** Class YL: 2-6-2 mixed traffic locomotive with 8-ton axle load (264 built 1953–1957)
** Class YG: 2-8-2 goods locomotive with 10-ton axle load (1074 built 1949–1972)
** Class YP: 4-6-2 passenger locomotive with 10-ton axle load (871 built 1949–1970)
**Class YM 2-6-4T with 9-ton axle load (12 built 1956)

Narrow-gauge (2 ft 6 in and 2 ft) locomotives

Diesel

Narrow-gauge diesel classification codes are:
* ZDM – Narrow gauge 2 ft 6 in diesel mixed
* NDM – Narrow gauge 2 ft diesel mixed

Mixed class (ZDM series)

Mixed class (NDM series)

Steam

2 ft 6 in

*Barsi Light Railway:
**Class A: 0-8-4T
**Class B: 4-8-4T
**Class C: 0-6-0ST
**Class D: 0-4-0
**Class E: Sentinel railcars
**Class F: 2-8-2
**Class G: 4-6-4
*Indian Railway Standards:
**Class ZA: 2-6-2 with 4.5-ton axle load (none built)
**Class ZB: 2-6-2 with 6-ton axle load
**Class ZC: 2-8-2 with 6-ton axle load (none built)
** Class ZD: 4-6-2 with 8-ton axle load (none built)
**Class ZE: 2-8-2 with 8-ton axle load
**Class ZF: 2-6-2T with 8-ton axle load

2 ft

*Darjeeling Himalayan Railway:
** DHR A Class: 0-4-0WT;
** DHR B Class: 0-4-0ST; #777 and DHR 778 (Locomotive), #778 preserved
** DHR C Class: 4-6-2
** DHR D Class: 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt
*Indian Railway Standards (none built):
** QA: 2-6-2 with 4.5-ton axle load
** QB: 2-6-2 with 6-ton axle load
** QC: 2-8-2 with 6-ton axle load

Battery

Narrow-gauge battery classification code is:
* NBM – Narrow gauge 2 ft battery mixed

Mixed class (NBM series)

*NBM-1: Designed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, BHEL in 1987

See also

* List of electric locomotives of India
* List of diesel locomotives of India
* Rail transport in India
* Indian Railways
* List of locomotive builders#India, List of locomotive builders

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

Indian railway fan club

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Diesel locomotives of India,
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