Bheem joins railway in Ahmedabad

TNN | Feb 12, 2015,

AHMEDABAD: Bheem, India's first diesel locomotive of 5,500 horsepower, will make its maiden run between Vatva and Gandhidham in the state. The engine has been designed by the Lucknow division and was manufactured at Diesel Locomotive shed in Varanasi. The engine has a fully air-conditioned cabin for the driver, and is equipped with a toilet.

The engine was allotted to Ahmedabad division. Division railway manager A K Tiwari and senior divisional mechanical engineer Padmasinh Jadhav said Bheem's features included computerized controls.

The engine has several safeguards. One of them is that if it is in motion and no control is used for 60 seconds, the engine will start emitting emergency signals and after three warnings, the train will automatically come to halt.

Guards to be phased out:

Next time you travel by train, you may like to take a picture of the guard waving the green flag. Western Railway is working on a technology that will do away with the guards. Jadhav said the railways is developing technology called 'End on Train Telemetry'. A computer will retrieve all data which is currently being monitored by the guard in the last coach of a train. The guard continuously monitors vital functions of a train and also the time it departs from a station. Officials said that the railways was fitting sensors on the last coach which will monitor data and relay it back to the driver. This will do away with the guard. Also for noting time, a data logger will be fitted on trains to make the process automatic.

Inbuilt generators:

While travelling on Shatabdi or Rajdhani, one would have noticed two generator coaches which provide power to the AC. These coaches may soon be history as the railways has developed a locomotive which has inbuilt generator capacity. The two generator coaches will eventually be replaced by passenger coaches. Officials said that trial runs are already going on between Lucknow and Agra and another will soon begin from Jodhpur. This locomotive will be helpful for full AC trains like Shatabdi and Rajdhani or Durontos.

Also the railways is working on technology which will allow locomotive computers to communicate with each other and enable controlling of two or more locomotives from one locomotive thus eliminating the need of crew in other locos. With this technology, rakes as long as 2.8 km can be hauled at a time. A successful trial has been conducted using three locos hauling four full rakes, each 700 metres long. 

 

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