Indian locomotive class WAM-4

Last updated

WAM-4
WAM-4 AJJ.jpg
Arakkonam based WAM-4 (now scrapped) heading towards Perambur.
Type and origin
Power typeElectric
Designer RDSO
Builder CLW
Build date1970–1983
Total produced
  • WAM-4: 500
  • WAG-5: 53
Rebuilder CLW
Rebuild date1978–1983 to WAG-5
Number rebuilt53
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 •  AAR C-C
 •  UIC Co′Co′
 • Commonwealth Co+Co
Gauge 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Bogies ALCO Asymmetric cast frame trimount
Wheel diameterNew: 1,092 mm (3 ft 7 in)
Half worn: 1,055 mm (3 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Full worn: 1,016 mm (3 ft 4 in)
Wheelbase 2,108 mm (6 ft 11 in)
Length:
​
 • Over couplers19,975 mm (65 ft 6 in)
 • Over body18,680 mm (61 ft 3 in)
Width3,055 mm (10 ft 0 in)
Height4,162 mm (13 ft 8 in)
Frame type Asymmetric cast frame
Axle load 18.8 tonnes (18.5 long tons; 20.7 short tons)
Loco weight112.8 tonnes (111.0 long tons; 124.3 short tons)
Sandbox cap.16 units X 30 t (30 long tons; 33 short tons)
Power supply 110 V DC Supply
Electric system/s 25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead
Current pickup(s) Pantograph
Traction motors Alstom TAO 659A1 ​
 • Rating 1 hour770 HP. 750 V, 840 A, 1095 RPM
 • Continuous798 HP. 750 V, 870 A, 1070 RPM
Head end power 110 V DC Supply
TransmissionElectrical
Gear ratio15:62
MU working 4 units
Loco brake Air, Rheostatic braking
Train brakes Air, Vacuum and Dual
Safety systemsSlip control, Over voltage relay, No volt relay, Earth fault relay, Low pressure governor, Train parting alarms, and Brake cylinder cutoff valve
Performance figures
Maximum speed120 km/h (75 mph)
Power output3,640 hp (2,710 kW)
Tractive effort:
​
 • Starting33,840 kgf (331.9 kN; 74,600 lbf)
 • 1 hour30,000 kgf (290 kN; 66,000 lbf)
 • Continuous17,600 kgf (173 kN; 39,000 lbf)
Career
Operators Indian Railways
Class WAM-4
Numbers
  • WAM-4B: 20400–20699, 21200–21399
  • WAG-5: 21100-21138
NicknamesGaruda, Ananth, RAJATABHA, Surubhi, Navchetna, Sukh Sagar, Naveen
LocaleAll over India
Delivered4 December 1970
First runMarch 1971;53 years ago (1971-03)
WithdrawnMay 2023;11 months ago (2023-05)
Preserved6 units
DispositionA few units still in inferior service, rest scrapped

The Indian locomotive class WAM-4 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1970 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), alternating current (A), mixed traffic (M) locomotive, 4th generation (4). They entered service in March 1971. A total of 500 WAM-4 were built at CLW between 1970 and 1983, which made them the most numerous class of mainline electric locomotive till its successor the WAG-5.

Contents

The WAM-4 is one of the most successful locomotives of Indian Railways having served both passenger and freight trains for over 52 years. This class provided the basic design for a number of other locomotives like WCAM-1, WAG-5A, WCG-2, and some WAP-1 models. However, with the advent of new 3-phase locomotives like WAP-5 and WAP-7, the WAM-4 locomotives were relegated to hauling smaller passenger trains and most of the units have been scrapped. A few units are in service performing backup and non essential duties.

History

Origins

In the 1970s, the Indian Railways started a series of study projects for a high horsepower locomotive. Although the WAG-1/WAG-4 was being introduced, officials believed that a much larger and more capable locomotive was needed, especially to haul Freight trains that was heavy for any existing locomotives. These studies led to initial requirements for a locomotive with a tractive effort of 33,840 kgf (331.9 kN; 74,600 lbf) and a speed of 120 km/h (75 mph).The WAM-4 was conceived while goods traffic was increasing in the 1970s. The era of Co-Co locomotives, led by the enormous popularity of the WDM-2, had revolutionized long-distance travel. With the aim of addressing the shortcomings of the previous WAM-1/2 and WAG-1, WAG-2, WAG-3, WAG-4 classes and remove steam locomotives from IR by a target date of 1990. The WAM-1s were not great successes as some of their advanced features were unsuitable for Indian conditions.

so the designers at RDSO and CLW decided to use the following

Production

Production of these locomotives started in 1970 with #20400 and exactly 500 WAM-4s were built in 13 years with #21399 “Anant” being the last one. Production ended on August 3 1983. WAM-4 though an indigenously produced loco was heavily inspired by French box design and naturally favoured a French TM which was the Alstom made TAO TM. A single WAM-4 can generally haul up to a 24-coach passenger rake. This class proved so successful by virtue of its ruggedness suitable for Indian conditions and simplicity of maintenance. In January 2020, the last WAM-4 units (four from Tata ELS) were withdrawn from mainline service. [1] [2] Currently 8 locomotives are currently doing shunting and departmental works.

Rebuilding

A number of locomotives were rebuilt as WAM-4B in the late 1970s to evaluate Alstom TAO 659 Traction Motors and for exclusive use on freight duties. These 'locos' were ballasted to improve traction and had excellent load-hauling capabilities, This experiment gave rise to the future WAG-5 locos. [3]

Duties

The class was designed for both passenger and freight work. Many of the original locomotives were fitted with vacuum brakes only. With the withdrawal of many WAG-1 and WAM-1 locomotives in the 1990s, the WAM-4 units were given air brakes to prolong their life into the 1990s and beyond.

Sub-classes

This loco class has been seen in many variations, as a lot of workshops and sheds have carried out their own enhancements or modifications to the basic loco design. Although the code indicates a mixed-use loco, most WAM-4's ended up hauling passenger trains.

Variants include

The 'DB' or 'D' generally, but perhaps not always, indicates dual-brake capability. 'HS' may be for 'high speed'.'2S', '3P', '6P', etc. indicate traction motors connected in series or parallel. The WAM-4 has six traction motors, and originally they were wired to be available in different configurations at different power settings. At notches up to 14, all motors were in series (at notch 14 all resistors dropping out); up to notch 21 in series-parallel combinations (three pairs of motors in series, the pairs themselves being in parallel); and further notches with all motors in parallel (at notch 30 all motors are in parallel with resistors dropping out). This is the original configuration of the WCAM-1 series of locomotives too.

The WAM-4 locomotives were later reconfigured to have all motors always in parallel (6P variants) or with the three series-connected pairs in parallel (2S 3P variants). Some WAM-4 locomotives from CLW are thought to have had the 2S 3P configuration right from the start. The 2S 3P configuration was better for the mixed traffic loads especially as it allowed the locomotives to start hauling larger loads without stalling. With increasing use of the WAM-4 locomotives for passenger traffic the all-parallel configuration was deemed more desirable since it allowed higher speeds and higher acceleration.

Livery

This loco has the widest variety of liveries, with each loco shed having its own livery

Most of the WAM-4 locomotives now have their MU capability disabled as RDSO disapproves of these locomotives running MU'd over 100 km/h. [4]

Named locomotives

A few WAM-4 locomotives have been named by Indian Railways [5]

List of Named locomotives
ClassLoco NumberNameLoco ShedCurrent statusref
WAM-420401RajatabhaBhillai [BIA]Condemned [07/08/2007] [6]
WAM-420420Sukh Sagar NaveenVijayawada [BZA]Scrapped [7]
WAM-420615SurubhiAsansol [ASN]Condemned in November 2011 [8]
WAM-421320GarudaArakkonam [AJJ]Plinthed at Rail Soudha, SWR HQ, Hubli [January 2020] [9]
WAM-421380NavchetnaAsansol [ASN]In Inferior service [10]
WAM-421399AnantBhusawal [BSL]The last WAM-4 ever built. No longer in holdings - assumed withdrawn/scrapped [January 2019] [11]

Preserved Examples

As increasing numbers of WAM-4 have been retired, some have found their way into museums or other uses. A few WAM-4 locomotives have been preserved by Indian Railways at various location around India [12] [13]

ClassLoco NumberPrevious shedNameLiveryLocationref
WAM-420400BIABIA cream/orange with blue stripeUsed at Electric Loco Training Center, Uslapur [October 2011]. Reumbered ELTC-120 [14]
WAM-420472Ghaziabad (GZB)Restricted to shunting/departmental duties only. Earmarked for preservation: I.R. Heritage Website [November 2018] [15]
WAM-420484Bhusawal (BSL)BSL cream/orange with orange liningLoco now preserved at CLW loco park [16] [17]
WAM-420601Jhansi (JHS)Maroon with cream bandEarmarked for preservation: I.R. Heritage Website [November 2018] [18]
WAM-421320Arakkonam (AJJ)GarudaRed/dark grey/light grey with white linePlinthed at Rail Soudha, SWR HQ, Hubli [January 2020] [19]
WAG-5/WAM-4B21101Tatanagar (TATA)Indian Tricolour LiveryPlinthed outside TATA [20]

Locomotive sheds

ZoneNameShed CodeQuantity
Northern Railway Ludhiana LDH1
North Central Railway Kanpur CNB3
South Eastern Railway Tatanagar TATE2
South East Central Railway Bhilai BIA1
Eastern Railway Sealdah SDAH3 (WAS-4)
Total Locomotives Active as of March 2024 [21] [22] [23] 10

Former sheds

Technical specifications

Source: [4]

Traction MotorsAlstom TAO 659 A1 (575 kW, 750 V). Six motors, axle-hung, nose-suspended, force-ventilated.
Gear Ratio15:62 originally (and still for WAM-4 2S3P), now many variations, 21:58 being common for WAM-4 6P locomotives.
TransformerHeil BOT 3460 A, 22.5 kV / 3460 kVA.
RectifiersTwo silicon rectifier cells, 1270 V / 1000 A each cubicle.
PantographsTwo Faiveley AM-12.
Hauling capacity2,010 t (1,980 long tons; 2,220 short tons)
Current Ratings(WAM-4 6P) 1100A/10min, 750A continuous

See also

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References

  1. ↑ [ dead link ]
  2. ↑ [ dead link ]
  3. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: Diesel and Electric Locomotive Specifications". www.irfca.org.
  4. 1 2 "[IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: Locomotives -- Specific classes : AC Electric". www.irfca.org.
  5. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster List". www.irfca.org. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Bhilai (BIA) WAM-4 20401 Show". www.irfca.org.
  7. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Vijayawada (BZA) WAM-4 20420 Show". www.irfca.org.
  8. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Asansol (ASN) WAM-4 20615 Show". www.irfca.org.
  9. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Arakkonam (AJJ) WAM-4 21320 Show". www.irfca.org.
  10. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Asansol (ASN) WAM-4 21380 Show". www.irfca.org.
  11. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Bhusawal (BSL) WAM-4 21399 Show". www.irfca.org.
  12. ↑ "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)". www.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "Heritage Inventory for Website - Google Drive". drive.google.com.
  14. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Bhilai (BIA) WAM-4 20400 Show". www.irfca.org.
  15. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Ghaziabad (GZB) WAM-4 20472 Show". www.irfca.org.
  16. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Bhusawal (BSL) WAM-4 20484 Show". www.irfca.org.
  17. ↑ "wam4". www.irfca.org. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Jhansi (JHS) WAM-4 20601 Show". Irfca.org. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Arakkonam (AJJ) WAM-4 21320 Show". www.irfca.org.
  20. ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways Locomotive Roster Tatanagar (TATA) WAG-5 21101 Show". www.irfca.org.
  21. ↑ "e-Locos".
  22. ↑ "Listing All Locos - IRFCA Locomotive Database". www.irfca.org. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  23. ↑ "Listing All Locos - IRFCA Locomotive Database". www.irfca.org. Retrieved 16 March 2024.

Bibliography

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