First Ever Dual Cab Freight Diesel Locomotive Vijay Flagged Off by the Minister of Railways

The Minister of Railways Mallikarjun Kharge flagged off the first ever Dual Cab 4500 HP Freight Diesel locomotive called Vijay from Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi, a production unit of Indian Railways, on 6 November 2013. At the same time, the Minister announced to stop the Swatantrata Senani Express at Bhulanpur Railway Station, Sub-way at DLW administration.

It is important to note that the DLW has not only increased its production in large but also developed latest state-of-the-art technologies. Building of this WDG4D High Horse Power freight locomotive is a breakthrough for DLW as well as for the Indian Railways.

Highlights of the Dual Cab 4500 HP Freight Diesel locomotive- Vijay

• Vijay, the dual cab freight WDG4D is a trailblazer.
• It is the first dual cab diesel electric freight locomotive to be built by Indian Railways.
• The locomotive has been designed on a 21.7 metre platform to accommodate two cabs and this is about two meters longer than the single cab version.
• The cabs have full width front view.
• Besides the obvious visibility advantages, the locomotive also has several features for crew comfort.
• Vijay has been provided with air conditioned cabs. The AC unit is designed to heat up the cab during winters while cooling it during summers, thus maintaining a comfortable ambient for efficient working.
• The loco also has TFT screen based integrated driver display. This feature which is similar to the one used in the aero planes allows the operating parameters to be displayed on a single screen.
• The system also provides alarm levels for the ease of the crew.
• The display system naturally assists the crew through fault diagnostics. The system reduces eye fatigue, improves reliability and improves crew response.
• The locomotive has been provided with an ergonomically designed control stand and seat. The seat is based on the excavator design (which needs 360 deg view and operability) has been provided with movement on three axis for operational flexibility.
• The locomotive has also been provided with airplane type task light and automotive type auto wash wipers.
• Vijay has been built around the 4500HP 710 G3B engine with inverter controlled three phase traction motor drive.
• The inverter control uses the state of the art IGBT technology. This is the technology being used worldwide by the leading manufacturers i.e. GE, ABB, Alsthom etc.
• The locomotive is provided with the latest Computerised Control Brake system which is the world standard. The brake system uses the latest in the electronics and communication to improve response times and to improve reliability.
• The locomotive has been designed to implement the Indian Railways’ efforts at increasing the speed of loaded trains to 100kmph. It can run at 105 kmph and can be used to haul passenger trains in emergencies.
• The cost of the locomotive is approximately 14.7 crore Rupees as compared to 14.38 crore Rupees for the single cab version.