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I had an opportunity to visit Chittaranjan Loco Works or CLW in February 2005. Located in township of her own, this facility is fully self contained and bustling with activity. Originally started to manufacture steam locos for Indian Railway, it transformed into a modern Electric Locomotive factory in Asia producing locomotives with state of art technology for the first time in Indian subcontinent. CLW manufactures electric locomotives -- 25 KV AC locomotive with 3-phase AC drive, 25KV AC locomotive with DC drive. it is one of the largest Electric Locomotive manufacturer in the world. In addition, it has also produced some 900 diesel and diesel electric locomotives.
Gone are the days of wheel type master controller, monitoring current before changing notches; microprocessor handles all these tasks, in addition to control of pneumatic braking. Modifications can be made simply by applying changes to software. Honestly, I was amazed to see the technological advances IR has made not simply by acquiring the know how but also modifying it to suit IR requirements. The biggest hurdle IR faces now is lack of adequate technical skills to maintain these state of art locos.
The biggest improvement offered by WAG-9 and WAP-7 is in location of operator's seat. The passage towards equipment room is located near center, allowing operator's sear to be near the doors providing better seating and leg room.
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