Driving a P7 Road Number(30328) from Howrah(HWH) to Trip Shed.

An Unforgotten Experience!!!

Driving a P7 Road Number(30328) from Howrah(HWH) to Trip Shed.

WAP 7 is a high speed locomotive ingeniously developed by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works. It is capable of hauling trains at speeds ranging between 140 and 160 km per hour.The WAP-7 is actually a modified version of the WAG 9 freight locomotive with modified gear ratios and is set to replace the fleet of WAP 4's, the most widely used passenger locomotive today.With a maximum speed rating of 205 km/h (IR restricts it to 160 km/hr), the WAP-7 has the highest acceleration figures while hauling mail/express trains. The WAP-7 can also haul loads of 24-26 passenger coaches (1430-1550t) at 110+ km/h per hour. It is also known to haul 16 heavyweight Air Conditioned coaches (1120t) in 1:40 inclines single-handedly. At a trial conducted by Indian Railways, it clocked a speed of 177 km/h. It is the most successful passenger locomotive in the Indian Railways portfolio after the WAP-4. It is used to haul premium trains like the Rajdhani Express and the Shatabdi Express apart from other regular mail/express trains.

WAP-7 locomotive can deliver 6350 HP with regenerative braking being one of its salient features. The regenerative braking is deployed on down gradients conserving energy to the tune of 30-35 percent. It has an inbuilt microprocessor based fault diagnostic system to make trouble shooting easier. Another feature of this locomotive is that it eliminates the need to have separate DG sets for air-conditioning in long distance trains hence providing significant amount of savings on maintenance and running costs. This technology, called HOG or "Head On Generation", transfers electric power from the loco's pantograph to the coaches instead of "End on Generation" in which a Power Car equipped with diesel generator capable of generating adequate power of 3-phase 50-cycle 415V/750V AC (called as hotel load) is provided at either end of the train rake to supply power.