First visit to Chittaranjan Locomotive Works.

           Dream turned Into Reality.

        My first visit to Chittaranjan Locomotive Works.

          TRIP REPORT PRESENTED BY:

                                                       

It was the 1^st of April, 2013. 7 years I have been dreaming that someday I will visit Chittaranjan Locomotive Works and the day finally had come.

Took a train from Belur to Howrah. Boarded the Black Diamond Express.

 Me including two friends Soni Sengupta and Tanmoy Mondal took a glance of the Locomotive that was hauling the Black Diamond Express. It was my favourite WAP-7 (30295).

The train stopped for half an hour before Shaktigarh station.

 Ranchi Shatabdi Express was made to pass since it was running late. Reached Asansol at 10.15am. Took a bus from Asansol’s bus stand to Chittaranjan. As we were going we spotted Poorva express racing right beside us hauled by a WAP 4. As we approached Chittaranjan, saw a gate where it was written “Welcome to Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, STOP PLEASE SHOW YOUR PERMIT”. 

After that we came across a statue and on top it hung a big poster of 3 WAG 9’s being manufactured. Then we got down at Children’s Park at Chittaranjan.

My Dad’s friend was waiting for us. 

He took us to an auto stand where 3 of us boarded an auto. Saw 2 Loco’s kept at the Loco Park beside the auto Stand, most probably it was WAG 5 Loco’s. Finally we reached the Factory.

My heart skipped a beat. 7 years I have been waiting for this day to come and it finally came. My dad’s friend brought the GATE PASS in which our names were mentioned.

 Beside the main factory gate was an RPF office where two RPF verified and checked our gate pass and allowed us to go inside. We entered the factory. 

The Engineers out there call them as workshops. Since it was 11.40am, several workshops have been closed. I came to know that duty hours in the factory is from 6am to 12pm. As we were walking we saw several cow catchers, roof hatch equipment of locos were kept outside.

 Entered a workshop.  Words cannot be expressed to define the size of the workshop.

We saw shells of WAP 7, WAG 9, WAG 7, WAP 4 kept. 

A mechanical engineer was with us who was showing the various workshops and its content.  

Couldn’t find any new locomotives. All 20 new loco’s had been comissioned the day before from the factory.  Then we moved from one workshop to the other. It had a new WAG 9, a WAP 7(30359).

Found a new feature in WAP 7 but the engineer couldn’t explain properly since it was related to electrical. The new WAP 7(30359) had no points above the cow catcher for HOG as the previous ones had. The Engineer told me that feature had been incorporated in a plug sort of pointer kept in the middle of the two locks for the multiple unit function of the WAP 7. Couldn’t explain that feature anymore.

Then we saw few Transformers kept and a lot of Electric components such as the harmonic filter, the GTO thyristor. New WAP 7’s and WAG 9’s use IGBT instead of GTO Thyristor’s.

    

As we moved further to another worshop we saw an old WAP  5(30055) marked BRC was lying. It was told that the engine had faced serious issues and couldn’t be maintained properly and engineers in Ghaziabad shed couldn’t sort out the problem so it had been sent back to the factory to find and solve the issue.

Next we visited the Motor workshop. We saw 100’s of DC Series motor meant for conventional Locomotives such as WAP 4 was lying inside and 100’s were being made. The workshop was as huge as the previous one. We came across squirrel cage induction motor being made. But there was no one to explain us how it works and its features because it was already 1pm and there were no engineers or workers in the factory.

We came out the motor shop and then we visited the wheel workshop. We saw a huge electonic Lathe machine designed to make axle’s of wheels.  

But unfortunately it was 2pm and we had to move out of the factory because in the gate pass it was mentioned that we were allowed till 12.15pm.

 Anyhow it was a great and amazing experience. I told my dad’s friend that I will be visiting CLW once again during the month of July because my thirst for knowledge of Locomotive’s haven’t been satisfied yet. He promised me he would make that permission once again.

At 3pm we boarded a bus after having Lunch at a restaurant near Kendriya Vidyalaya School named “Sonali”.

We reached Asansol station at 4.30pm. The Black Diamond Express came at platform no 6.

We reached Howrah at 10pm. Took a snap of the engine which was pulling the train. It was the same Engine WAP 7(30295).

Thus ends one of the most memorable moments of my life.

Some snapshots of CLW.

A WAG 7 Loco getting prepared for the piping connections to be made.

Transformers of 3 Phase Loco’s kept to be installed in 3 Phase Loco’s.

      Asia’s Longest Bay. The Fabrication Shop. 3.5kms.

Note: Please refer GP 140 article's to know the entire history of 3 Phase Locomotives in India. 
1. GP 140 History
2. GP 140 Engineers

                                                       

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