The locomotive engine of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway(NMR), which was brought from Mettupalayam, was mounted on a pedestal constructed for the purpose at the entrance of the Coimbatore Railway Junction on Sunday night.
The engine X 37389 was built in 1925 at the Swiss Locomotives and Machine Works factory in Switzerland. It was operated between Mettupalayam and Coonoor and was withdrawn from service in 2012. It was replaced with a new oil-fired steam engine in 2012. The total weight of the engine was 50.3 tonne and its hauling capacity was 979 tonne.
The engine’s overall dimension was 10380 X 2590 X 3430 mm and its speciality was that it ran on rack and pinion ghat section, railway officials here said.
Meanwhile, the installation of the engine in front of the junction has annoyed a few autorickshaw drivers. They alleged that the engine had been installed at the very same place where they picked up and dropped off passengers and it would affect their livelihood.
Protest
A few autorickshaw drivers assembled to show their protest, but were pacified by the policemen in front of the junction.
President of the Federation of Autorickshaw Workers’ Union of Coimbatore district P.K. Sukumaran said that the railways should provide a separate parking space inside the station complex for autorickshaws to pick up and drop off passengers.
