Southern Railway has brought out a revised and updated trouble shooting guide for Loco Pilots (LP) and Assistant Loco Pilots (ALP) to help them rectify the technical problems they encounter while piloting engines.
Running into 102 pages, the guide is meant for trouble shooting Alco-type BG locomotives, the main stay of the Indian Railway.
The glossy manual with photographs has been designed and developed by a team of faculty of the Tiruchi-based Diesel Traction Training Centre (DTTC) with inputs from various railway sheds.
The manual brought out after a gap of 15 years not only mentions 55 major types of technical problems and the procedures to rectify them.
Engine not cranking, engine cranking not firing, throttle not responding, poor hauling power, and feed pipe pressure not building up are among the myriad of problems that are mention in the guide. The updated manual had become necessary due to manufacture of new variants of Alco locos and technological improvements carried out in such engines, officials told The Hindu . “The guide would serve as a ready reckoner for loco pilots and would help in ensuring punctuality and safety of the locomotives,” officials said. Hitherto, loco pilots used to call up the respective diesel shed or divisional power controllers to rectify the problem.
The guide would be provided to the over 3,500 LP and ALPs in the railway zone. . The manual could be used for trouble shooting in locomotives used for hauling mail, express and passenger trains besides those meant for shunting purpose. The guide was released by D. Shunmuganandham, Chief Motive Power Engineer, Southern Railway, at the Tiruchi Diesel Loco Shed on Tuesday.
