Railway Workshop at Tiruchi to prepare detailed estimate for infra for overhaul of electric locomotives

The British-era workshop is one among the premier railway establishments in the country today engaged in activities such as manufacture of steam locomotives for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and different types of freight wagons

Golden Rock Railway Workshop in Tiruchi. File | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

Indulging in a host of activities such as periodic overhaul (POH) of diesel and steam locomotives, the over 95-year-old Golden Rock Railway Workshop at Tiruchi will soon be preparing a detailed estimate for creation of infrastructure facilities within its sprawling premises to carry out POH of electric locomotives. 

The estimate is to be prepared in the wake of an advice from the Southern Railway headquarters to the workshop recently. The British-era workshop is one among the premier railway establishments in the country today engaged in a slew of activities such as carrying out POH of broad gauge diesel locos and passenger coaches, manufacture of steam locomotives for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and producing different types of freight wagons besides container wagons.

The estimate to be prepared would be a comprehensive one which would specify the civil works that need to be taken up such as establishment of an exclusive shed to accommodate electric locomotives, machinery and plant required to carry out POH besides the electrical arrangements to be made, said the workshop authorities. 

The authorities further said there were a lot of components which were different in electric and diesel locomotives and hence a separate set up was required to handle them. The cost for creation of facilities for POH of electric locos would also form part of the detailed estimate.

With several broad gauge sections over the railway network being electrified, many express and freight trains were being hauled by electric locomotives. The authorities said the workshop had already begun to carry out POH of MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) rakes which were being deployed for operation in shorter stretches to replace the Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains.

The workshop had also ventured into a fresh activity of converting old passenger coaches into automobile carriers. Old passenger coaches which had completed codal life of 20 or 25 years were sent to the workshop where it was converted into automobile carriers by incorporating several changes within these coaches. Over 175 automobile carriers had been rolled out from the workshop so far, the authorities further said.