Innovation By Indian Railways (CDTS & The Bio-Digestor Toilet System)

Indian Railways with its vast tracks network has been The World's biggest Mobile Toilet

60% (626 million) in India do not have toilet

This makes India the number one country in the world where open defecation is practised
Indonesia with 63 million is a far second!
Less than 10% of Gram Panchayats in India are ODF

ØPollution of fecal matter with drinking water leads to contamination of food, fruits & vegetables, animals (direct contact, flies & rodents)

ØWater borne diseases

ØViral gastroenteritis

ØTyphoid 

ØCholera epidemics

ØDiarrhoea (annually kills 5 Lakhs children)

ØViral hepatitis (100 cases per 100,000 people)

ØOrganic pollution

ØAesthetic nuisance

Controlled Discharge Toilet System (CDTS)

LHB coaches are fitted with controlled discharge toilet units to avoid soiling of train in station and inhabited areas.

Ever wondered , why DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES are left IDLE or not SHUTDOWN??

Ever wondered , why DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES are left IDLE or not SHUTDOWN??

You all have observed many times that diesel locomotives are kept idle in the yards and also when waiting for too long in the yards or station especially for goods train. Loco pilots can switch off the diesel engine and save fuel instead of running in IDLE condition

But they don't do because

• The brake pipe pressure reduces due to the leakages and it takes longer time to build up working pressure again.It is very curcial when waiting for the signal on the grade.
• A proper checklist have to followed to recrank the engine  . It takes 10-15 min to do so when  starting after a long shutdown.
• To keep the compressor running , engine must not be switched off as it is coupled with the engine.
• As the diesel engine contains usually 16 cylinders and are also big in size , so it is quite difficult to achieve ignition temperature.There are many auxiliary components running so if one fails or some technical parameter changes may cause problem in starting. 

A new technological improvement and upgradation is done in indian railways. A new fuel saving device called APU (AUXILIARY POWER UNIT) are being installed in the diesel locomotives.In future, Indian railways plan to fit APU on 100 per cent in newly-built diesel locomotives which will then result in saving of more than Rs 60 crore annually in future. Use of APU also results in lower CO2 emission and other pollutants like HC, NOx, CO etc."

                                                             A loco fitted with APU

INDIAN RAILWAYS BOGIE PROTOTYPE THAT WILL RUN 200KMPH

 BOGIE PROTOTYPE THAT WILL RUN 200KMPH

In sync with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign, the Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, is contemplating to roll out the first rake of coaches which can run at a speed of 200km per hour. While its design has been prepared, RCF has already ordered a prototype of upgraded brake system, the most crucial component in this high speed train.

"If things go as planned, after getting the prototype of the new brake system, we shall prepare a prototype of the new coach by December. After the in-house testing, the first rake can be rolled out by the end of this financial year or in the beginning 2016-17 fiscal," said RCF general manager Alok Dave who is also holding the charge of RCF, Rae Bareli.

via - Times of India

Difference between a ICF and LHB bogie

              Difference between a ICF and LHB bogie

	Integral Coach Factory	Linke-Holfmann-Busch (Alstom)
Ride Index1	2.6 at 160 kmph in vertical modes and 3.4/3.5 at 160 kmph in lateral mode	2.5 but not exceeding 2.75 both in vertical & lateral modes
Economic Advantage	Tested speed of max 160 kmph	Tested speed of max 180 kmph
	Service speed of max 130 kmph	Service speed of max 160 kmph
	Very high oil leakage	No problem of that sort at all
Maintenance	Intermediate Overhauling (IOH) 9 months or 2 lakhs km	Intermediate Overhauling (IOH) 18 months or 5 lakhs km
	Periodic Overhauling (POH) 18 months or 4 lakhs km	Periodic Overhauling (POH) 36 months or 10 lakhs km
	Regular coats of paint required	No painting required for six years
Bogie Frame	Box type with headstock	H-type chasis without headstock.
Wheel and Axle	Wheel base - 2896 mm	Wheel base - 2560 mm thus improved ability to negotiate curves
	Max distance between inner wheels 11887 mm	Max distance between inner wheels 12345 mm
Bearing Arrangement	Spherical roller bearing	Cartridge Tapered roller bearing which in turn needs lesser maintenance
Bogie Frame-Axle Joint	Rigid	Articulated by control arm
Primary Suspension Unit	Coil springs with dashpot level	Coil springs are nested with hydraulic damper & control arm
Secondary Suspension Unit	Secondary springs on lower spring beam through hangers	Secondary springs directly mounted on the sides of frames
Bogie Body Joint	Through center pivot	Through pivot assembly on transverse beam & bracket on doom
Brake system	claspe type brake	Axle mounted disc brake
Maintenance   requirement in POH	Always More Due to :	Very less Due to :
	Axle guide arrangement	Wheel with improved curving characteristics
	Spherical Roller Bearing	Cartridge Tapered Roller Bearings
	Clasp brake	Disc Brake
	More Pin Joints	Bogie frame, springs & ruber components
Anti-rolling arrangement	Not provided	Provided

NEW GENERATOR CAR BY RDSO FOR LHB NAC (images)

FIAT BOGIE

POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM USED IN INDIAN RAILWAY RAKES

There are mainly two types of the coaches called conventional ICF type and LHB is being manufactured at ICF,Perambur and RCF,Kapurthala .

There are three power supply systems as existing in Indian Railways to provide lighting, fan, air-conditioning and other needs of electricity for travelling passengers. 

These are :

Self Generating (S.G)

ALTERNATOR: -

     It is a source of electricity when the train is moving. For AC coaches two alternators of 25KW power each are used in a single coach. For general coaches an alternator of 4.5 KW power, per coach is used. V – Belts and Pulleys, connects the shaft of the alternator to axle.

2×25 kW alternators for AC coach and 1×4.5 kW for non-AC coach is mounted underslung, driven by a pulley-belt arrangement when driving pulley is mounted on coach axle. Output is rectified and charges 110V DC battery for continuous power supply to AC and non-AC coaches. AC load of roof mounted packaged units is supplied by converting DC into 2×25 kVA inverters. This system is followed over trains having a combination of AC and non-AC coaches.

DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE

The locomotives of INDIA presently consist of electric and diesel locomotives. Steam locomotives are no longer used in INDIA , except in heritage trains. A locomotive is also called loco or engine.

 The Bengal sappers of the INDIAN ARMY were the first to run a steam locomotive in INDIA. The steam locomotive named ‘Thomason’ ran with two wagons for carrying earth from Roorkee to Piran kalivar in 1851, two years before the first passengers train ran from Bombay to Thane in 1853.

The diesel locomotives

The modern diesel locomotives is a self-contained version of the electric locomotive. Like the electric locomotive, it has electric drive in the form of traction motors driving the axles and controlled with electronic controls. It differs principally in that it carries its own generating station around with it, instead of being connected to a remote generating station through overhead wires.

Diesel locomotives use electricity drive forward motion despite the name ‘diesel’. A large diesel engine turns a shaft that drives a generator which makes electricity. This electrical energy powers large electric motors at the wheels called ‘traction motors’. A fuel tank is also essential. It is interesting to note that the modern diesel engine locomotive produces about 35% of the power of electric locomotive of similar weight.

COMPONENTS AND WORKING OF A DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE

Diesel Engine

This is the main power source for the locomotive.  It comprises a large cylinder block, with the cylinders arranged in a straight line or in a V .  The engine rotates the drive shaft at up to 1,000 rpm and this drives the various items needed to power the locomotive.  As the transmission is electric, the engine is used as the power source for the electricity generator or alternator, as it is called nowadays.

LHB FIAT BOGIE ( DETAILED )

LHB (LINKE HOFMANN BUSCH) FIAT BOGIE

FIAT-SIG BOGIE AT RCF

VARIOUS PARTS OF THE LHB RAKE

ICF BOGIE ( DETAILED )

ICF (INTEGRAL COACH FACTORY) BOGIE :

How Does the "Emergency Alarm Chain Pull" stops the Train?

The Emergency Alarm Pull Chain system 

For those of us who has traveled in a train, might had have seen a Emergency pull chain.

The chain is used to stop the train ta a time of an Emergency ( or not ? :P ).

Yes most of may know it in a bad way when people carelessly pull the chain in no emergency. 

Most of us though know what Pull chain is been used for but  does not know the exact mechanism of it. 

Here is a brief description of what exactly happens in a Train when you pull the Emergency chain.

ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC BRAKES (I.R)

ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC BRAKES (I.R)

A model of E-R Brake System at RCF

The Following Contents from Rail-technical

Please refer to HERE for detailed Explaination

Introduction

Originally designed for subways or metros, the electro-pneumatic brake has more recently been used on main line passenger railways and some specialised freight operations.  Its main advantage over the air brake is its speed of control and quick on-vehicle reaction times, giving instantaneous control of the whole train to the driver.

Even the most modern, purely air brake systems rely on the transmission of an air signal along the brake pipe.  This is initiated from the front of the train and has to be sent to all vehicles along the train to the rear.  There will always be a time lapse (called the propagation rate) between the reaction of the leading vehicle and the reaction of one at the rear.  This time lapse is a considerable restraint on operation.  It causes the braking of vehicles to happen at different times along the train so that while some cars are slowing down, others are still trying to push, unbraked, from the rear.  When releasing, the front of the train is pulling the rear, still braking, and causes stress to the couplers.

BOGIE

BOGIE – WHAT?

• Bogie is the part on which the coach rests and due to which the coach runs on the rail line. That’s why it is manufacture under strict precision so that the dimensions do not vary too much from drawing
• It is an independent unit used under a long vehicle, usually mounted on two pairs of wheels (except some special purpose stocks).
• Each bogie is provided with a bolster for engagement with its male counterpart provided underneath the vehicle under frame.
• The bogie trucks can swivel and adjust it’s position with case and without restraining the vehicle body while negotiating a curved track. 

Factors for Designing A Bogie

• Sturdy construction to withstand vertical, longitudinal and lateral shocks.
• Suitable suspension gear.
• Satisfactory damping devices.
•  Sturdy running gears to give trouble free service.
• Easy negotiability on curved track without restraining body structure.

Versions of Coaching Bogie

• IRS Bogie

• SCHLIEREN Bogie (ICF Laminated Bogie)

• MAN-HAL Bogie (BEML Bogie)

• ICF All Coiled Bogie

• IRY/IR-20 Bogie

• Fiat Bogie (Similar to IR-20 Bogie)

VACUUM BRAKE SYSTEM ( obsolete these days )

Introduction

Vacuum Brakes were used for many years before the use of the standard in place of the standard 

Air Brakes or E-P Brakes. These brakes used the vacuum in the brake chamber for release or apply of the brakes. Here is the short discription of the Vaccum Brakes.

Basics

A moving train contains energy, known as kinetic energy, which needs to be removed from the train in order to cause it to stop.  The simplest way of doing this is to convert the energy into heat.  The conversion is usually done by applying a contact material to the rotating wheels or to discs attached to the axles.  The material creates friction and converts the kinetic energy into heat.  The wheels slow down and eventually the train stops.  The material used for braking is normally in the form of a block or pad.

The vast majority of the world's trains are equipped with braking systems which use compressed air as the force used to push blocks on to wheels or pads on to discs.  These systems are known as "air brakes" or "pneumatic brakes".  The compressed air is transmitted along the train through a "brake pipe".  Changing the level of air pressure in the pipe causes a change in the state of the brake on each vehicle.  It can apply the brake, release it or hold it "on" after a partial application.  The system is in widespread use throughout the world.

INDIAN RAILWAYS - INTRODUCTION

Indian Railways (reporting mark IR / भा. रे) is an Indian state-owned enterprise, owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways.

Indian Railways is the world's seventh largest commercial or utility employer, by number of employees, with over 1.307 million employees as of last published figures in 2013 . As for rolling stock, IR holds over 239,281 Freight Wagons, 62,924 Passenger Coaches and 9,013 Locomotives (43 steam, 5,345 diesel and 4,568 electric locomotives). The trains have a 5 digit numbering system and runs 12,617 passenger trains and 7421 freight trains daily. As of 31 March 2013, 20,884 km (12,977 mi) (31.9%) of the total 65,436 km (40,660 mi) route length was electrified. Since 1960, almost all electrified sections on IR use 25,000 Volt AC traction through overhead catenary delivery.

Railway zones

Indian Railways is divided into 17 zones,which are further sub-divided into divisions. The number of zones in Indian Railways increased from six to eight in 1951, nine in 1952 and seventeen in 2003. Each zonal railway is made up of a certain number of divisions, each having a divisional headquarters. There are a total of sixty-eight divisions.

Each zone is headed by a general manager, who reports directly to the Railway Board. The zones are further divided into divisions, under the control of divisional railway managers (DRM). The divisional officers, of engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal and telecommunication, accounts, personnel, operating, commercial, security and safety branches, report to the respective Divisional Manager and are in charge of operation and maintenance of assets. Further down the hierarchy tree are the station masters, who control individual stations and train movements through the track territory under their stations' administration.

AIR BRAKE SYSTEM ( I.R )

AIR BRAKE SYSTEM

            In Air Brake system compressed air is used for operating the brake system. The locomotive compressor charges the feed pipe and the brake pipes throughout the length of the train. The feed pipe is connected to the auxiliary reservoirs and the brake pipe is connected to the brake cylinders through the distributor valve. Brake application takes place by dropping the pressure in the brake pipe. The schematic arrangement of the brake equipment is shown as Fig 1.

Types of Air Brake System:-

1) Direct Release System :- (100% creation & drop of pressure)

In direct release system, the brake cylinder pressure cannot be reduced in steps by increasing the brake pipe pressure in steps during release. The brakes are released immediately, as soon as releasing of brakes is initiated.

2) Graduated Release System:-

In this system the brake cylinder pressure can be reduced gradually in steps in proportion to the increase in brake pipe pressure.

One and only train of Indian Railways with IRY/IR-20 type Coaches

In the late 1990's RCF, under the auspices of a UN-assisted program, came out with some prototype coaches of new designs, classified IRX/IR15 (IRW?), IRY/IR20, and IRZ/IR30. The first part of the code (e.g., IRY) refers to the shell design, and the second part (e.g. IR20) to the bogie design.) The IR20 bogies are based on the Eurofima design (in fact, they are said to be more or less an exact copy of the design).

The IRW coach is said to have had a variety of passenger-friendly and track-friendly features such as chemical toilets. As its production costs were projected to be too high, this design never entered serial production. The sole coach of this design made by RCF never entered service with IR (and is still [12/04] at RCF). The IRZ coach is said to have encountered various design problems and was abandoned after a few trials.

The IRY/IR20 coach, which was designed for a max. speed of 140km/h, did enter serial production in small numbers (more below). One or two isolated examples of other RCF-built coaches with features different from the normal ICF coaches have been spotted on rare occasions (e.g., there is a report of one 3A coach used with the Grand Trunk Express in 2001), although information about these experiments (which is presumably what they were) is very sparse.

Some of the IRY/IR20 coaches, with a ribbed or corrugated shell design for strength, were used for a while ([2/02] and are still used occasionally) with the Amritsar Swarna Shatabdi. Another rake of IRY/IR20 coaches was being used for the Bareilly Shatabdi. Apart from that these coaches do not seem to be in use elsewhere [5/01]. Update [12/04]:One of the IRY/IR20 rakes is no longer in service, being cannibalized as a source of spare parts for the second. Improvements in these IRY/IR20 coaches include better ride quality, larger windows, improved noise reduction, improvements in the air-conditioning system and ducts, and modified pantry equipment including trolleys, drink dispensers, etc. The bogies for these (IR-20) will continue to be manufactured for use with MG coaches with service speeds of 100km/h, besides also being exported (Vietnam, some African countries). Meanwhile for coach bodies/shells, RCF has switched to production of the LHB coaches (see below).

INDUSTRIAL TRAINING AT R.C.F ( Rail Coach Factory )

Taking into account country’s large population, a proper system of transportation is inevitable. No doubt that the country’s Railway is taking care of this problem.

The demand of more and more passenger trains is the result of the country’s ever increasing prosperity and population. The decision to set up a Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala, Punjab In August’85 was a timely step towards making good shortfall and complementing the coach manufacturing capacity of Railway’s other manufacturing units.

ICF BOGIE