‘Steam power’ adds to the grace of Charbagh
LUCKNOW: An old steam engine that Telco manufactured in the late 1950s will now add to the grace of the Charbagh railway station.
Celebrating its 164th anniversary, the Indian Railways has announced the installation of the engine at the Gandhi-Nehru Park on the premises of the Charbagh railway station.
The steam engine belongs to rare YD series—a special series that was used on narrow gauge tracks—served the railways for over 40 years until late 1990s when the digitalisation in Indian Railways began and diesel locomotives began to take over.
It was then put to rest in Rajkot Shed, Gujarat from where it was finally brought to Lucknow.
“Initially, the locomotives from British manufacturers were the only option with railways. But the trend changed after the advent of YD series locomotives, a majority of which were manufactured by Telco,” a senior railway official said.
Northern Railways officials said only two heritage engines got sanctioned for Uttra Pradesh. One was being installed at Charbagh Railway Station and the other one would be installed in Varanasi, they added.
YD series, a senior railway officer said, is one of the first batches of Indian make locomotives, introduced in the Indian Railways in late 1950s.
The official said the batch of steam engines was first introduced in Jodhpur Railways and used to ferry between Jodhpur to Ahemdabad and Sindh.
“YDs were the toughest in their times. Its high force and powerful engine turned out to be a milestone in the Indian railways,” said SK Sharma, a retired railway officer.
YDs’ had the monopoly until late 1990s when the digitalisation in Indian railways began.
Sharma further said the YD was around 69 feet 11 inches long and 11 feet high and weighed 98 tonnes.
“It has 8 tractive wheels and 4 carrying wheels that make it one of the most powerful machines of that time. It bears a boiler, the pressure of which was measured as 200 pound per square inch that helps in generating around 20,850 pound tractive effort or force,” said Sharma, also an expert on the history of railways.
Sharma said the locomotive in full run capacity used to weigh around 122 ton.