India’s steam locomotive that uses diesel oil to operate – and not coal!
A STEAM locomotive which runs on high-speed diesel oil rather than coal has been built at India’s Golden Rock workshop in Tiruchchirappalli.
X-class 0-8-2T No. X-37401 was formally launched by Mr
B G Mallya, general manager of the Southern Railway, at the workshop on September 27. It has been fitted with Abt rack and pinion equipment to enable it, like fellow class members before it, to operate on the 17-mile section of the metre-gauge Nilgiri Mountain Railway between Coonoor and Mettupalayam.
It has a main oil tank with a 1600-litre capacity and a 725-litre rear oil tank, while the water tank can hold 4500 litres.
No. X-37401 was delivered to Mettupalayam on October 7 and lifted on to the track the next day.
It is also the first HSD oil-fired steam locomotive manufactured in India. Its new system eliminates the use of coal. It was reported that a test run with four coaches on October 10 was cut short after an oil leak was detected, and this was being rectified at the earliest opportunity.