IndIa

Rail TesT No 533 ‘This hybrid diesel

electric locomotive uses
WDG4 diesel-electric technology we will see
There’s no steering or accelerator but for a lethal combination of brute
strength and technical sophistication, nothing comes close. on cars of the future.’
MODEl TESTED GM GT 46
l Price Rs 11.5 crore l On sale Now l 0-60kph 30.53sec
l Top speed 120kph l Fuel efficiency (overall) 0.25kpl
FOR massive pulling power l corners on rails AGAINST poor visibility l No air-conditioning

T
rains are an integral
part of life in India. As
common as trees, shrubs,
the neighborhood bus-
stop and the dosa joint
around the corner, they
are part and parcel of our country’s
furniture. And the statistics are
mind-boggling. Approximately
63,000 kilometres of track, 6.2
billion passengers and 730 million
tonnes of freight transported every
year. The Indian Railways is the
largest employer of manpower
in the world and it even has its
own Railway Budget! But you
know what happens to things we
get too familiar with. We tend to
ignore them. Well, that’s all about
to change, as Autocar India takes
an in-depth look at the General
Motors WDG4 (Wide Diesel Goods
4000bhp) diesel locomotive that’s
made by the Diesel Locomotive
Works (DLW), Varanasi. What
makes it tick, how it manages to
pull those massive loads, what it’s
like to drive (yes, even that) and
whether there’s enough space for
your mum’s luggage.
DESIGN & ENGINEERING
HHHHHHHHII
The GT 46 is simply massive.
Seventy feet long, 14 feet tall and
10 feet wide, no road-going vehicle
can compare for size. And its weight
is even more extreme. How much?
Try getting your head around
126,000kg; roughly the weight of
100 family cars, but for volume no
more the size of twenty. Imagine
your family car weighing in at a
suspension-squishing five tonnes
and you’ll get some idea of how
densely this beast is packed.
But without the weight the
locomotive would have no traction,
with its steel wheels running on
the steel rails. And without traction
there’s no way you are pulling
anything forward.
But why does a train run steel
wheels in the first place? It’s all got
to do with reducing rolling friction.
The rubber tyres your car sits on
may seem like they are inflated
solid, but they still flex and bend as
they roll forward, adding to rolling
friction. Some 25-30 percent of
the fuel you burn in your car is
wasted while pushing against this
resistance. A train wastes almost
nothing in comparison, making it
the most efficient way to transport
people or goods.
This GM loco’s primary function
is to pull heavy goods and passenger
trains, some as heavy as 5,500
tonnes. So each of its six wheel
sets, or 12 individual wheels, ◊

* pART picTuRES of ALco Loco

PHOTOGRAPHY ASHLEY BAXTER

1 Four exhaust valves per cylinder on the two-

stroke diesel, with cam-driven fuel injectors.
2 V16 engine has massive cylinders, each displacing
more than 11 litres. Note ports for easy service.
3
Radar helps prevent wheelspin and maintains
a two percent wheel slip for added traction.
4 6000-litre diesel tank is compartmentalised
for added safety. Top-ups only in the loco yard.
5
Six-foot-tall alternator turns mechanical energy
to electric energy and replaces gearbox.*
6
Massive one-tonne turbo-supercharger works
as a supercharger at low speed, then as a turbo*.

168 AUTOCAR INDIA SEpTEmBER 2009 www.autocarindia.com www.autocarindia.com SEpTEmBER 2009 AUTOCAR INDIA 169
 ∆ drive the locomotive (passenger
locomotives, which don’t need as
much start-up traction, drive only
four wheel sets.) Each set of six
wheels is called a bogie (not to be
confused with a wagon) and each
loco has two. But these massive 21-
tonne bogies aren’t rigidly fixed to
the frame of the loco. Some degree
of passive steering is allowed to help
negotiate tight corners.
Above the bogies sits the main
1 Without the right pressure in the system,
there’s just no way you can drive the loco. 2 White-on-black dials make it easy to read the speed. We checked
real speed versus the speedo, but there was hardly any error. 3 Tractive effort is the key to
the performance of the loco.
frame or chassis of the locomotive.
This holds the heavy diesel engine
and all the electric and electronic
components needed to transfer
power to the rails. Closest to the
driver’s cab sits the control cabinet,
where all the various computers,
governors and controls systems
are housed. This is the nerve centre
of the locomotive and modern
electronics play a big role in making
these very complex beasts easy to
live with and drive. Ahead of this
are the traction control cabinets,
with a pair of massive fans and
heat exchangers placed on top. In
front of that is the main generator/
alternator that has a six-foot
diameter, the main diesel engine, air
compressor and a radiator the size
of a small hut.
Between the bogies is placed the
locomotive’s fuel supply, a 6,000-
litre diesel tank as well as a radar
that helps the traction computers
gauge the state of grip. All modern
locomotives also use sand, sprinkled
between the wheels and rails,
to improve traction in difficult
conditions or wet weather, and
this loco has eight automated sand
boxes that sprinkle sand as soon as
some slip is detected.
ENGINE & GEARBOX
(TRANSMISSION)
Simple layout to the dash makes it HHHHHHHHHI
easy to drive for hours at a stretch.
If you’re wondering why the word
transmission has been placed in
brackets, it’s for a very good reason.
This locomotive has no traditional
gearbox with toothed gears. This
may seem strange when there is
quite obviously so much torque
multiplication to be done.
So why is there no gearbox?
The engine is simply too big. A
gearbox made to transmit 4,000
horsepower would be almost as big
as the engine itself. And then there
would be the not-so-small matter of
4 4 Safe on the move.
Handbrake to be used in
Magna
Innocuous lever
emergencies only.
O variant
couldfront
gets dual be nudged by mistake.
airbags.
45 Safe on the move.
Knife switch
Magna
getslarge
O variant
duallever
frontisairbags.
5 Front seat headrests are
on left selects direction,
throttle notch control. 6 6 Auto-down function for the
non-adjustable. Brake lever on the right allows
driver’s you some
window.
feel, but you have very little direct control.
transferring all that power through
to the six wheel sets, with individual
driveshafts and transfer cases. It
would also be extremely inefficient,
170 AUTOCAR INDIA SEpTEmBER 2009 www.autocarindia.com www.autocarindia.com
with a whole lot of the original
power being simply wasted.
IndIa
RAIl TEST No 533
Inside out
To overcome these shortcomings,
the locomotive actually functions
like a hybrid car, with the big 16-
cylinder diesel engine having no
direct connection to the wheels. The
spinning crank is mated to a giant-
sized rotor in a huge six-foot-tall
generator and the heavy current
thus produced is then transferred to
individual traction motors, one for
each axle. Because electric motors
produce massive torque even from
start-up, you don’t need a gearbox.
Managing all this high voltage
and ampere current is the job of
the locomotive’s microprocessor-
based control system. Known as
the EM2000, it liases with the two
traction computers and helps them
deliver the power in the smoothest,
most effective way. It also matches
the speed of the diesel engine with
the demand for electric current and
can carry out a series of self-tests.
So just how big is the engine?
Think massive and then multiply
that by a factor of ten. 10,000cc is Notching up the throttle gives you a real buzz, especially from this high perch.
ridiculously small, 50,000 isn’t even
close and even 150,000 is still some
way off! With 16 massive cylinders,
EACH displacing 11 and something
litres, the engine displaces a
humongous 186,160cc; enough to
swim in. The holes for the piston
are large enough to put your head
through (we did), and the sump of
the engine holds 950 litres of engine
oil. The size is essential because it has
to run at almost full power all day,
day after day, for decades. This is also
the reason why the engine runs at
speeds your car engine idles at. Try
running your car at full power all the
time; it won’t last a month.
Peeking under the hood,
something we like to do with all
cars, is easier than you would Upturned engine block, crankshaft and camshaft; size really matters here.*
expect. With an engine of this size
you don’t so much open the bonnet
and peer in; you stroll down the
walkway on the side of the engine,
open a couple of cupboard-like
doors and look sideways at the head.
The huge 45deg, two-stroke V16
is finished in light grey metal and
* pART picTuRES of ALco Loco
is squeaky clean. It has regular
EM2000 computer controls the loco; cylinder head bigger than human head*.
service ports at almost all levels
and the cam covers can be easily
opened like the top of a grand piano.
Camshafts the size of your leg, four
massive valves per cylinder and a
fuel injection system that functions
like VW’s unit injector are instantly
evident. Each direct injection unit
has its own pump and the injectors
are also very easy to access. ◊ Traction motors sit between the wheels*; computers and sand help traction.
SEpTEmBER 2009 AUTOCAR INDIA 171

IN THE CAB(IN)
HHHHHHIIII
For a vehicle that’s as long as this,
cabin space is pathetic. As the
locomotive can be driven either
way, it’s also extremely cabin-
forward or not depending on
your direction of travel. Like in
an aircraft, there are two sets of
controls but they face in different
directions. It’s easier to drive this
apartment block-sized machine
through the pair of windscreens, so
we make sure we are going in the
right direction. There is no steering
wheel, no pedals or seatbelts but the
seat adjusts for height, and there is a
handbrake (of course no handbrake
turns – but can you imagine!). All
control is done via a set of levers,
there’s one for the throttle and two
for the brakes (for the locomotive
www.autocarindia.com
and the rest of the train). Ahead of
the driver is an array of dials that
provide all sort of information on
the loco speed, dynamic power
being applied to the wheels and the
pressure in the braking system.
Behind on the wall are a bank of
toggle switches, the control panel
for the central computer and a
programmable screen that allows
you to keep an eye on functions you
pre-select. Wipers for both front and
rear windscreens and, of course, a
set of air horns loud enough to work
as a cattle prod on a ruminating
bovine’s backside, even at the
distance of almost a kilometre. It’s
seriously loud up close, enough
to make your heart sound like an
Enfield Bullet. The other safety
device built into the loco prevents
it from becoming a ‘runaway train’.
The loco’s computer takes over
control in a phased manner unless
India
Rail Test
‘It feels as unstoppable as a
force of nature once you get
upto speed and experience its
Himalayan momentum.’
the driver uses one function or
another every 60 seconds. First an
alarm is sounded, then the throttle
is brought to an idle and the loco
will finally apply the brakes as well.
ON THE RAILS
HHHHHHHHII
There’s actually no risk of nodding
off here. Sitting at the controls of
something so massive and powerful
for the first time is like a double-
shot of espresso and then some.
But you don’t just turn a key, start
No 533
up the locomotive; the process is a
complex set of checks and smaller
individual start-ups where pumps
are primed, electric components
switched on and everything is
readied to churn out huge power.
Eventually, the massive diesel
stumbles into life, the heavy and
slow low-frequency thumps from
the 16 large cylinders very smooth
and effortless. This diesel is a far cry
from the older Alco locomotive we
had been driving the previous day
and there is not even a hint of diesel
clatter, or rattling. It’s hushed ◊
september 2009 AUTOCAR INDIA 173

∆ silent and simply amazing.
We spend a couple of minutes
understanding the EM 2000’s
information screen and toggling
through its menu system in the cabin.
Suddenly the motor slows down even
further to just 200rpm and becomes
almost Rolls-Royce-smooth. You
get an impression of the perfectly
machined huge pistons pumping up
and down in their massive oil baths.
The secret of the GM engine’s
success is the fact that this is a two-
stroke motor. It produces twice the
number of thumps for any given
engine speed, which simply means
it can make much more power. But
aren’t two strokes inefficient? Not
turbo-diesels, as this one is 11 percent
more efficient than the four-stroke
India
Rail Test
motor of the older Alco loco. Unlike a
petrol two-stroke, where fuel and air
are allowed into the inlet ports, just
as exhaust is escaping the other end,
there is only compressed air from the
turbo blown into the diesel two-stroke
motor. The air pushes the spent
exhaust gases out, and some clean
air is even wasted before the exhaust
valves are closed. Diesel is only
No 533
injected into the head much later,
closer to when the compression is at
a maximum, making the diesel two-
stroke far more elegant mechanically.
Finally we’re ready to go and so
with a toot of the horn and strained
breath, the throttle is advanced to
‘notch one’. Nothing much happens
for the first second or so, but then
slowly we notice the scenery ◊

What’ll it do FIGURING THE Rajdhani

Autocar V-Box has timed all sorts; visibility from long hood is very limited; speedometer approaches 90kph during test; V-Box records data earlier in the run.

We knew the answer, but we

just had to ask. “Can we do an
acceleration test?” seemed like a
dangerously stupid question. But
we blurted it out anyway, and they
said yes. An older-tech Alco loco was
about to be transported from the
shed to the platform, where it would
be hitched to the Rajdhani and,
signals willing, we could do our test
in between. As simple as that.
So we jumped on and prayed that
the 35-odd kilometre stretch was
full of green lights. We hooked up
our V-Box timing gear and waited,
as the loco left the low- speed tracks
for the main line. “We must be quick The same loco we tested pulling the Rajdhani Express later in the day. It rocketed past us at an estimated 110kph.
across this piece of track, so that we
don’t delay other trains, so there is
no problem,” said the gentleman
driving the engine, and we agreed.
Still it was surreal when it
happened. “Okay this is a good
three-and- something kilometre
stretch. Come to a full stop, V-Box
triggered; now GO GO GO!”
The locomotive starts slow in
notch one, but soon it’s bellowing
blue murder, like a T-rex gone mad.
“Notch up faster,” we yell as the
loco picks up speed, horn rammed
down hard repeatedly. What did
we do? We record 0-90kph time for
the Rajdhani’s loco. Still don’t
believe it! Simulator at Sabarmati shed gives you the feel of driving a real train; all sorts of scenarios possible to train drivers.

www.autocarindia.com september 2009 AUTOCAR INDIA 175

 WDG4 Diesel Electric Locomotive
Makarand Potdar
Specifications
ENGINE
Fuel Diesel
Installation Mid, longitudinal
Type 16 cyls in-vee, 1,86,160cc,
Unit-injector, direct
injection, two-stroke, Tyres NA
turbo-super-charged
Bore/stroke 230.19/279.4mm
Compression
ratio 16.1:1
Valve gear 4 exhaust valves per cyl, springs, axle-hung, equipment check list
inlet ports
Power 4132hp at 904rpm
Power to weight 31.74bhp per tonne
Specific output 22.21bhp per litre
Weight of turbocharger 953kg
Max tractive effort 53,000kg
transmission
Type All-wheel drive (12 wheels)
Gearbox Electric motor transmission
Final drive 90:17
Alternator max voltage 2600 Volts DC
GM loco is a massive 21 metres long — that’s almost as long as two Volvo buses.
While the loco is simple to drive, getting
it primed to go is a very complex process.
176 AUTOCAR INDIA september 2009
chassis & body
Construction Body on frame chassis, ublic transport is essential for a country of over 1.2 billion
supported by twin bogies
Weight 1,26,000kg
Wheels Solid steel
Wheel life 6,00,000km approx.
Axle load 21,000kg per axle
suspension
Front and rear Non-independent coil 0-50 28.67
tapered roller bearing
steering
Type Passive steer, yaw
compensation system
brakes
Front & Rear Air brakes, direct contact Seat height adjust n
of brake shoe on wheel Reading lamps n
Anti-lock Radar-based
Liquid capacities
Oil sump capacity 950 litres
Fuel tank 6000 litres
A large number of safety
devices work in series.
WHAT IT COSTS
On-rail price KPH TIME (sec)
Rs 11.5 crore
Warranty NA
range at a glance
ENGINES
186.0 Diesel(WDG 4) 4132bhp Rs 11.5 crore
186.0 Diesel(WDP 4) 4132bhp Rs 11.5 crore
CD player/MP3 NA
Steering NA
Air-con NA
ABS n
Foglamps n
Traction control system n
Trip computer n  00-500 m (estimated with
Handbrake n
Air horns n
Seatbelts NA
NA=Not Available, D=Driver, O=optional
∆ moving towards us as the loco
gathers speed.
Full speed on this locomotive is
notch eight, but you need to advance
smoothly through each notch. The
lever is advanced to notch two and
the loco gathers even more speed
with a slight lurch. The generator
is told to produce high current and
low voltage at low speeds and this
gradually changes to low current
and high voltage as speeds
build. Think of current as torque
and voltage as power and you’ll
understand it better.
We can now feel the weight of the
loco crushing down on the rails and
the steel wheels screech in protest as
we change tracks. The view from the
cab is a bit like peering out of your
first-floor apartment window, and
even though we don’t get anywhere
India
Rail Test No 533
WDG4
autocar verdict
HHHHHHHHHI 9/10
4160mm
Brute force meets technical wizardry.
21240mm
Performance
P
acceleration *
people. Goods, people, cattle and machines all need to be
0-10 6.52 There’s no doubt
transported to the farthest ends of our country at the lowest
0-20 11.54 that a loco is cost possible. That’s where this prime mover comes in.
0-30 17.54 slow to accel- Nothing can match the Varanasi-made GM GT 46 as far as cost per
* Acceleration figures for Alco loco
erate but as one
0-40 23.18 kilo per kilometre and flexibility go. For the weight it pulls, the GM
IR official told
loco uses very little fuel and because you can get diesel anywhere,
us, “We’re not in
0-60 30.53 it can pull trains across the length and breadth of India without
the racing busi-
depending on an electrified overhead
0-70 45.27 ness.” And with testers’ notes
0-80 52.91 very little start- line. It even makes electricity more
The turbo works as a crank-driven
stop, overall efficiently than some power stations.
0-90 68.61 supercharger at low speeds.
speed is much That it also happens to be a totally hi-
1/4 mile 45.82
more important. tech piece of heavy engineering comes It corners on rails and pulls like
a locomotive (couldn’t resist
as a total shock. Here is a railway loco
Braking saying this).
that uses technology we will see on cars
80-0kph 4
full train load) in the future. Its electronically controlled two-stroke diesel runs at
economy its most efficient engine speed and the transmission of force through
Road Test Read all our road tests at www.autocarindia.com electric motors and steel wheels makes it super-efficient. In India we
Test City NA AUTOCAR INDIA tests results are protected by world copyright and may not be reproduced without the editor’s
Railway 0.25kpl written permission. Power and torque-to-weight figures are calculated using manufacturer’s claimed kerb weight.
tend to think of the Railways as low-tech load and people-haulers
that sit at the bottom of the technology pyramid. Most of us pay
near the top speed, you can feel the to make the brake shoes bite. You and it will do that pulling a train trains no respect or attention. What a mistake, for clearly this is
sheer effortlessness of this 4000bhp can also use dynamic or engine all day. But passenger locos in the no common rail diesel! AI
locomotive rolling forward. Does the braking, where the alternator future will go much faster, up to
loco strain to pull a full train forward,
we ask. “Only if it is a fully loaded
works in reverse to help slow down
the train, the power generated
160kph, especially along the Golden Test scorecard
Quadrilateral (actually a railway
freight, and even then the strain being dispersed from the top of the term that has been used for decades) COMFORT SAFETY
isn’t too much. Passenger trains locomotive in the form of heat. where the Indian Railways plan to HHHHHHIIII HHHHHHHHII
feel as light as a feather.” Amazing. While stopping a light loco is upgrade the tracks. No air-conditioning and a lack of Vigilance Control Device keeps
space make the cabin a squeeze. driver from nodding off, but no
And even though you don’t have easy, getting approximately 4,000
seatbelts on offer.
as much control over this massive tonnes to stop in a hurry with steel FUEL ECONOMY PERFORMANCE
machine and you can’t steer it, the wheels on steel rails takes more HHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHIII RIDE
overwhelming feeling of power than a bit. This can take almost half Incredible pulling power, but could HHHHHHHHII
you get taking it down the track a kilometre from say 100kph, and Rail travel is amazingly efficient do with a bit more top-end power. Low-speed ride is good, but you get
is a real buzz. Pulling a passenger that’s without factoring a wet track and this GM locomotive is slated some rocking at higher speeds.
train from one city to another at or a slope. The GM loco brakes much to be 11 percent better than the REFINEMENT
average speeds of 100kph must more efficiently compared to the Alco loco. Over a long haul, with no HHHHHHHHHI HANDLING
be simply awesome. As with the older Alco locos and this allows the traffic, efficient rails and very little The two-stroke diesel is incredibly HHHHHHHHHI
smooth, very un-diesel-like. Corners like it’s on rails; no really!
‘throttle’, you only deploy the brakes. Indian Railways to use a softer (only start-stop, this loco uses merely four
There is a semi-detached feel to the comparatively) horn as well! litres of diesel for every kilometre, VALUE BUILD STRENGTH & QUALITY
whole experience of stopping the The WDG4 has been configured or 0.25kpl, even when pulling a fully HHHHHHHHII HHHHHHHIII
locomotive but this lever feels more to pull goods and passenger trains, loaded train! Even a Nano can’t It costs 11.5 crore, but it’s cheap if you Tough as a rhino, but fit and finish
direct as compressed air rushes in so its top speed is around 120kph, compete with that. consider cost per kg or passengers. quite crude.
www.autocarindia.com www.autocarindia.com september 2009 AUTOCAR INDIA 177