Udhagamandalam: Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is ready to get custom coal-fired locomotives.
The locomotive is in the Golden Rock Railway workshop in Trichy, from where he will be launched on August 25.
With this, NMR will have two coal plot gauges, including Loco Class X Century Switzerland, which is still in running conditions but has not been used for more than a decade.
The previous railroad board has been subject to sanction RS 9 Crore to the workshop to make a new coal-fueled Loko.
Shyamadhar RAM, head of the manager’s workshop, said, “This is X-class Steam Loko with a rack and pinion system, made exclusively for the NMR line.
This is a coal gauge loco that was first made here.” More than 50 technicians were involved in making Loko Steam and many parts are locally sourced.
Most of the main components were developed through refilling engineering because the images of old coal bakar locos were not available, the official said.
It weighs around 50 tons, the locomotive is run for 100m in the workshop with a rack bar setting as a trial.
“Now, the work of polyurethane paintings for Loko is ongoing.
The machine will maintain heritage with symbolic color ‘NMR Blue’.
This will be taken to Mettupalayam on August 25,” said RAM.
An Guatam Srinivas, the Divisional Salem Railway Manager, said the new Loco would be operated between Ooty and Coonor.
“Walking the experiment will be carried out after Loco arrives at Mettupalayam.
Only after that, it will be operated on the NMR section.” K Natarajan, managing the Trustee Trustee, Steam Chariot Trust’s inheritance, said the customary coal Loco is a great achievement and NMR lovers happy same.
The Golden Rock Railway workshop has produced four original oil grilled locomotives for NMR a decade ago.