Training Report - Electric Loco Shed, LDH

About Northern Railways

The Northern Railway (abbreviated NR and उरे ) is one of the 17 Railway

zones of India and the northernmost zone of the Indian Railways. It’s
headquarter is New Delhi Baroda House near India Gate.
Officially notified as a new railway zone on 14 April 1952, its origin goes
back to 3 March 1859.
The Zonal Headquarters Office of Northern Railways is at Baroda
House, New Delhi, and five divisional headquarters are located at:

 Ambala railway division at Ambala (Harryana),

 Delhi railway division at Delhi,
 Firozpur railway division at Firozpur (Punjab),
 Lucknow railway division at Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) and
 Moradabad railway division at Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh).

Northern Railways implemented the Route Relay Interlocked system

(RRI) at New Delhi Railway Station which is a modern signaling system for
enhancing efficiency and safety in the operations.

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Introduction to Project
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead
lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a super
capacitor.
Electric locomotives with on-board fueled prime movers, such as diesel
engines or gas turbines, are classed as diesel-electric or gas turbine-
electric and not as electric locomotives, because the electric
generator/motor combination serves only as a power transmission system.
Electric locomotives benefit from the high efficiency of electric motors, often
above 90% (not including the inefficiency of generating the electricity).
Additional efficiency can be gained from regenerative braking, which
allows kinetic energy to be recovered during braking to put power back on
the line. Newer electric locomotives use AC motor-inverter drive systems
that provide for regenerative braking. Electric locomotives are quiet
compared to diesel locomotives since there is no engine and exhaust noise
and less mechanical noise. The lack of reciprocating parts means electric
locomotives are easier on the track, reducing track maintenance. Power
plant capacity is far greater than any individual locomotive uses, so electric
locomotives can have a higher power output than diesel locomotives and
they can produce even higher short-term surge power for fast acceleration.
Electric locomotives are ideal for commuter rail service with frequent stops.
Electric locomotives are used on freight routes with consistently high traffic
volumes, or in areas with advanced rail networks. Power plants, even if they
burn fossil fuels, are far cleaner than mobile sources such as locomotive
engines. The power can also come from clean or renewable sources,
including geothermal power, hydroelectric power, nuclear power, solar
power and wind turbines. The life of an electric loco is about 36 years. The
supply in the overhead transmission lines is single phase ac 25kv. This
supply is fetched by the roof mounted pneumatic powered double contact
pantograph. From the pantograph the power is fed into the step down
transformer, which gives 1kv output.

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Main Parts of a Locomotive

 Bogie
 Traction Motors
 Body
 Pneumatic Braking System
 Pantograph
 Transformer
 Compressors and Blowers
 Rectifier
 Smoothing Reactor(SR)
 Main Reservoir(MR)
 Main Starting Resistances
 Dynamic Braking Resistance Cooling Blower

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Bogie
The bogie is a 3 axle type bolster less bogie with two stage
suspension, floating pivot and uni-directional arrangement of axle
hung, nose suspended traction motors. Bogie frame is of straight and
fabricated box type construction with three transoms to carry nose
suspension. The general

It has to carry the motors, brakes and suspension systems all within a
tight envelope. It is subjected to severe stresses and shocks and may
have to run at over 100 km/h in a high speed application. Bogie Frame
Can be of Alloy steel plate or cast steel. In this case, it is a modern
design of welded steel box format where the structure is formed into
hollow sections of the required shape. Bogie Transom Transverse
structural member of bogie frame (usually two off) which also supports
the car body guidance parts and the traction motors.
A Lifting Lug allows the bogie to be lifted by a crane without the need
to tie chains or ropes around the frame.

Parts of Bogie: The main parts of a modern bogie are described below.

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Bogie Frame: Can be of steel plate or cast steel. In this case, it is a

modern design of welded steel box format where the structure is
formed into hollow sections of the required shape.
Bogie Transom: Transverse structural member of bogie frame (usually
two off) which also supports the carbody guidance parts and the
traction motors.
Brake Cylinder: An air brake cylinder is provided for each wheel. A
cylinder can operate tread or disc brakes. Some designs incorporate
parking brakes as well. Some bogies have two brake cylinders per
wheel for heavy duty braking requirements. Each wheel is provided
with a brake disc on each side and a brake pad actuated by the brake
cylinder. A pair of pads is 45 hung from the bogie frame and activated
by links attached to the piston in the brake cylinder. When air is
admitted into the brake cylinder, the internal piston moves these links
and causes the brake pads to press against the discs.
Primary Suspension Coil: A steel coil spring, two of which are fitted to
each axlebox in this design. They carry the weight of the bogie frame
and anything attached to it.
Motor Suspension Tube: Many motors are suspended between the
transverse member of the bogie frame called the transom and the axle.
This motor is called "nose suspended" because it is hung between the
suspension tube and a single mounting on the bogie transom called
the nose.
Gearbox: This contains the pinion and gearwheel which connects the
drive from the armature to the axle.
Lifting Lug: Allows the bogie to be lifted by a crane without the need to
tie chains or ropes around the frame.
Motor: Normally, each axle has its own motor. It drives the axle
through the gearbox. Some designs, particularly on tramcars, use a
motor to drive two axles.
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Secondary Suspension Air Bag: Rubber air suspension bags are

provided as the secondary suspension system for most modern trains.
The air is supplied from the train's compressed air system.
Wheel Slide Protection System Lead to Axlebox: Where a Wheel Slide
Protection (WSP) system is fitted, axleboxes are fitted with speed
sensors. These are connected by means of a cable attached to the
WSP box cover on the axle end.
Loose Leads for Connection to Carbody: The motor circuits are
connected to the traction equipment in the car or locomotive by flexible
leads shown here.
Shock Absorber: To reduce the effects of vibration occurring as a
result of the wheel/rail interface.
Axlebox Cover: Simple protection for the return current brush, if fitted,
and the axle bearing lubrication.

Purpose
Bogies serve a number of purposes:

 Support of the rail vehicle body.

 Stability on both straight and curved track.
 Improve ride quality by absorbing vibration and minimizing the impact
of centrifugal forces when the train runs on curves at high speed.
 Minimizing generation of track irregularities and rail abrasion.
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Usually, two bogies are fitted to each carriage, wagon or locomotive, one at

each end. Another configuration is often used in articulated vehicles, which
places the bogies (often Jacobs bogies) under the connection between the
carriages or wagons.
Most bogies have two axles,[6] but some cars designed for heavy loads have
more axles per bogie. Heavy-duty cars may have more than two bogies
using span bolsters to equalize the load and connect the bogies to the cars.

Types of Bogies
The modern bogies/trucks commonly used are:

 CO-CO bogie: There are three axles/wheel sets in one co-co bogie.
Since these bogies have more wheels per unit, they distribute the
load on a larger portion of rail. Therefore they have more load
carrying capacity than bo-bo bogies. These are generally used for
goods locomotives and carriages.

 BO-BO bogie: These types of bogies have two axles per unit. The
load carrying capacity of this bogie is lesser than compared with co-
co bogie. Hence these are used for passenger carriages.

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Brakes
An air brake cylinder is provided for each wheel. A cylinder can
operate tread or disc brakes. Some designs incorporate parking brakes
as well. Some bogies have two brake cylinders per wheel for heavy
duty braking requirements. Each wheel is provided with a brake disc
on each side and a brake pad actuated by the brake cylinder.

Brake cylinder mounted on a bogie.

A pair of pads is 45 hung from the bogie frame and activated by links
attached to the piston in the brake cylinder. When air is admitted into
the brake cylinder, the internal piston moves these links and causes
the brake pads to press against the discs. A brake hanger support
bracket carries the brake hangers, from which the pads are hung.

Dynamic Braking
If the train starts to descend a grade, the speed increases because the
(reduced) drag is less than the torque. With increased speed, the
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internally generated back-EMF voltage rises, reducing the torque until

the torque again balances the drag. Because the field current is
reduced by the back-EMF in a series wound motor, there is no speed
at which the back-EMF will exceed the supply voltage, and therefore a
single series wound DC traction motor alone cannot provide dynamic
or regenerative braking.

A roof mounted dynamic brake resistor.

There are, however various schemes applied to provide a retarding
force using the traction motors. The energy generated may be returned
to the supply (regenerative braking), or dissipated by on board
resistors (dynamic braking) cooled by blowers. Such a system can
bring the load to a low speed, requiring relatively little friction braking to
bring the load to a full stop.

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Suspension
Primary Suspension Coil:
Steel coil spring, two of which are fitted to each axle box. They carry
the weight of the bogie frame and anything attached to it.
The springs are mounted on an equalizer bar which is pivoted with the
axle box. There are total 16 springs (8 small and 8 big).
Rubber shocker is used to suspend traction motor.

Motor Suspension Tube:

Many motors are suspended between the transverse member of the
bogie frame called the transom and the axle. This motor is called "nose
suspended" because it is hung between the suspension tube and a
single mounting on the bogie transom called the nose.

Inner Spring Data: Outer Spring Data:

Diameter of wire: 25mm Diameter of wire: 40mm
Free height: 512mm Free height: 552mm
Solid height: 325mm Solid height: 360mm
Total no. of turns: 13.5 Total no. of turns: 9.5
Spring working load: 1654Kg Spring working load: 4162Kg
Solid capacity: 2891Kg Solid capacity: 7834Kg
Spring rate: 15.46Kg/mm Spring rate: 40.8 Kg/mm
Working height: 405mm Working height: 450mm

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Traction Motor
A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such
as an electric locomotive or electric roadway vehicle.
Traction motors are used in electrically powered rail vehicles (electric
multiple units) and other electric vehicles including electric milk
floats, elevators, roller coasters, conveyors, and trolleybuses, as well as
vehicles with electrical transmission systems (diesel-electric, electric hybrid
vehicles), and battery electric vehicles.
Each bogie is fitted with three Hitachi traction motors type HS-15250 A. The
motors run on 1kv 900amp power supply, these are of axle nose suspended
type and are provided with roller suspension bearing. All motors are
oriented in the same direction to minimize weight transfer and increase
adhesion, the motor nose being supported on the bogie transoms with
rubber sandwich spring.

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The face plate or liner at nose of motor wears very often, to tackle this
periodic liner replacement is carried out. The liners are made of manganese
since it is a harder metal which wears lesser than steel.
As the rotor turns, it turns a pinion which drives a gearwheel. The gearwheel
is shrunk onto the axle and thus drives the wheels. The lubricator used in
gear case has high viscosity (temperature dependent) and is known as
Bluecoat 3. The motion of the motor is created by the interaction of the
magnetism caused by the currents flowing in the stator and the rotor. This
interaction causes the rotor to turn and provide the drive.

The stator and the rotor of the DC motor are connected electrically with
carbon brushes which are spring loaded so that they remain in contact with
an extension of the armature called the commutator. The lubricator used in
gear case has high viscosity (temperature dependent) and is known as
Bluecoat 3.

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Depending on the nature of power source, there are two general types of
traction motors used are:

 AC powered
A variant of the DC system was the AC operated series motor, which is
essentially the same device but operated on alternating current. Since
both the armature and field current reverse at the same time, the
behavior of the motor is similar to that when energized with direct current.

A disassembled view of an AC traction motor.

To achieve better operating conditions, AC railways were often supplied
with current at a lower frequency than the commercial supply used for
general lighting and power; special traction current power stations were
used, or rotary converters used to convert 50 or 60 Hz commercial power
to the 25 Hz or 16 2/3 Hz frequency used for AC traction motors. The AC
system allowed efficient distribution of power down the length of a rail
line, and also permitted speed control with switchgear on the vehicle.
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 DC powered

Direct-current motors with series field windings are the oldest type of

traction motors. These provided a speed-torque characteristic useful
for propulsion, providing high torque at lower speeds for acceleration of
the vehicle, and declining torque as speed increased.

Armature of a DC traction motor.

By arranging the field winding with multiple taps, the speed
characteristic could be varied, allowing relatively smooth operator
control of acceleration. A further measure of control was provided by
using pairs of motors on a vehicle; for slow operation or heavy loads,
two motors could be run in series off the direct current supply. Where
higher speed was desired, these motors could be operated in parallel,
making a higher voltage available at each and so allowing higher
speeds. Parts of a rail system might use different voltages, with higher
voltages in long runs between stations and lower voltage near stations
where only slower operation was needed.
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AC induction motors and synchronous motors are simple and low

maintenance, but are awkward to apply for traction motors because of their
fixed speed characteristic. An AC induction motor only generates useful
amounts of power over a narrow speed range determined by its construction
and the frequency of the AC power supply. The advent of power
semiconductors has made it possible to fit a variable frequency drive on a
locomotive; this allows a wide range of speeds.

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Mounting of Motors
Before the mid-20th century, a single large motor was often used to drive
multiple driving wheels through connecting rods that were very similar to
those used on steam locomotives. Examples are the Pennsylvania Railroad
DD1, FF1 and L5 and the various Swiss Crocodiles. It is now standard
practice to provide one traction motor driving each axle through a gear
drive.

Usually, the traction motor is three-point suspended between

the bogie frame and the driven axle; this is referred to as a "nose-
suspended traction motor". The problem with such an arrangement is that a
portion of the motor's weight is unsprung, increasing unwanted forces on
the track. In the case of the famous Pennsylvania Railroad GG1, two bogie-
mounted motors drove each axle through a quill drive. The "Bi-Polar"
electric locomotives built by General Electric for the Milwaukee Road had
direct drive motors. The rotating shaft of the motor was also the axle for the
wheels. In the case of French TGV power cars, a motor mounted to the
power car’s frame drives each axle; a "tripod" drive allows a small amount of
flexibility in the drive train allowing the trucks bogies to pivot. By mounting
the relatively heavy traction motor directly to the power car's frame, rather
than to the bogie, better dynamics are obtained.

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Windings
The DC motor was the mainstay of electric traction drives on both electric
and diesel-electric locomotives, street-cars/trams and diesel electric drilling
rigs for many years. It consists of two parts, a rotating armature and fixed
field windings surrounding the rotating armature mounted around a shaft.
The fixed field windings consist of tightly wound coils of wire fitted inside the
motor case.

The armature is another set of coils wound round a central shaft and is
connected to the field windings through "brushes" which are spring-loaded
contacts pressing against an extension of the armature called
the commutator. The commutator collects all the terminations of the
armature coils and distributes them in a circular pattern to allow the correct
sequence of current flow. When the armature and the field windings are
connected in series, the whole motor is referred to as "series-wound". A
series-wound DC motor has a low resistance field and armature circuit. For
this reason, when voltage is applied to it, the current is high due to Ohm's
law. The advantage of high current is that the magnetic fields inside the
motor are strong, producing high torque (turning force), so it is ideal for
starting a train. The disadvantage is that the current flowing into the motor
has to be limited, otherwise the supply could be overloaded or the motor
and its cabling could be damaged. At best, the torque would exceed the
adhesion and the driving wheels would slip. Traditionally, resistors were
used to limit the initial current.
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Power control
As the DC motor starts to turn, interaction of the magnetic fields inside
causes it to generate a voltage internally. This back EMF(electromotive
force) opposes the applied voltage and the current that flows is governed by
the difference between the two. As the motor speeds up, the internally
generated voltage rises, the resultant EMF falls, less current passes through
the motor and the torque drops.

Traditional resistor grid power control. Current series-parallel power control.

The motor naturally stops accelerating when the drag of the train matches
the torque produced by the motors. To continue accelerating the train,
series resistors are switched out step by step, each step increasing the
effective voltage and thus the current and torque for a little bit longer until
the motor catches up. This can be heard and felt in older DC trains as a
series of clunks under the floor, each accompanied by a jerk of acceleration
as the torque suddenly increases in response to the new surge of current.
When no resistors are left in the circuit, full line voltage is applied directly to
the motor. The train's speed remains constant at the point where the torque
of the motor, governed by the effective voltage, equals the drag - sometimes
referred to as balancing speed. If the train starts to climb an incline, the
speed reduces because drag is greater than torque and the reduction in
speed causes the back-EMF to fall and thus the effective voltage to rise -
until the current through the motor produces enough torque to match the
new drag. The use of series resistance was wasteful because a lot of
energy was lost as heat. To reduce these losses, electric locomotives and
trains were normally equipped for series-parallel control as well.

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Dynamic braking
If the train starts to descend a grade, the speed increases because the
(reduced) drag is less than the torque. With increased speed, the internally
generated back-EMF voltage rises, reducing the torque until the torque
again balances the drag. Because the field current is reduced by the back-
EMF in a series wound motor, there is no speed at which the back-EMF will
exceed the supply voltage, and therefore a single series wound DC traction
motor alone cannot provide dynamic or regenerative braking.

There are, however various schemes applied to provide a retarding force

using the traction motors. The energy generated may be returned to the
supply (regenerative braking), or dissipated by on board resistors (dynamic

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braking). Such a system can bring the load to a low speed, requiring
relatively little friction braking to bring the load to a full stop.
Rating
Electric locomotives usually have a continuous and a one-hour rating. The
one-hour rating is the maximum power that the motors can continuously
develop over a one-hour period without overheating the motors. Such a test
starts with the motors at +25 °C (and the outside air used for ventilation also
at +25 °C). In the USSR, per GOST 2582-72 with class N insulation, the
maximum temperatures allowed for DC motors were 160 °C for the
armature, 180 °C for the stator, and 105 °C for the collector. The one-hour
rating is typically about ten percent higher than the continuous rating, and
limited by the temperature rise in the motor.
As traction motors use a reduction gear setup to transfer torque from the
motor armature to the driven axle, the actual load placed on the motor
varies with the gear ratio. Otherwise "identical" traction motors can have
significantly different load rating. A traction motor geared for freight use with
a low gear ratio will safely produce higher torque at the wheels for a longer
period at the same current level because the lower gears give the motor
more mechanical advantage.
In diesel-electric and gas turbine-electric locomotives, the horsepower rating
of the traction motors is usually around 81% that of the prime mover. This
assumes that the electrical generator converts 90% of the engine's output
into electrical energy and the traction motors convert 90% of this electrical
energy back into mechanical energy. Calculation: 0.9 × 0.9 = 0.81
Individual traction motor ratings usually range up 1,600 kW (2,144 hp)
Another important factor when traction motors are designed or specified is
operational speed. The motor armature has a maximum safe rotating speed
at or below which the windings will stay safely in place.

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Bird- nesting in stator winding.

Above this maximum speed centrifugal force on the armature will cause the
windings to be thrown outward. In severe cases, this can lead to
"birdnesting" as the windings contact the motor housing and eventually
break loose from the armature entirely and uncoil.
Bird-nesting due to overspeed can occur either in operating traction motors
of powered locomotives or in traction motors of dead-in-consist locomotives
being transported within a train traveling too fast. Another cause is
replacement of worn or damaged traction motors with units incorrectly
geared for the application.
Damage from overloading and overheating can also cause bird-nesting
below rated speeds when the armature assembly and winding supports and
retainers have been damaged by the previous abuse.

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Cooling
Because of the high power levels involved, traction motors are almost
always cooled using forced air.

Typical cooling systems on U.S. diesel-electric locomotives consist of an

electrically-powered fan blowing air into a passage integrated into the
locomotive frame. Rubber cooling ducts connect the passage to the
individual traction motors and cooling air travels down and across the
armatures before being exhausted to the atmosphere.

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Wheels
Railway wheels sit on the rails without guidance except for the shape of the
wheel in relation to the rail head. Contrary to popular belief, the flanges
should not touch the rails. Flanges are only a last resort to prevent the
wheels becoming derailed a safety feature. The wheel is coned and the rail
head slightly curved as shown.

The degree of coning is set by the railway company and it varies from place
to place. In the India the angle is set at 1 in 20 (1/20 or 0.05). In France it's
at 1/40. The angle can wear to as little as 1 in 1.25 before the wheel is re-
profiled on an underground CNC lathe turner. The diameter of a wheel is
1096mm and is rejected when diameter reaches 1016mm. It has a flange of
28-32mm.

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As noticeable the differential in the axle is not used. So on curved track, the
outer wheel has a greater distance to travel than the inner wheel. To
compensate for this, the wheelset moves sideways in relation to the track so
that the larger tyre radius on the inner edge of the wheel is used on the
outer rail of the curve, as shown in figure.

The location of the wheels in relation to the rails on curved track. The inner
wheel uses the outer edge of its tyre to reduce the travelled distance during
the passage round the curve. The flange of the outer wheel will only touch
the movement of the train round the curved rail is not in exact symmetry
with the geometry of the track. This can occur due to incorrect speed or
poor mechanical condition of the track or train. It often causes a squealing
noise. It naturally causes wear. Many operators use flange or rail greasing
to ease the passage of wheels on curves. Devices can be mounted on the
track or the train. It is important to ensure that the amount of lubricant
applied is exactly right. Too much will cause the tyre to become
contaminated and will lead to skidding and flatted wheels. There will always
be some slippage between the wheel and rail on curves but this will be
minimised if the track and wheel are both constructed and maintained to the
correct standards.

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Pantograph

The pantograph is a pneumatic powered current collection system used

by locomotives on routes with overhead lines, to fetch the required power.
It is designed to collapse if it detects an obstruction. It can also be
lowered manually to isolate the locomotive or train.

It is powered by two actuating cylinders which control its extension. The

pantograph is spring-loaded and pushes a contact graphite shoe up
against the underside of the contact wire. The steel rails of the tracks act
as the electrical return. Graphite reduces the friction and ensures smooth
sliding.

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Air Compressor
The compressor itself consists of a pump driven by an electric motor.
Power from the motor comes from the on-board electrical supply or,
sometimes, directly from the traction supply. On electric locomotives, the
supply can come from the transformer, via a rectifier and on a diesel
locomotive, from the auxiliary alternator. On some diesel locomotives, the
compressor is driven directly from the diesel engine by way of a
connecting shaft.

The traditional compressor pump was a piston in a cylinder. Later, two or

three pistons were provided to increase compression speeds and give
greater capacity. Some compressor manufacturers offer rotary pumps,
which are generally much faster and considerably quieter than
reciprocating pumps. They are however, usually more susceptible to
mechanical faults and have lower capacity than reciprocating pumps.
Development of quiet, reliable compressors continues. There are three air
compressors in a WAG type loco and two in a WAP type loco.

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Blowers
Traction motors on electric locomotives get very hot and, to keep their
temperature at a reasonable level for long periods of hard work, they are
usually fitted with electric fans called motor blowers. On a modern
locomotive, they are powered by an auxiliary 3-phase AC supply of
around 400 volts supplied by an auxiliary inverter.

The blower is mounted inside the locomotive body but the motors are on
the bogies, so the blower output is connected to each of the motors
through flexible ducting. Blowers are also used to cool down the brake
resistors in Dynamic Braking or Regenerative Braking system.

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Bibliography
1. Northern Railway Electric WAG–9 Locomotive Manual.
2. Wikipedia.
3. Railway Technical Handbook.
4. Northern Railways website http://www.nr.indianrailways.gov.in
5. Railway technical web pages
http://www.railway-technical.com/index.shtml

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