WAG-9
A brand new WAG-9HC #33637 at Bilaspur.
Type and origin
Power typeElectric
BuilderChittaranjan Locomotive Works,
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Banaras Locomotive Works,
Patiala Locomotive Works
Build date1995 - present
Total produced4823 as of January 2024
Specifications
Configuration:
  UICCo′Co′
Gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
BogiesAdtranz Fabricated Flexicoil IV
Wheel diameterNew:1,092 mm (3 ft 7 in),
Half worn:1,054 mm (3 ft 5+12 in)
Full worn:1,016 mm (3 ft 4 in)
Wheelbase15.7 m (51 ft 6 in)
Length20.562 m (67 ft 5+12 in)
Width3.152 m (10 ft 4+18 in)
Height4.525 m (14 ft 10+18 in)
Axle loadWAG-9 : 20.5 tonnes (20.2 long tons; 22.6 short tons) WAG-9H/Hi/9i : 22.0 tonnes (21.7 long tons; 24.3 short tons)
Loco weightWAG-9 : 123 tonnes (121 long tons; 136 short tons) WAG-9H/9Hi/9i : 132 tonnes (130 long tons; 146 short tons)
Electric system/s25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead
Current pickup(s)dual pantographs
Traction motorsWAG-9/9H/9i : Adtranz 6FRA6068
MU working2
Loco brakeAir and Regenerative
Train brakesAir
Safety systemsSlip/slide control, Main overload relay, Over voltage relay, No volt protection, Vigilance Control Device, Fire Detection Equipment, Fire Extinguishers and Earth fault relay
Performance figures
Maximum speed100 km/h (62 mph)
Power outputWAG-9 Original : 6,120 hp (4,564 kW) WAG-9HH : 9,000 hp (6,711 kW)
Tractive effortStarting : 475 kN (107,000 lbf)
(WAG-9), 510 kN (110,000 lbf)
(WAG-9H/i/Hi) Continuous : 325 kN (73,000 lbf) at 50 km/h
Career
OperatorsIndian Railways
NumbersStarting from 31000-31999, 32000-32999, 33000-33999, 38000+ & 90001+ CLW

34001+ BHEL 41000-41500 & 43000+ BLW

41501+ PLW
LocaleAll Over India
DispositionActive

The Indian locomotive class WAG-9 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1995 by ABB for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), AC Current (A), Goods traffic (G), 9th generation (9) locomotive. They entered service in 1996. A total of 4650 WAG-9 have been built at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), with more units being built at Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Patiala Locomotive Works (PLW). It was the most powerful freight locomotive of its fleet until the formal introduction of the WAG-12.

The WAG-9 is one of the most successful locomotives of Indian Railways serving freight trains for over 27 years. A passenger variant of the WAG-9 was developed namely the WAP-7 locomotive by modifying the gear ratio to pull lighter loads at higher speeds. Nowadays, It is a common locomotive used in freight trains.

Introduction

The WAG-9 locomotive is referred to as the "Heavy Haul" freight locomotive of the Indian Railways (IR). It was conceived in response to the extreme growth in the rail freight transportation sector, which is considered to be of great importance to the growth of the economy of India. The need for more electrification and electric locomotives in India had increased. Around 60-65% of the freight haulage of the IR takes place on the electrified section of the Golden Quadrilateral (Indian Railways) and diagonals (which account for 25% of the route). These are very busy routes, so clearance is a necessity. Electrical powers give it a great sectional clearance ability. Thus, these locomotives are important for the Indian Railways.

These locomotives have entered the Western Railway zone of Mumbai. The first 22 units were imported from ABB. Of these, the first six were fully assembled and rest were in kit form. CLW started producing of WAG-9 traction motors on 1 November 1999. The units built by ABB have pantographs with two end horns while the CLW built units have pantographs with single end horns which are common in India. This class had a capacity to MU several units, but IR restricts them to two, because of dynamic loading restriction on most bridges. Regenerative brakes provide about 260 kN of braking effort.

The WAG-9H also has different application software than the WAG-9. The first WAG-9H was commissioned on 30 June 2000. The #30130 prototype was housed at Gomoh (GMO). This was then converted back to standard WAG-9 in 2002. This unit has a livery of twin white stripes on green, instead of yellow stripe on green, seen on the other WAG-9(x)s.

The WAG-9i was introduced in 2010, and was No. 31215. It was homed at the GMO shed. With IGBT, even if one traction motor failed, other traction motors can function with a total output of 5500 hp.

Newer WAG-9 units have "CLW Glorious 60 years" marked on their sides. Some WAG-9(x)s are fitted with a solid cowcatcher while others are fitted with grilled cowcatchers. Some have American style flasher lamps while others have Indian style flasher lamps. http://elocos.railnet.gov.in/Study_Material/TSD_3Ph.pdf.

Newer versions of the WAG-9 feature full Insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) traction control; the debut model was the WAG-9 31248. The class as a whole is denoted by the WAG-9i prefix in its model number, although there is a technical variant of this class named WAG-9H, with the "H" meaning "Heavy".

The WAG-9H/9Hi locomotives are the second heaviest in regular service in India (after the WAG-12), the only freight-dedicated three-phase AC locomotives in the country, and the only electric locomotives in India fitted with IGBT. They are also the freight locomotives with the highest operational speed in India.

It is similar to the WAP-7 class locomotive but features a different gear ratio, which makes it suitable for heavy freight operations. In November 1998, the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) started producing these with indigenous components. The first of which, named Navyug (New Era), was produced on 14 November 1998. Like the WAP-5 units, the WAG-9 has GTO thyristor converters and three-phase asynchronous motors.

Variants

The following variants are built from the WAG-9:

  • WAG-9: Original version.
  • WAG-9H: Heavy version with additional ballast, total weight: 132 t.
  • WAG-9i: Version with IGBT Technology.
  • WAG-9Hi: Version with additional ballast and IGBT Technology.
  • WAG-9HC: Heavy version with Conventional Brake Rigging.
  • WAG-9HH: Heavy Version with 9000  hp variant.
  • WAG-9Twin: A 12000 hp variant developed by CLW to compete with WAG-12.

Operations

WAG-9 has quickly become one of the important locos in the Indian railways. With its higher power, this locomotive has replaced WAG-7 which was the main electric loco before WAG-9's arrival. Applications where twin WAG-7s were required are now handled by a single WAG-9. This includes both leading a long consist and for banking operations. The regenerative braking capabilities of WAG-9 has also helped reduce the electricity consumption. The original WAG-9 had some wheel slippage incidents while hauling heavy load. This was rectified through the introduction of WAG-9H and subsequently using WAG-9i. This has significantly reduced the issue that were associated with the original version.

Wag-9 Locomotive at Vangaon Railway station, pulling an automobile carrier rake.

Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) turned out its first 9,000 hp WAG-9 freight locomotive on 31 March 2019, the last day of the financial year. This 9,000 hp version of the WAG-9H has been classified by IR as WAG-9 HH. The first H stands for higher axle load and the second H stands for the higher power rating. The class has been allocated a block of serial numbers starting with 90001, the number of the first unit. The decision to upgrade the power output of the WAG-9 was taken to partly meet the demands of the upcoming electrified Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). The upgraded locomotive class will also augment hauling capacity on the existing network of the Indian Railways.[1]

Locomotive sheds

Zone Name Shed Code Quantity Introduction
WAG-9 WAG-9H WAG-9HH
Central Railway Bhusawal BSL 34 2013
Ajni AQ 7 173 2000
Pune PA (D) 22 2022
Eastern RailwayAsansol ASN 126 2020
East Central Railway Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya DDU 2 54 2020
Gomoh GMO 2 199 1997
Barauni BJU 150 2019
Patratu PTRU (D) 4 108 2020
East Coast Railway Visakhapatnam VSKP 205 2014
Visakhapatnam (D) VSKP (D) 225 2021
Angul ANGL 88 2023
Northern Railway Ghaziabad GZB 8 2023
Ludhiana LDH 225 2015
Khanalampura KJGY 109 2020
Tughlakabad TKD (D) 107 2022
North Central Railway Kanpur CNB 228 2016
North Eastern Railway Gonda GD (D) 17 2021
Saiyedpur Bhitri SYH 20 2022
Izzatnagar IZN (D) 7 2023
Northeast Frontier Railway Malda Town MLDT (D) 31 2021
Siliguri SGUJ (D) 13 2022
New Guwahati NGC (D) 1 2023
North Western Railway Bhagat Ki Kothi BGKT (D) 43 2023
Southern Railway Arakkonam AJJ 33 2020
South Central Railway Vijayawada BZA 83 2021
Lallaguda LGD 54 97 2007
Kazipet KZJ 1 152 2013
Gooty GY (D) 90 2019
Vijayawada BZA (D) 10 2023
Moula Ali MLY (D) 10 2023
South Eastern Railway Tatanagar TATA 3 195 2010
Bondamunda BNDM 222 2016
Bokaro Steel City BKSC 178 2019
Rourkela ROU 236 2019
Bondamunda BNDM (D) 14 2023
South East Central Railway Bhilai BIA 262 2009
Bilaspur BSP 183 2020
South Western Railway Krishnarajapuram KJM (D) 44 2020
Hubli UBL (D) 52 2022
Western Railway Valsad BL 162 2020
Vatva VTA (D) 60 2023
West Central Railway Tughlakabad TKD 11 139 45 2008
New Katni Jn. NKJ 160 2017
Itarsi ET 119 2020
Total 84 4694 45
Total Locomotives Active as of January 2024[2] 4823

Performance

Two WAG-9 class units can haul a load of 4,500 tonnes (4,400 long tons; 5,000 short tons) on grades of 1 in 60 (1.67%). The WAG-9H was expected to haul 58 BOXN wagons, i.e.,4,700 tonnes (4,600 long tons; 5,200 short tons), without multiple units on grades of 1 in 150 (0.67%). The locomotive can run even in 100% humidity, or in deserts, where there is high saturation of conductive particles. For shunting up to 15 km/h (9.3 mph), it can haul 7,500 tonnes (7,400 long tons; 8,300 short tons) on grades of 1 in 1000 (0.1%) or less. The atmosphere may be humid and salty. Regenerative braking will provide braking force of no less than 260 kN (58,000 lbf) at 10–62 km/h (6.2–38.5 mph) and closer to 260 kN (58,000 lbf) at higher speeds. Below is the capacity of the WAG-9 while hauling BOX wagons (in tonnes}):[3]

Grade\km/hStart2030405060708090100
Level6000+6000+6000+6000+6000+6000+6000+6000+6000+6000+
1 in 5006000+6000+6000+6000+6000+6000+6000+498541503500
1 in 2005060506050605060506040453325278023652040
1 in 1504250425041654080398532002640222018951640
1 in 1003205291028702825277522401855156513451165
1 in 50182014551445143514201440945795680590

See also

References

  1. "New 9,000 hp WAG-9 HH Locomotive Rolls Out of CLW". RailPost.in - Indian Railways News & Analysis. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  2. "e-Locos".
  3. "Trainweb".
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