Indian locomotive class WDP-3A


The class WDP-3A is a diesel-electric locomotive of Indian Railways. Since 1998, it has been manufactured in India by the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi. The model name stands for broad gauge, Diesel, Passenger traffic engine. The WDP-3A is IR attempt to create a High speed diesel locomotive. The WDP-3A is a later classification of earlier WDP-2. These units have air brakes only and the gear ratio is 64:19. They are the Fastest ALCo-based locomotive breed found in India with a Top speed of 160 Km/h, on par with the premier Electric Locomotives.

History

The first one was delivered on October 1998,under the name of WDP-2. 44 units produced till February 2001 had dual cab forward design different from other classes of locos built by DLW. These new locomotives have control stand similar to many electric locomotives. They are the regeared versions of the WDM-3A. This was IR’s attempt to build a high speed loco on ALCO platform. But the EMD locos came with a much better performance with higher HP rating to kill the prospect of WDP3As.
These locos were introduced initially the Chennai Egmore - Kanyakumari Section, hauling many Prestigious trains like Pallavan Express, Vaigai Express, Rockfort Express, Nellai Express, Pothigai Express, to name a few.
A problem with the WDP-3A was that it would get uncomfortably hot inside the driving cabin on the radiator side and the locos were nicknamed “toasters” by the loco pilots. The WDP3A was best known for hauling the Trivandrum Rajdhani and later on the Mumbai CSMT - Karmali Tejas Express through the Konkan Railway at a Top Speed of 120 Kmh single handedly.
However due to age issues, the WDP3A locomotives of DLS GOC and KYN were withdrawn gradually from hauling the Trivandrum Rajdhani and Tejas express.
In 2018, a couple of GOC Based WDP3A locomotives were rebuilt at DMW Patiala with better bogies for Riding comfort. Such Rebuilt toasters bear the suffix 'R' to their road numbers.

Locomotive sheds