TANZANIA-ZAMBIA RAILWAY AUTHORITY (TAZARA).

MBEYAUNIVERSITYOFSCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGY
RUKWACAMPUSCOLLEGE(MRCC)

MECHANICALANDINDUSTRIALENGINEERINGDEPARTMENT
BASICTECHNICIANINMECHANICAL(.........
ACADEMICYEAR:2023/2024.
STUDENT’SNAME:IDRISAABDULGHANIYUYAHAYA.
REGISTRATIONNUMBER:........

INDUSTRIALFIRM:TANZANIA-ZAMBIARAILWAYAUTHOURITY
(TAZARA)

0|Page
P. O.BOX2834,
DARESSALAAM-TANZANIA.
Tel:+255783803074Mobile:+255222862033Faxno:262144370406
E-mail:simuchile@tazarasite.com

ABSTRACT

ThisreportisasummaryoftheMechanicalindustrialpracticaltraining.Ihaveparticipatedindifferent
activitiesinTanzania-ZambiaRailwayAuthority(TAZARA).Theactivitieswerecarried-out/
conductedbasedonfivedifferentsectionsnamely;inmachineshopsection,CoachandWagonsect
ion,PlantandEquipmentsection,inmotivepowersection,andinmetalfabrication.
Inmachineshopsection,IhavelearnthowtooperatefewmachinesthatwerefoundsuchasGeneralhe
adlathemachine,Turretlathemachine,Specialpurposelathemachine,makevarioussparepartsinma
chinessuchasknucklepins,bushes,trainshafts,bolts,washersetcthatwererequiredtobereinstalledo
rreplacewiththenewones.
InCoachandWagonsection,Ihavelearnthowtorepairandserviceondifferentcomponentsofloco
motivevehiclesuchasinspectionofcomponentssuchasvacuumcylinders,aircylinders,oilfilters,cl
eaningindiagnosisofanydefaultsfoundonthem,makingbufferplatesthatwereusedonthewagon’sd
oors.
InPlantandEquipmentsection,Ihavelearnthowtomakegeneralserviceandrepairsofvariouscom
ponentsonlathemachines,motors,hydraulicpumpsetc.
Inmotivepowersection,Ihavelearnthowtomakegeneralserviceandrepairsofvariouscomponents,
replacing,removalandinstallingcomponents(overhaulingengine),andmachinemaintenances.
Inmetalfabricationsection,Ihavelearnttomakeoperatesomemanufacturingmachinessuchasshar
ingmachine(hydraulicsharingmachine),hydraulicpressmachine,powerhammer,makingsomesp
arepartsrequiredtodifferentmachinesparts,cuttingofmetalsusinggasandotherweldingactivities.

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ThedescriptionisbaseddirectlyfromthefieldworkandpurelyfromthequalifiedinMechanicalengin
eeringandTechniciansindifferentsectionsfoundinTAZARA-
WORKSHOPS.Thetrainingwasperfectandusefultome.

DECLARATION

IherebydeclarethatthereporthasbeenpreparedbymetofulfillthecurricularrequirementofHigherDi
plomainMechanicalEngineeringofferedbyMbeyaUniversityofScienceandTechnology(MUST).

Signature……………………………Date…………………………………

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

IreallyappreciatemyinternalIndustrialsupervisorsofTAZARA-
WORKSHOPSinvariousworkingsectionsatDARESSALAAMfortheirintegrity,humanity,accur
atelymonitoringandcontributionintimeandtechnicalexpertisefromthebeginningofthetrainingupt
otheendofthetraining,alsoIappreciatetheManagementandDepartmentofEngineeringatTAZAR
A-
WORKSHOPSatDARESSALAAM,Eng.NelsonUronu,andothersfortheirgreatcooperationand
assistancethroughouttheTraining.Finally,IappreciatetheDepartmentofMechanicalandIndustrial
EngineeringstaffmembersofMbeyaUniversityofScienceandTechnology(MUST)atRukwaCam
pus(MRCC)forprovidingIndustrialPracticalTrainingProgramsandopportunitiestomakestudents
befamiliarwithIndustrialpractices.

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CERTIFICATION

ThisIndustrialPracticalTrainingReportissubmittedbyYohanaGabrielChubwainthefulfillmentof
therequirementsfortheawardofHigherDiplomainMechanicalEngineeringatMbeyaUniversityof
ScienceandTechnology(MUST)atRukwaCampus(MRCC),undertheDepartmentofMechanicala
ndIndustrialEngineeringstaff.ThisIndustrialPracticalTrainingiscarriedoutundersupervisionand
guidanceofmySupervisorsatTAZARA-
WORKSHOPSinvariousworkingsectionsatDARESSALAAM .

…………………………………….…………………….……………..
SupervisorSignatureDate

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 Contents
ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................3

DECLARATION.......................................................................................................................4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.........................................................................................................5

CERTIFICATION......................................................................................................................6

PARTI:GENERALPART..........................................................................................................8
 TAZARAHISTORICALBACKGROUND……………………………………………
……………………………..8

 THEADMINISTRATIVESTRUCTURE………………………………………………...10
 MANAGEMENTOFTHEFIRM...............................................................................................12
 PRODUCTS/ACTIVITIESUNDERTAKENBYTHEFIRM(TAZARA)..............................13
PARTII:TECHNICALPART..........................................................................................................17
 DIESELLOCOMOTIVESYSTEM..........................................................................................17
 DIESELLOCOMOTIVE-LAYOUT........................................................................................23
 MECHANICALTRANSMISSION……………………………………………………
………………..…27

 BRAKESYSTEM……………………………………………………………………….
28

 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………….
……….31

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  RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………………………….
..32

 REFERENCES………………………………………………………….
………………..33

PARTI:GENERALPART.
 TAZARAHISTORICALBACKGROUND.
TheideatoconnectCentralandSouthernAfricanStateswiththeeasterncoastthrougharaillinksta
rtedasfarbackas1947.BothTanganyika(nowTanzania)andNorthernRhodesia(nowZambia)h
adforalongtimewishedtoagriculturallydeveloptheirvastareasintheSouthWest(ofTanganyika
)andNorthEast(ofNorthernRhodesia),respectively.OntheTanganyikaside,plansforthishadb
eendiscussedformanyyearswhileontheNorthernRhodesiansidethesuggestionwasbeginningt
oreceiveprominenceandsupportby1963throughtheadvocacyofDr.KennethKaunda.Earlier,t
hecolonialsettlershadundertakenanumberofsurveysintotheprojectandnearlyallhaddeclaredt
hattheproposedlinewaseconomicallyunjustifiable.Thiswasatthetimeofliberationagitationsa
nditwasapparentthattheseconclusionswerelacedwithpoliticalthinking.Thesettlersfearedthat
sucharaillinkwouldaffecttheirinterestsintheregion.
On11thNovember1965,theadministrationofIanSmithinRhodesia(Zimbabwe)whoseRhode
sianFrontpartyopposedanimmediatetransferofpowertoblackmajorityruleintheself-
governingBritishcolony,unilaterallydeclaredindependencefromtheUnitedKingdom.TheUn
ilateralDeclarationofIndependence(UDI),asitwere,triggeredvariouseffectsonthescene.
First,UDIhadtheeffectofintensifyingtheliberationstruggleinwhichZambiaplayedanactiverol
easafrontlinestate.Beinglandlocked,theSmithregimetriedtointimidateZambiaoutofhersupp
ortfortheliberationstrugglebycuttingheronlyoutlettothesea–
theroadandrailtrunksfromZambiatotheseaportsinSouthAfrica,passingthroughRhodesia.
TheleadersofTanzania(thelateHon.MwalimuJuliusNyerere)andZambia(Dr.KennethKa
unda)whowereawareofZambia’sdependenceonthesouthernrouteanditsimplicationsvisualiz
edthattheNorthEastRailLinkwastheonlyotherwayforZambiatomaintaineconomicandpolitic

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 alindependence.Inasignificantway,therefore,IanSmith’sUDIspurredtheproponentsandeven
quickenedthepaceatwhichtheTAZARAprojectwasimplemented.

 HowChinarescuedthesituation.
TanzaniaandZambiaclearlyhadthemotivetoconstructTAZARA.Butitwasalsoveryclearf
romthebeginningthatthismammothprojectwouldrequirehugeamountsoffundstotakeoff.
TheWesterncountrieswerefirstapproachedforassistancetobuildthelinebutasexpectedthe
yrebuffedtheidea,insistingthat“theprojectwaseconomicallynotviable.”Thisview,which
wasequallysupportedbytheWorldBank,meantthatassistancefromthatquarterwasnotposs
ible.TheGovernmentofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,underthewiseleadershipofthelat
eChairmanMaoTse-
Tungwereapproachedandreadilyacceptedtosupporttheproject.TheChineseleadershipsa
wthewidernecessityofthelineandthusofferedtofinanceitasaturnkeyproject.TheChineseo
fferedtoprovidethefinancesforconstruction,expertiseandequipment,includingbuildings,
workshops,trainingschoolandrelatedinfrastructure.

 Agreementissigned.
On5thSeptember1967,anAgreementfortheconstructionofTAZARAwasconcludedinB
eijing,China,betweenthethreeGovernmentsofChina,TanzaniaandZambia.Theinitialide
awasfortherailwaylinetostartfromKidatuinTanzaniatoKampoyoinZambia.

 TAZARAisestablished.
TheTanzania-
ZambiaRailwayAuthoritywasestablishedinMarch1968andthesurveyanddesignworkco
mmencedinOctober1968andfinishedinMay1970.ThesurveysbytheChineseproducedfa
vorablerecommendations,whichcompletelydisregardedallconclusionsofearliersurveys.
BynowithadbeendecidedthatthelinewouldstartfromDaresSalaamandendatKapiriMposh
i.

 Chinaoffersaninterest-freeloan.
InJuly1970,ChinaagreedtogiveTanzaniaandZambiaaninterestfreeloanrepayableinthirt
yyearstotalingYuan988milliontocovercostsofconstructingthelineandsupportinginfrastr
uctureofStationsandtheTrainingSchoolaswellasthesupplyofmotivepowerandrollingstoc
k.

 Constructionbegins.
ConstructionofthelinestartedinOctober1970.ThethenPresidentsDr.KennethKaundao
fZambiaandlateHon.MwalimuJuliusNyerereofTanzaniaofficiallyinauguratedthecom
mencementatDaresSalaaminTanzaniaandKapiriMposhiinZambia,respectively.Thiswas
thebeginningofthemostawe-inspiringengineeringfeatseverperformedbyChinainAfrica.

 Constructioncrossestheborder.
ThetrackcrossedtheTanzanianborderatTundumaintoZambiaatNakondeinAugust1973.
AftertheexperienceoftheMlimba/
Makambakosection,constructioninZambiawithfairlyuncomplicatedfeatureswasfastsuc
hthatbyJune1975,thelinereachedKapiri-
Mposhi,twoyearsaheadofschedule.Trialoperationscontinuedforayearuntil14July1976w

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 henfulloperationscommenced,aftertheGovernmentofthePeoples’RepublicofChinaform
erlyhandedoverTAZARAtoTanzaniaandZambia.

 Engineeringchallenges.
Theengineeringdifficultiesinvolvedinbuildingthe1,860kilometerlongrailwaywere
Immense.ItisnoteasytofathomtheextentofheroismandingenuitydisplayedbyboththeChinesep
eople,representedbytheirgreatengineersandworkersandtheTanzanianandZambianpeople,wh
ojoinedtheChinesefortheconstructionofthisuniquerailway.

Thehostileenvironment,throughwhichthelineoftenhadtopass,didnotdeterthem.Whentheline
wasfinallycompleted,almost89millioncubicmetersofearthandrockhadtobemoved,320brid
ges,22tunnelsand2,225culvertswerebuilt.

 THEADMINSTRATIVESTRUCURE.

TheBilateralAgreementrelatingtotheTanzania-
ZambiaRailway,madebetweenthetwoGovernmentson29thSeptember1993,formsthebasisandf
oundationoftheexistenceofTAZARA.ThisAgreementisgiveneffectbytheTAZARAAct,whichpr
ovidesforthegovernanceoftheAuthority,thenatureofbusinesstransactionsandothermattersrelate
dtotheprovisionofservicesbytherailway.
ThetwoGovernmentsoftheUnitedRepublicofTanzaniaandtheRepublicofZambiaholdtheshareso
fTAZARAonajointandequalbasis.TAZARAoperatesasastatutorybodyestablishedbytheNationa
lLegislaturesofbothTanzaniaandZambia,throughtheTAZARAActof1975,amendedandreplaced
bytheTAZARAActof7thJuly1995.

Thegovernancestructure,asprovidedforbytheTAZARAAct,comprisesof;
 CouncilofMinisters.
 BoardofDirectorsand,
 Management.

 TheCouncilofMinisters;
TheCouncilofMinistersisthesupremepolicyorganofTAZARA,comprisingsix(6)Ministe
rs,threefromeachcountryrespectively,i.e.theMinistriesinchargeofTransport,Financeand
Trade/
Commerce.TheMinistersresponsibleforTransportaretheChairpersonsoftheCouncilinrot
ationbetweenTanzaniaandZambiaattheturnofeachfinancialyear,commencingonthe1stJ
ulyandendingonthe30thJunethefollowingyear.TheCouncilofMinistersisrequiredtomeet
atleastonceeveryyear.

 TheBoardofDirectors;
TheBoardofDirectorsconsistsofsix(6)Members,comprisingthePermanentSecretariesres
ponsibleforTransportfromeachcountry,twomembersfromeachcountrywithexperienceei
therintransport,commerce,industryorfinance.TheDirectorsoftheBoardareappointedbyth
eMinistersofTransportfromtherespectivecountries.

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 ExceptforthePermanentSecretarieswhoarepermanentmembers,theDirectorsholdofficeforap
eriodofthree(3)yearsafterwhichtheymaybeeligibleforre-
appointment.ThetwoPermanentSecretariesrotatetheChairmanshipannually,atthebeginning
ofeachcalendaryear,i.e.1stJanuary.TheBoardofDirectorsisrequiredtomeetatleastfourtimesa
year.

 TheExecutiveManagementCommittee(EXCOM);
TAZARA’sExecutiveCommittee(EXCOM)isresponsibleforleadingtheimplementation
oftheAuthority’svisionandforformulatingstrategies,subjecttotheapprovaloftheBoardof
Directors.EXCOMdrivesanddirectstheday-to-
dayoperationsofalldepartmentsandensuresthatthewholeorganizationworksincoherentun
ison.

BOARDOFDIRECTORS

MANAGINGDIRECTOR

ADIMINISTRATIONANDTECHNICALADVISOR

TECHNICALMANAGER PERSONALSECRETARY CHIEFACCOUNTANT

DESIGNERSANDQUQLITYCONTROL SECURITYGUARDS CASHIER STOREKEEPER

PRODUCTIONMANAGER WORKSHOPMANAGER SENIORSUPERITENDANT

FORMENWE OPERATIONSTEAM
FOREMENFAB WORKSHOPFOREM
RICATORS LDING EN

FABRICATORS WELDERS MECHANICS

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 ELECTRICIANS

PIPEFITTERS

PAINTERS

Figure1

 MANAGEMENTOFTHEFIRM.

TheManagingDirectoristheChiefExecutiveOfficeroftheAuthorityand,subjecttothecontrolofthe
Board,isdirectlyresponsiblefortheadministrationoftheaffairsoftheAuthority.
TheDeputyManagingDirectorassiststheManagingDirectorintheday-to-
dayadministrationoftheAuthority.TheTAZARAActstipulatesthattheManagingDirectorshallbe
appointedfromZambiawhiletheDeputyManagingDirectorshallbeappointedfromTanzania.
Therailwayisdividedintotworegionsforadministrativeconvenience,i.e.theTanzaniaRegionandth
eZambiaRegion,withthenationalboundaryformingtheseparationbetweenthetworegionsaswell.
However,thisseparationisonlyforadministrativeconvenienceastherailwayisaunitaryorganizatio
nwithuniformstandards.

Eng.BrunoTandeoChing’andu
ManagingDirector,
Aholderofabachelor’sdegreeinEngineering,aPost-
graduateDiplomainIndustrialManagementandMastersdegreeinBusinessAdministration,Eng.C
hing’anduhasawealthofexperienceintherailwaysector,
havingworkedforZambiaRailwaysLimited(ZRL)foro
ver18years,whereherosethroughtheranksfromSeniorE
ngineertothepositionofDirectorTechnicalServices.

Eng.Ching’anduthenworkedfor16yearswithGeneralElectric(GE)TransportationoftheUSA,the
manufacturersofTAZARA’smainlineDieselElectriclocomotives.HeservedGEasRegionalMana

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gerforEastAfricaandlaterasRegionalManagerforSouthernAfrica.Eng.Ching’anduretiredfromG
EtojoinBombardierasBusinessDevelopmentManagerforSouthernAfrica,apositionheheldforone
yearbeforebeingappointedtoheadTAZARA.Eng.Ching’andu’sappointmentiswitheffectfrom25
April2016.

OURVISION&MISSION.
 Ourvision.
Tobethemostefficient,self-sustainedandcustomerfocusedtransporterinthesub-region.
 Ourmission.
Tosatisfycustomerneedsthroughtheprovisionofasafe,qualityandcost-effectivetransportservice.
OurCoreValues
TheAuthority’sfundamentalbeliefsarefoundedonthefollowingcorevalues:
 Transparency.
 Integrity.
 Customer-focus.
 Innovation.
 Teamwork.
 Safetyand,
 Carefortheenvironment.
 PRODUCTS/
ACTIVITIESUNDERTAKENBYTHEFIRM(TAZARA).

TheTAZARATrainingCentre(TTC)wasconstructedattheinceptionofTAZARA,in1975,forthep
urposeofequippingIn-
servicestaffandnewentrantstotheRailwayIndustrywithskillsrequiredbyTAZARAtosupportitsop
erations.

TTCissituatedinMpikaDistrict,intheMuchingaProvinceoftheRepublicofZambia,about600Km
North-
EastofZambia’sCapitalCityLusaka,ontheGreatNorthRoadlinkingZambiaandTanzania.TheTrai
ningCentreisstrategicallylocatedatTAZARA’sRegionalHeadquartersinZambiawithaccessibilit
ytothevastWorkshopengineeringfacilitieswhicharecapableofundertakingalmostanykindofengi
neeringworks.

TTChasovertheyearsproducedgraduatesinvariousrailwayskillswhohavekeptTAZARArunningt
odate.TTCisaninternalcapacity-buildinginstitutionwithoutwhoseexistencerailway-
basedtraining,whichishardtofindintheSub-
region,wouldhavebeenverydifficulttokeepTAZARArunning.ThousandsoftraineesfromTanzani
aandZambiahavegonethroughTTCandarecontributingorhavecontributedtothenationaldevelop
mentofthetwocountries.

TTCconductsrailway-specifictrainingfor:
 LocomotiveDrivers,
 StationMasters,
 StationForemen,
 TrainGuards,
 Shunters,
 Pointsmen,

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  PermanentWay(maintenance)Staff),
 Signalingand
 TelecommunicationsEquipmentmaintenanceStaff.

OtherRailwayCoursesofferedinclude:
 StationAccounting,
 TrainConductors,
 MaterialsManagement,
 MachiningandArtisanCoursesuptoCertificateLevels(plansareunderwaytoupgradetheset
oDiplomaLevel).

Overtheyears,TTChasalsodiversifiedtrainingintootherfieldsofmanagementandtailor-
madetrainingprogramsfromoutsideTAZARAsuchas
 DiplomainHumanResourcesManagement,
 PublicRelations,MarketingManagement,
 BusinessManagementinconjunctionwithAssociationofBusinessManagersandAdministr
ators(ABMA);ZICATechnicianand,
 LicentiateLevelsinconjunctionwithZambiaInstituteofCharteredAccountants(ZICA).

Othersare;
 DiplomainMetalFabrication,
 AutomotiveMechanicsandPowerElectricalandComputerApplicationSkillsunderTEVE
TA,astheInstitutionisnowregisteredwithTEVETA.

EngineeringWorkshops

Wehavethreeengineeringworkshops,locatedinDaresSalaam,Mbeya,inTanzania,andMpikainZa
mbia.

TheMbeyaworkshopwasspecificallysetuptoundertakethemaintenanceofGeneralElectric/
Krupp(DieselElectric)Locomotivesandallscopesofrepair,includingtherehabilitationoflocomoti

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vesfromserioustrainaccidents.DElocomotivesareTAZARA’smainstay,employedmostlyinmain
lineoperations
.
TheDaresSalaamandMpikaworkshops,ontheotherhand,areexactreplicasandwereparticularly
establishedtoconductwagonandcoachmaintenanceandrepairsandtooffergeneralengineeringserv
icesandworksthattherailwaymayrequireincluding:
 Steelcasting
 Generalpurposeandlightmetalcasting
 Forgingservices
 Coilingofsprings
 Crankshaftgrinding(upto3mlengthand600mmdiameter)
 Allbasicmachiningprocesses,includingplaning,grinding,turning,shapingandmore
 Gearmanufacture
 Heattreatmentandelectroplating
 Laboratoryservices
 Equipmentmaintenance,repairandoverhaul
 Manufactureofcomponentpartsforfactories
Inaddition,TAZARAhassixlocomotivedepotsandfourrollingstockrepairshedsforday-to-
daymaintenance,fuelingandlightrepairs.

ConstructionUnits

TAZARAhastwoConstructionUnitsatMpikainZambiaandDaresSalaaminTanzania.Thesewerei
nitiallyestablishedtoassistinmaintainingTAZARAbuildings,puttingupnewbuildingsandmaking
roadswheretheAuthoritywantstolayrailtrackinsteadofcontractingexternalconstructioncompanie
s.

PassengerServices

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Werunthreetypesofpassengertrains,i.e.Express,OrdinaryandSpecialTrains.Apartfromconve
yingpeople,passengertrainsalsotransportparcelsandluggageusingtheparcelvansattachedtothepa
ssengertrains.Eachparcelvancancarryupto15.7metrictonsofparcelsand,dependingonthedemand
,oneormorevanscanbeattachedtothetrainatatime.Eachpassengertrainhasdiningcarswithsub-
contractedprofessionalcaterersservinginternationalcuisinesatveryreasonableprices.
 ExpressTrains.
Weoperateoneexpresspassengertrain,theMukubaExpressTrain, everyTuesdayfromNe
wKapiriMposhi to DaresSalaam andeveryFridayfromDaresSalaamto NewKapiri-
Mposhi,departingfrom NewKapiri-
MposhiandDaresSalaamat16:00CATand15:50EAT,respectively.TheMukubaisnameda
fterZambia'stopmineralexport,copper,forwhichthecountryremainsoneofthetopproducer
sintheworld. Ittakesapproximately46hourstotravelbetweenDaresSalaamandNewKapiri
Mposhi.

Passengershavetheraretreatofviewingavarietyofgamealongtheway.Whenpassingthoughthe
tunnels,crossingriversandgorges,passengershaveachancetoappreciatetheawesomeandinspir
ationalengineeringworksoftheChinese,whoconstructedtheraillinebetween1970and1975.

 OrdinaryTrains.
TheOrdinaryPassengerTrain,ontheotherhand,runsintheopposite directionoftheExpress
everyTuesdayandFriday,departingDaresSalaamandNewKapiri-
Mposhiat13:50EATand14:00CAT,onTuesdayandFriday,respectively.Theordinarytrain
stopsateveryserviceablerailwaystationintherespectiveregionsofTanzaniaandZambia.

 CommuterTrains.
TheDaresSalaamCommuter–
On29thOctober2012,TAZARAintroducedCommuterTrainServicesinTanzania’sportci
tyofDaresSalaam,coveringadistanceof30kmfromDaresSalaammainstationtoMwakanga
,ontheoutskirtsofthecity.TheCommuterTrainServicewasintroducedattherequestoftheTa
nzaniangovernment,keentoeasethetransportchallengesinthecity,especiallyduringpeakh
ours.Thegovernmentfinancedtheinitialcostsofrefurbishingthedilapidatedcoachesandloc
omotivestoputthembackintoservicehavingbeendiscardedforyears.TheCommuterTrains
utilizeTAZARA’smaintrack,transportingsome9,000passengerseveryday,exceptweeke
ndsandpublicholidayswhentheserviceisnotavailable.

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TheUdzungwaShuttle–IntroducedinNovember2014.

 TouristandSpecialTrains.
TAZARAalsorunsspecialtouristtrainsforspecificeventsandspecialgroups.Themostcom
monofspecialtrainsisthetouristtraintotheSelousGameReserve,about200kilometersfrom
DaresSalaam.SelousGameReserveisthelargestunexploitedwildlifereserveinAfricacove
ring54,000squarekm,namedafterthefamoushunter,FredrickCourtney,killedandburiedth
ereduringWorldWarOne.

TheTAZARArailcutsthroughtheSelousGameReserve.TouristtrainsareusuallyrunduringChr
istmas,Easter,New-
Yearandotherpublicholidays.Touroperatorsalsousetheregularpassengerservicesforspecialt
ouristexcursionstotheSelousGameReserve.
TheRovosisoneoftheworld’srenownedluxurioustouristtrainswhichregularlyrunsontheTAZ
ARAlinebetweenCapeTowninSouthAfricaandDaresSalaaminTanzania,offeringtouristsspe
cialexcursionsalongtheway.

PARTII:TECHNICALPART.

DIESELLOCOMOTIVESYSTEM

Adiesellocomotiveis atypeofrailwaylocomotiveinwhichtheprimemoverisadieselengine.Sev
eraltypesofdiesellocomotiveshavebeendeveloped,differingmainlyinthemeansbywhichmechani
calpowerisconveyedtothedrivingwheels.
Themoderndiesellocomotiveisaselfcontainedversionoftheelectriclocomotive.
Italsohasmanyofthesameauxiliarysystemsforcooling,lighting,heating,brakingandhotelpower(if
required)forthetrain.
Thegeneratingstationconsistsofalargedieselenginecoupledtoanalternatorproducingthenecessar
yelectricity. Afueltankisalsoessential. Itisinterestingtonotethatthemoderndiesellocomotivepro
ducesabout35%ofthepowerofaelectriclocomotiveofsimilarweight.

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DieselEngineBackground

ThedieselenginewasfirstpatentedbyDrRudolfDiesel(1858-
1913)inGermanyin1892andheactuallygotasuccessfulengineworkingby1897. By1913,whenhed
ied,hisenginewasinuseonlocomotivesandhehadsetupafacilitywithSulzerinSwitzerlandtomanuf
acturethem. HisdeathwasmysteriousinthathesimplydisappearedfromashiptakinghimtoLondon.
Earlydieselengineswerelessthan100horsepower(hp)buttodaytheUSisbuilding6000hplocomotiv
es.Theslow,heavyengineusedinrailwaylocomotiveswillgivelowmaintenancerequirementsanda
nextendedlife.
Thereisalimittothesizeoftheenginewhichcanbeaccommodatedwithintherailwayloadinggauge,s
othepowerofasinglelocomotiveislimited.

Diesel-ElectricTypes
Likeanautomobile,adiesellocomotivecannotstartitselfdirectlyfromastand.Itwillnotdevelopmaxi
mumpoweratidlingspeed,soitneedssomeformoftransmissionsystemtomultiplytorquewhenstarti
ng.Itwillalsobenecessarytovarythepowerappliedaccordingtothetrainweightorthelinegradient.

Therearethreemethodsofdoingthis: mechanical,hydraulicorelectric. Mostdiesellocomotivesu

Diesel-
electriclocomotivescomeinthreevarieties,accordingtotheperiodinwhichtheyweredesigned. The
sethreeare:
 DC-DC(DCgeneratorsupplyingDCtractionmotorsthrougharesistancecontrolsystem).
 DC-AC(AninventoriskepttochangetheDCtoAC).
 AC-DC-AC(ACalternatoroutputrectifiedtoDCandtheninvertedto3-
phaseACforthetractionmotors).
Althoughthislastsystemmightseemthemostcomplex,thegainsfromusingACmotorsfaroutweight
heapparentcomplexityofthesystem.

LOCOTerminologies

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  Train-Vehicle/Vehiclesmovingonrail(s)whichneed(s)linecleartoenterablocksection.
 RollingStock-AnyvehiclecapableofmovingonrailwaytrackexcludingpushTrolleys.
 Locomotives-
Engineormotivepowersourcetohaulatrain.IndianRailwaysuseSteam.DieselandElectricl
ocomotives.
 Coaches-Passengercarryingvehicle(PCV)&somenon-
passengercarryingvehicles(OCV)attachedtopassengertrainslikepostalvan,luggagevanet
c.
 Wagons-
Freightrailcarsusedfortransportoffreighttraffic.Wagonhas4,8ormorewheels.Thesewago
nsmaybecovered,open,flattankorwell-type.
 Bogie(wheeltrack)-
Astructureunderneatharailwayvehiclebodytowhichaxlesandwheelsareattachedthrought
hebearings.
 EMU-(ElectricalMultipleUnit)-Selfpoweredsetofcoachesoperatedbyelectricity.
 DMU-(DieselMultipleUnit)-Selfpoweredsetofcoachespoweredbydieselengine.
 RailCars-Selfpoweredcoachgenerallyinsingleorunitoftwo.

ClassesandTypesofLocomotives
Industrialrevolutionandinventionofthesteamenginemarkedthebeginningofthe railway.Thefirstl
ocomotivesweresteampowered.Asthetimeschangedandnewtechnologiesbecameavailable,newt
ypesoflocomotiveswereintroducedandlocomotivesweremajorlyimprovedinthewaytheyarepow
ered.Todayweclassifythembytheirsourceofenergyandherearesomeofthem:

i.Steamlocomotive producesitspullingpowerthroughasteamengine.Allsteampoweredlocomoti
veshaveboilerswhosewaterisheatedbyburningcoal,woodoroiluntilitproducessteam.Steampowe
rsreciprocatingpistonswhichinturn–turnthewheels.Thefirstlocomotivewasinventedby Richard
Trevithick intheUnitedKingdom.Itsfirstrunwason21February1804butitssuccesswasmixed.

ii.Diesellocomotive hasadieselenginewithinternalcombustionasitspowersource.Thediesele
nginewasfirstpatentedbyDrRudolfDiesel(1858-
1913)inGermanyin1892andheactuallygotasuccessfulengineworkingby1897. By1913,when

17 | P a g e
 hedied,hisenginewasinuseonlocomotivesandhehadsetupafacilitywithSulzerinSwitzerlandt
omanufacturethem.Thefirstdiesel-
poweredlocomotiveappearedin1912inSwitzerland.Itwasn'tcommerciallysuccessfulandfurt
hertestingwasstoppedbytheFirstWorldWar.

iii.Aslugordronelocomotive isalocomotivewithoutpowerthatisaddedtoadiesel-
electriclocomotive.Itprovidesadditionaltractionandbrakingcapability.Thisisdonethroughtra
ctionmotorsthatarepoweredfrommainlocomotive(socalled“mother”.)

iv.Electriclocomotive ispoweredbyelectricityinoneoftwoways:anoverheadpickuporthroug
hathirdrail.Thefirstonewaspatentedin1890byJeanJacquesHeilmannanditcrossedfrompapert
orealityin1893.Thistypeoflocomotivehashigherperformanceandloweroperationalcost.

18 | P a g e
 v.Hybridlocomotive usesanonboardrechargeableenergystoragesystem(abattery)inaddition
toafueledpowersourceandelectricalengine.Itsbatteryisusedforregenerativebrakingwherekin
eticenergyofatrainisconvertedintobreaking.Thefirsthybridlocomotivesappearedinearly20th
century.

vi.Steam-dieselhybridlocomotive wasanexperimentallocomotivewhichcouldusewhichco
uldusesteamfromaboilerordieselfuelinitspistonengine.

19 | P a g e
 vii.Gasturbine-electriclocomotive hasagasturbinewhichdrivesanelectricalgeneratororalte
rnatorwhichinturnpowertractionmotors.Thefirstonewasmadein1920sbutthistypedidn'tseec
ommercializationuntil1930sandwasinuseuntilthe1973oilcrisiswhentheybecameuneconomi
caltooperate.Theyaretodayveryrarelyinuse.

viii.Fuelcell-electriclocomotive (hydrail)isveryrecenttypeoflocomotive.Itispoweredbyhy
drogenanditconvertschemicalenergyofhydrogentomechanicalenergy.Thefirstonewasdemo
nstratedin2002inVal-
d'Or,Quebec.FewplaceshavethistypeofrailwaylikeKaohsiung,TaiwanandsomealsohaveRai
lPowerGG20Blocomotivesthatworkoriginallyondieselbutareconvertedtohydrogen.

ix.Atomic-Electriclocomotive wasanideain1950swhenwedidn'tunderstanddangersofatom
icpowertoowell.Itwouldhave200tonreactorchamberwhichwouldbecoatedwith1.5moflead.

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DIESELLOCOMOTIVE-LAYOUT

LOCATIONOFASSEMBLIES

21 | P a g e
LOMOTIVEBOGIE

Figure2:Schematicofdiesel electric locomotiveshowingthemainpartsoftrain’slayout;

DieselEngine(EngineRoom)
Thisisthemainpowersourceforthelocomotive.Itcomprisesalargecylinderblock,withthecylinders
arrangedinastraightlineorinaV.Theenginerotatesthedriveshaftatupto1,000rpmandthisdrivesthe

22 | P a g e
variousitemsneededtopowerthelocomotive. Asthetransmissionisnormallyelectric,theengineisu
sedasthepowersourceforthealternatorthatproducestheelectricalenergytodrivethelocomotive.

MainAlternator
Thedieselenginedrivesthemainalternatorwhichprovidesthepowertomovethetrain. Thealternator
generatesACelectricitywhichisusedtoprovidepowerforthetractionmotorsmountedonthetrucks(
bogies). Inolderlocomotives,thealternatorwasaDCmachine,calledagenerator. Itproduceddirect
currentwhichwasusedtoprovidepowerforDCtractionmotors. Manyofthesemachinesarestillinre
gularuse.ThenextdevelopmentwasthereplacementofthegeneratorbythealternatorbutstillusingD
Ctractionmotors. TheACoutputisrectifiedtogivetheDCrequiredforthemotors.

AuxiliaryAlternator
Locomotivesusedtooperatepassengertrainsareequippedwithanauxiliaryalternator. Thisprovide
sACpowerforlighting,heating,airconditioning,diningfacilitiesetc.onthetrain. Theoutputistrans
mittedalongthetrainthroughanauxiliarypowerline.IntheUS,itisknownas"headendpower"or"hot
elpower".IntheUK,airconditionedpassengercoachesgetwhatiscalledelectrictrainsupply(ETS)fr
omtheauxiliaryalternator.

MotorBlower
Thedieselenginealsodrivesamotorblower.Asitsnamesuggests,themotorblowerprovidesairwhic
hisblownoverthetractionmotorstokeepthemcoolduringperiodsofheavywork.Theblowerismount
edinsidethelocomotivebodybutthemotorsareonthetrucks,sothebloweroutputisconnectedtoeach
ofthemotorsthroughflexibleducting. Thebloweroutputalsocoolsthealternators.
Somedesignshaveseparateblowersforthegroupofmotorsoneachtruckandothersforthealternators.
Whateverthearrangement,amodernlocomotivehasacomplexairmanagementsystemwhichmonit
orsthetemperatureofthevariousrotatingmachinesinthelocomotiveandadjuststheflowofairaccord
ingly.

AirIntakes
Theairforcoolingthelocomotive'smotorsisdrawninfromoutsidethelocomotive. Ithastobefiltered
toremovedustandotherimpuritiesanditsflowregulatedbytemperature,bothinsideandoutsidethelo
comotive. Theairmanagementsystemhastotakeaccountofthewiderangeoftemperaturesfromthep
ossible+40°Cofsummertothepossible-40°Cofwinter.

Rectifiers/Inverters
TheoutputfromthemainalternatorisACbutitcanbeusedinalocomotivewitheitherDCorACtraction
motors. ACmotorshavebecomestandardfornewlocomotives. Theyarecheapertobuildandcostles
stomaintainand,withelectronicmanagementcanbeveryfinelycontrolled.ToconverttheACoutputf
romthemainalternatortoDC,rectifiersarerequired. IfthemotorsareDC,theoutputfromtherectifier
sisuseddirectly. IfthemotorsareAC,theDCoutputfromtherectifiersisconvertedto3-
phaseACforthetraction.

ElectronicControls
Almosteverypartofthemodernlocomotive'sequipmenthassomeformofelectroniccontrol.Thesear
eusuallycollectedinacontrolcubiclenearthecabforeasyaccess.Thecontrolswillusuallyincludeam
aintenancemanagementsystemofsomesortwhichcanbeusedtodownloaddatatoaportableorhand-
heldcomputer.

ControlStand

23 | P a g e
Thisistheprincipalman-
machineinterface,knownasacontroldeskintheUKorcontrolstandintheUS. ThecommonUStypeo
fstandispositionedatanangleontheleftsideofthedrivingpositionand,itissaid,ismuchpreferredbydr
iverstothemoderndesktypeofcontrollayoutusualinEuropeandnowbeingofferedonsomelocomoti
vesintheUS.

Cab
ThestandardconfigurationofUS-
designedlocomotivesistohaveacabatoneendofthelocomotiveonly.SincemosttheUSstructuregau
geislargeenoughtoallowthelocomotivetohaveawalkwayoneitherside,thereisenoughvisibilityfor
thelocomotivetobeworkedinreverse.However,itisnormalforthelocomotivetooperatewiththecab
forwardorbothends.

Batteries
Justlikeanautomobile,thedieselengineneedsabatterytostartitandtoprovideelectricalpowerforlig
htsandcontrolswhentheengineisswitchedoffandthealternatorisnotrunning.

TractionMotor
Sincethediesel-
electriclocomotiveuseselectrictransmission,tractionmotorsareprovidedontheaxlestogivethefina
ldrive. ThesemotorsweretraditionallyDCbutthedevelopmentofmodernpowerandcontrolelectro
nicshasledtotheintroductionof3-phaseACmotors. Foradescriptionofhowthistechnologyworks,g
otothe ElectronicPowerPage onthissite. Therearebetweenfourandsixmotorsonmostdiesel-
electriclocomotives. AmodernACmotorwithairblowingcanprovideupto1,000hp.

Pinion/Gear
Thetractionmotordrivestheaxlethroughareductiongearofarangebetween3to1(freight)and4to1(p
assenger).
FuelTank
Adiesellocomotivehastocarryitsownfuelaroundwithitandtherehastobeenoughforareasonablelen
gthoftrip. Thefueltankisnormallyunderthelocoframeandwillhaveacapacityofsay1,000imperialg
allonsin59,3,000hpor5,000gallonsinaGeneralElectricAC4400CW4,400hplocomotive. Thenew
AC6000shave5,500gallontanks. Inadditiontofuel,thelocomotivewillcarryaround,typicallyabou
t300gallonsofcoolingwaterand250gallonsoflubricatingoilforthedieselengine.

AirReservoirs
Airreservoirscontainingcompressedairathighpressurearerequiredforthetrainbrakingandsomeot
hersystemsonthelocomotive.Theseareoftenmountednexttothefueltankunderthefloorofthelocom
otive.

AirCompressor
Theaircompressorisrequiredtoprovideaconstantsupplyofcompressedairforthelocomotiveandtra
inbrakes. IntheUS,itisstandardpracticetodrivethecompressoroffthedieselenginedriveshaft. Inth
eUK,thecompressorisusuallyelectricallydrivenandcanthereforebemountedanywhere. TheClass
60compressorisundertheframe,whereastheClass37hasthecompressorsinthenose.

DriveShaft
Themainoutputfromthedieselengineistransmittedbythedriveshafttothealternatorsatoneendandt
heradiatorfansandcompressorattheotherend.

24 | P a g e
GearBox
Theradiatoranditscoolingfanisoftenlocatedintheroofofthelocomotive. Drivetothefanistherefore
throughagearboxtochangethedirectionofthedriveupwards.

RadiatorandRadiatorFan
Theradiatorworksthesamewayasinanautomobile. Waterisdistributedaroundtheengineblocktoke
epthetemperaturewithinthemostefficientrangefortheengine. Thewateriscooledbypassingitthrou
gharadiatorblownbyafandrivenbythedieselengine. See Cooling formoreinformation.

TurboCharging
Theamountofpowerobtainedfromacylinderinadieselenginedependsonhowmuchfuelcanbeburnt
init.Theamountoffuelwhichcanbeburntdependsontheamountofairavailableinthecylinder.So,ify
oucangetmoreairintothecylinder,morefuelwillbeburntandyouwillgetmorepoweroutofyourigniti
on. Turbochargingisusedtoincreasetheamountofairpushedintoeachcylinder. Theturbochargeris
drivenbyexhaustgasfromtheengine.Thisgasdrivesafanwhich,inturn,drivesasmallcompressorwh
ichpushestheadditionalairintothecylinder.Turbocharginggivesa50%increaseinenginepower.
Themainadvantageoftheturbochargeristhatitgivesmorepowerwithnoincreaseinfuelcostsbecaus
eitusesexhaustgasasdrivepower. Itdoesneedadditionalmaintenance,however,sotherearesomety
pesoflowerpowerlocomotiveswhicharebuiltwithoutit.

SandBox
Locomotivesalwayscarrysandtoassistadhesioninbadrailconditions. Sandisnotoftenprovidedon
multipleunittrainsbecausetheadhesionrequirementsarelowerandtherearenormallymoredrivenax
les.
MECHANICALTRANSMISSION

Figure3:Adiesel-
mechanicallocomotiveisthesimplesttypeofdiesellocomotive.Ithasadirectmechanicallinkbetwee
nthedieselengineandthewheelsinsteadofelectrictransmission.

FluidCoupling

25 | P a g e
Inadiesel-
mechanicaltransmission,themaindriveshaftiscoupledtotheenginebyafluidcoupling.Thisisahydr
aulicclutch,consistingofacasefilledwithoil,arotatingdiscwithcurvedbladesdrivenbytheenginean
danotherconnectedtotheroadwheels.Astheengineturnsthefan,theoilisdrivenbyonedisctowardsth
eother.Thisturnsundertheforceoftheoilandthusturnsthedriveshaft.Ofcourse,thestartupisgradual
untilthefanspeedisalmostmatchedbytheblades.Thewholesystemactslikeanautomaticclutchtoall
owagraduatedstartforthelocomotive.

Gearbox
Thisdoesthesamejobasthatonanautomobile. Itvariesthegearratiobetweentheengineandtheroadw
heelssothattheappropriatelevelofpowercanbeappliedtothewheels. Gearchangeismanual. Therei
snoneedforaseparateclutchbecausethefunctionsofaclutcharealreadyprovidedinthefluidcoupling
.

FinalDrive
Thediesel-mechanicallocomotiveusesafinaldrivesimilartothatofasteamengine. Thewheelsarec
oupledtoeachothertoprovidemoreadhesion. Theoutputfromthe4-
speedgearboxiscoupledtoafinaldriveandreversinggearboxwhichisprovidedwithatransversedriv
eshaftandbalanceweights. Thisisconnectedtothedrivingwheelsbyconnectingrods.

HydraulicTransmission
Hydraulictransmissionworksonthesameprincipalasthefluidcouplingbutitallowsawiderrangeof"
slip"betweentheengineandwheels. Itisknownasa"torqueconverter". Whenthetrainspeedhasincr
easedsufficientlytomatchtheenginespeed,thefluidisdrainedoutofthetorqueconvertersothattheen
gineisvirtuallycoupleddirectlytothelocomotivewheels.

WheelSlip
Wheelsslipisthebaneofthedrivertryingtogetatrainawaysmoothly.Thetenuouscontactbetweenste
elwheelandsteelrailisoneoftheweakestpartsoftherailwaysystem. Traditionally,theonlycurehasb
eenacombinationoftheskillofthedriverandtheselectiveuseofsandtoimprovetheadhesion.Today,
modernelectroniccontrolhasproducedaveryeffectiveanswertothisageoldproblem.Thesystemisc
alledcreepcontrol.
TheslipismeasuredbydetectingthelocomotivespeedbyDopplerradar(insteadoftheusualmethodu
singtherotatingwheels)andcomparingittothemotorcurrenttoseeifthewheelrotationmatchesthegr
oundspeed.Ifthereisadisparitybetweenthetwo,themotorcurrentisadjustedtokeeptheslipwithinth
e"creep"rangeandkeepthetractiveeffortatthemaximumlevelpossibleunderthecreepconditions.

DieselMultipleUnits(DMUs)
ThedieselenginesusedinDMUsworkonexactlythesameprinciplesasthoseusedinlocomotives,exc
eptthatthetransmissionisnormallymechanicalwithsomeformofgearchangesystem.DMUengines
aresmallerandseveralareusedonatrain,dependingontheconfiguration.Thedieselengineisoftenmo
untedunderthecarfloorandonitssidebecauseoftherestrictedspaceavailableandvibrationswhichar
ebeingtransmittedintothepassengersaloonhasalwaysbeenaproblembutsomeofthenewerdesignsa
reverygoodinthisrespect.

PowerControl
Thedieselengineinadiesel-
electriclocomotiveprovidesthedriveforthemainalternatorwhich,inturn,providesthepowerrequir
edforthetractionmotors.Wecanseefromthistherefore,thatthepowerrequiredfromthedieselengine
isrelatedtothepowerrequiredbythemotors.So,ifwewantmorepowerfromthemotors,wemustgetm

26 | P a g e
orecurrentfromthealternatorsotheengineneedstorunfastertogenerateit.Therefore,togettheoptim
umperformancefromthelocomotive,wemustlinkthecontrolofthedieselenginetothepowerdeman
dsbeingmadeonthealternator.

Thecontrolsequence(simplified)wasasfollows:
1. Drivermovesthepowercontrollertothefullpowerposition
2. Anairoperatedpistonactuatedbythecontrollermovesalever,whichclosesaswitchtosupplyalow
voltagetotheloadregulatormotor.
3. Theloadregulatormotormovesthevariableresistortoincreasethemaingeneratorfieldstrengthan
dthereforeitsoutput.
4. Theloadontheengineincreasessoitsspeedfallsandthegovernordetectsthereducedspeed.
5. Thegovernorweightsdropandcausethefuelrackservosystemtoactuate.
6. Thefuelrackmovestoincreasethefuelsuppliedtotheinjectorsandthereforethepowerfromtheeng
ine.
7. Thelever(mentionedin2above)isusedtoreducethepressureofthegovernorspring.
8. Whentheenginehasrespondedtothenewcontrolandgovernorsettings,itandthegeneratorwillbep
roducingmorepower.

Onlocomotiveswithanalternator,theloadregulationisdoneelectronically.Enginespeedismeasure
dlikemodernspeedometers,bycountingthefrequencyofthegearteethdrivenbytheengine,inthiscas
e,thestartermotorgearwheel. Electricalcontrolofthefuelinjectionisanotherimprovementnowado
ptedformodernengines.Overheatingcanbecontrolledbyelectronicmonitoringofcoolanttemperat
ureandregulatingtheenginepoweraccordingly.Oilpressurecanbemonitoredandusedtoregulateth
eenginepowerinasimilarway.

Cooling
Likeanautomobileengine,thedieselengineneedstoworkatanoptimumtemperatureforbestefficien
cy.Whenitstarts,itistoocoldand,whenworking,itmustnotbeallowedtogettoohot. Tokeepthetemp
eraturestable,acoolingsystemisprovided. Thisconsistsofawater-
basedcoolantcirculatingaroundtheengineblock,thecoolantbeingkeptcoolbypassingitthroughara
diator.
Thecoolantispumpedroundthecylinderblockandtheradiatorbyanelectricallyorbeltdrivenpump.
Thetemperatureismonitoredbyathermostatandthisregulatesthespeedofthe(electricorhydraulic)r
adiatorfanmotortoadjustthecoolingrate.Someradiatorsareprovidedwithshutterstohelpregulateth
etemperatureincoldconditions.
Ifthefanisdrivenbyabeltormechanicallink,itisdriventhroughafluidcouplingtoensurethatnodama
geiscausedbysuddenchangesinenginespeed.Thefanworksthesamewayasinanautomobile,theair
blownbythefanbeingusedtocoolthewaterintheradiator. Someengineshavefanswithanelectricall
yorhydrostaticallydrivenmotor.Ahydraulicmotorusesoilunderpressurewhichhastobecontainedi
naspecialreservoirandpumpedtothemotor. Ithastheadvantageofprovidinganin-
builtfluidcoupling.

Lubrication
Likeanautomobileengine,adieselengineneedslubrication.Inanarrangementsimilartotheenginec
oolingsystem,lubricatingoilisdistributedaroundtheenginetothecylinders,crankshaftandothermo
vingparts.Thereisareservoirofoil,usuallycarriedinthesump,whichhastobekepttoppedup,andapu
mptokeeptheoilcirculatingevenlyaroundtheengine.Theoilgetsheatedbyitspassagearoundtheeng
ineandhastobekeptcool,soitispassedthrougharadiatorduringitsjourney.Theradiatorissometimes

27 | P a g e
designedasaheatexchanger,wheretheoilpassesthroughpipesencasedinawatertankwhichisconne
ctedtotheenginecoolingsystem.
Theoilhastobefilteredtoremoveimpuritiesandithastobemonitoredforlowpressure.Ifoilpressuref
allstoalevelwhichcouldcausetheenginetoseizeup,a"lowoilpressureswitch"willshutdowntheengi
ne.Thereisalsoahighpressurereliefvalve,todrainoffexcessoilbacktothesump.

BRAKESYSTEM
Anefficientandreliablebrakesystemisneededforstoppageofvehicleinminimumpossibledistance.
Thesystemshouldbesuchthatvehicleshouldnotexperiencejerksandshouldstopsmoothly.

Therailwaybrakesystemshouldhavethefollowingfeatures;:
I,Automaticapplication.Thebrakesshouldapplyautomaticallyincaseoftrainparting,orfailureof
powersystem.
ii.Thebrakesshouldapplyasfastaspossible.
iii.Thebrakeshouldsimultaneouslyapplyoneachvehicleofthetrain.
iv.Thebrakeforceshouldnotreducewithpassageoftime.
AirBrakes-Twin-pipesystemofairbrakeshavebeenusedinMail/Express/
Passengertrainsandsingle-
pipesysteminourfreighttrains.AirBrakesarealsousedonthelocomotive.Allwagonsarefittedwithh
andbrakesforstabling.Locomotivesandbrakevanarefittedwithhandbrakeswhichcanbeappliedwh
ilethetrainisinmotion.Alllocosareprovidedwithcompressorandorexhausterforbrakesystemofloc
oandothervehiclesofthetrain.

DynamicBrake-
SomeDieselandElectriclocomotivesarefittedwithdynamicbrakesforcontinuousapplicationondo
wngrades.OndowngradientthetractionmotorsareusedasgeneratorsandthusKineticenergyoftrain
getsconvertedtoelectricalenergycreatingaretardingorbrakingeffect.

VacuumBrake-
Derivesitsbrakeforcefromtheatmosphericpressureactingonlowersideofpistonwhileavacuumism
aintainedabovethepiston.Thevacuumiscreatedinthesystembyexhausterprovidedinthelocomotiv
e.Thevacuumcylinderisdividedbypistonandrollingringintotwoairtightchamberscalleduppercha
mberandlowerchamber.Thevolumeofupperchamberiskeptaslargeaspossiblebyprovidingadome
.
Thereleasevalveisconnectedtotrainpipebyflexiblesiphonpipe,thelowerendofpistonrodisconnect
edtobrakeshaftarm.Whenvacuumiscreated,releasevalveallowswithdrawalofairfrombothchamb
ersandpistonbyitsownweightcomestorestatthebottomofcylinderandbrakesarereleased.Whenva
cuumintrainpipeisdestroyed,airentersthelowerchamber,raisingthepiston.
Atthistimeupperchamberisdisconnectedbyrollingring.Sovacuumisstillthereinupperchamber.Th
ebrakeshaftarmisliftedwiththemovementofpistonandbrakeshoesarejammedagainstthetreadofw
heelwiththehelpofbrakerigging.Thereleasevalvewhenoperatedallowsairadmissiontouppercha
mbersothatpressureisequalizedonbothsidesofpistonandbrakesarereleased.

DirectAdmissionValve-
Thebrakeapplicationtakesquitesometimeandpropagationrateisslowasairhastotravelfromlocom
otivetoeachvacuumcylinderthroughoutthetrain.Toreducethistimedelay,DAvalvesarefittedonea
chcylinder.TheDAValveconnectsthelowerchambertoatmosphereimmediatelyondropintrainpip
evacuumtilllowerchambervacuumbecomesequaltotrainpipe.Thus,brakeapplicationandpropaga
tionisfaster.

28 | P a g e
Slackadjuster-
Withthefrequentbrakeapplication,thebrakeblockswearout.Thepinsalsowearanddevelopslackint
hesystem.Thisabsorbspartofpistonmovementandbrakeapplicationisdelayedandbrakeforceredu
ces.Theslackadjusterisadevicewhichmaintainsbrakeshoe-
wheelclearancetopredeterminedvalueevenwiththewearinthesystem.

Emptyloadbox-
ThereishugevariationbetweentareandloadedweightofBOXandBOXNwagons.Thebrakerigging
designedforonesituationisnotsuitableforanothersituation.Emptyloadboxisadevicewhichaltersth
emechanicaladvantageofbrakeriggingforloadedandemptysituationsbysimplyoperatingaleveror
wheel.Itthushelpstogetoptimumbrakeforceinloadedandemptyconditions.

AlarmChainPullingsignalfittedonPassengercoaches:Thealarmchainrunninglongitudinallyal
ongthecoachlength,whenpulled,opensairdeliverytovacuumsystemandrotatesadiscateachendtoi
dentifythecoachfromwhichalarmchainwaspulled.Thedestructionofvacuumappliesbrakestothetr
ain.DriverandGuardcometoknowofsomeemergency.Thissystemisprovidedtoenablepassengerst
oabletostopthetrainincaseofanemergency.Thesystemwasmisusedbyrooftravelers,whousedtoop
eratetheclappetvalveatthecoach-
endandstopthetrain.Thissystemisbeingmodifiedsothatthevalvecannotbeoperatedfromoutsideth
ecoach.

Airbrakesystem-
Thefeedpipeandbrakepipewhichrunthroughoutthelengthofthetrainhaveairpressureat6kg/
cm2and5kg/cm2respectively.Thecompressedairissuppliedbythecompressor/
expressoronthelocomotiveandthepipesofadjacentcoachesarejoinedbyusingflexiblecouplings.F
orapplicationofbrakes,theairpressureinthebrake-
pipeisreduced(thedropinpressurebeingproportionaltothebrakingeffortrequired).Thisdropinpres
sureissensedbytheDistributorvalve(DV)whichallowscompressedairfromtheAuxiliaryReservoir
intotheBrakecylinderandresultsinbrakeapplication.

AdvantagesofAirbrakeoverVacuumbrakes
i.Moreefficientandpowerfulbraking.
ii.Reducedbrakingdistances-
Uniformbrakingeffortoverthelengthofthetrain(invacuumbraketrainsthereisa15to20%reductioni
nbrakepoweralongthetrainlength).
iii.Brakepowermaintainedoverlongrunstherebyenablingendtoendrunning(Vacuumbraketrains
experiencea10to15%deteriorationinbrakepowerwithin500kms.ofrun.)
iv.RequireslesstimeforexaminationtherebyreducingPre-
departuredetentionoftrainsforbrakepowercertificationVacuumbraketrainstakes2hours.AirBrak
etrains-takes1hours.
v.Lighterweightofbrakeequipmentstherebyenablinghigherpayloadsforvacuumbrakes-
685kgs.perwagon.forAirbrakes-275kgs.perwagon.

AlarmChainApparatus-
AirBrakedtrainsarealsohavingalarmchainapparatustoenablestoppageoftrainsbypassengersduri
ngemergency.However,toavoidincidenceoftrainpartingincertainconditionsofchainpulling,acho
kehasbeenprovidedtoreduceitseffectiveness.Butdrivergetstheindicationthrough'AirflowIndic
ator'providedintheLocomotivesandshouldapplybrakesforexpeditiouslystoppingthetrain.

29 | P a g e
CONCLUSION

ThisIndustrialPracticalTrainingwasveryusefultome,ithasimprovedmyknowledgeandperforman
cehenceapartfromdoingmaintenancesofsomeworkshopmachinesandmakingofsomemachinessp
areparts,alsoIlearntmanythingssuchashowtooperatedifferentkindsofmachinesthatwerefoundatt
heworkshopincludingthesharingmachine,hydraulicpressmachine,etc,safetyprocedureswhenwo
rkingwiththemachines,identifyingandusingtoolsthatarealwaysusedwhendoingservicingormain
tenance,servicingofsomemachinecomponents,overhaulingofdieselengine,lubricatingtherequir
edpartsofanEngineormotor(theuseofasbestos),removing,installing,andreplacingEnginecompo
nents,

30 | P a g e
RECOMMENDATIONS

BasingontheIndustrialPracticalTrainingbenefits,Imayrecommendthefollowings:
i. Morepracticaltrainingshouldbeprovidedforthestudentsundertrainingsoastobemorecom
petentonourfieldsofengineeringandintotheworldofscienceandtechnology.
ii. TheinstituteshouldprovidesufficienttimeforPracticalTrainingprogramsratherthanenhan
cingmoretheoriesthataretaughtinclass.
iii. Engineeringorganizationsshouldprovidechancesandcooperatewithstudentstomakestude
ntsbefamiliarwithindustrialpracticesandevolvingmoreyounginventortomakemoreinnov
ationsasitsimplifiesman’sworkandlesstimeconsumptioninproductionprocesses.

31 | P a g e
REFERENCES

i. TAZARA-WORKSHOPDARESSALAAM
ii. IPTREPORTWRITINGPROCEDUREGUIDELINE
iii. BRITISHTRANSPORTCOMMISSION
iv. MODERNRAILWAYS;INTERNATIONALRAILWAYJOURNAL

32 | P a g e
 -THEEND-

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