How are locomotives ‘run in’ to prepare them for service?

June 20, 2019, 11:33 AM
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New locomotives are run in for a period of time after being commissioned from the factory in order to shake out any possible initial manufacturing defects and for all the components to settle into normal wear and usage patterns. In order to give the loco a reasonable load and much starting and stopping opportunities, usually the new loco is run in by hauling a passenger train rather than running it by itself (which also avoids the need to free up block sections for the light loco).

ये भी पढ़े – खाने की टेबल पर रखे कांटे और चम्मच का क्या है इस्तेमाल

Normally an ordinary stopping passenger is used and not a mail or express train since the latter are less ‘tolerant’ of delays and breakdowns if any, and also since the running speeds on them tend to be higher. The normal loco for the passenger train is usually coupled in with the train too, but left unpowered, to allow it to take over in case the new loco develops a fault. Sometimes some passenger trains are specially designated for the running in of new locos (e.g., the Tata Passenger which often carries new locos from CLW towards Lallaguda, Erode, Bhusawal, Ajni, etc. The Kazipet Passenger is used for taking locos from Nagpur to Kazipet). These trains are often also the ones that are usually used for coupling dead locos for transport back to sheds.

Freight trains are usually not used for such movement of new or dead locos since they tend to run without stops for long periods, and also because delays due to coupling or uncoupling the additional loco(s) would in some cases be excessive.

Source – IFRCA.org

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