INTRODUCTION TO RAILWAYS , ITS

COMPONENT PARTS AND ITS

FUNCTIONS
• Introduction with various aspects of railway engineering .( 2 )
• Permanent way component parts and its functions .( 2 )
• Various types of rails , its functions , creep in rails , creep movement ,
coning of wheels , rail fixation.( 6 )
• Sleepers – various types , merits , demerits ( 2 )
• Ballast – various types
• Subgrade preparation .
One degree of freedom :
Those modes in which vehicles are free to move only along a line i.e vehicles
are vertically and laterally restrained . eg : railways , pipelines , conveyor
systems , cableways etc .
Two degree of freedom :
Those modes in which vehicles can move along a line as well as laterally i.e
vehicles are restrained only vertically . eg : highway vehicles , ships , boats etc.
Three degree of freedom :
Those modes in which vehicles are free to move in any plane i.e vehicles are
neither laterally or vertically restrained .eg : aeroplanes , underwater vehicles
i.e submarine.
 Railway is a means of land transport .
 The railways have their greatest utilization in the transport of large
volumes of heavy and bulk commodities over long distances and in very
long journeys of passengers with safety , comfort , and convenience .
 The first railway opened for the public in the history of the world on 27th
September , 1825 in UK ( England ) between Stockton and Darlington in
the county of Durham .
 The first proposal for the construction of railway in India was submitted to
the East India Company by Mr . George Stephenson .( Lord Dalhousie (
Doctrine Of Lapse ) was the Governor General from 1848 – 1856 . A salute
of 21 guns was given to the train )
 The first railway line opened in India for the public on 16th April 1853
between Bombay and Thane , ( 32 km stretch = 21 miles which was
covered in 1 hr 15 mins ) which had 14 coaches and was driven by 3
engines .
 Engine = locomotion no.1 = 6.6 t = 66 kN.
 Indian railway has been divided into 9 zones after independence and
further extra 7 zones ( 6 + 1 ) have been develeoped .

SL . no Name of zones ( old ) Headquarters

1 NR ( northern railway ) delhi

2 NER ( north eastern railway ) Gorakhpur ( U.P )
3 ER ( Eastern Railway ) Kolkata ( Howrah )
4 SER ( South Eastern Railway ) Kolkata ( Howrah )
5 CR ( Central Railway ) Mumbai
6 WR ( Western Railway ) Mumbai
7 SR ( Southern Railway ) Chennai
8 SCR ( South Central Railway ) Secunderabad
9 NEFR ( North Eastern Frontier Railway ) Maligaon ( Guwahati )
SL . no Name of zones ( NEW ) Headquarters
1 ECR ( East Central Railway ) Hajipur ( Bihar )
2 E.Co.R ( East Coast Railway ) Bhubaneshwar
3 SWR ( South Western Railway ) Bangalore ( Hoogly )
4 NCR ( North Central Railway ) Allahabad
5 NWR ( North Western Railway ) Jaipur ( Rajasthan )
6 WCR ( West Central Railway ) Jabalpur
7 SECR ( Southern East Central Railway ) Bilaspur ( Chattisgarh )
Besides zonal railways , there are 6 production units of Indian Railways as
given below :

SL . Manufacturing units Headquarters Functions

no
1 Chittaranjan Locomotive Chittaranjan ( West Manufacture of
Works ( CLW ) Bengal ) electric locomotives

2 Diesel Locomotive Works Varanasi ( U.P) Manufacture of diesel

( DLW ) locomotives
3 Integral Coach Factory ( Chennai Manufacture of
ICF ) coaches
4 Diesel Components Patiala ( Punjab ) Manufacture of diesel
Works ( DCW ) components
5 Rail Coach Factory ( RCF ) Kapurthala ( Punjab ) Manufacture of coach
6 Wheel and Axle Plant ( W Bangalore ( Karnataka ) Manufacture of wheels
& AP ) and axle
Gauge :
The gauge of a railway track is defined as the clear distance between the
inner or running faces of two track rails . The distance between the inner
faces of a pair of wheels is called the “ wheel gauge “ .

Types of gauge in India :

1. Broad Gauge ( BG ) : Gauge width G = 1.676 m
2. Meter Gauge ( MG ) : Gauge width G = 1.000 m ; Local train
3. Narrow Gauge ( NG ) : Gauge width G = 0.762 m ; Hilly Zone ( 0.762 m to
0.61 m )
4. Light Gauge ( LG ) : Gauge width G = 0.61 m ; Feeder Gauge
5. Standard Gauge , G = 1.435 m ( UK , USA , China 0
6. Cap Gauge , G = 1.006 m ( Japan )
Characteristics of railways :
1) The railways are the cheapest in preference to other modes of transport .
2) The railways require the least amount of power as compared to their
weight .
3) The direction of movement is controlled and practically no steering is
required as the vehicles are not at the liberty to deviate from the rails.
4) The railways alone can carry lot of people quickly and safely through big
towns full of crowded streets .
5) As compared to a car or a truck or an aeroplane , it is better to travel in a
train for making long journeys , carrying a lot of heavy things .
Locomotive :
• It is a machine which transfers chemical energy of fuel into mechanical
energy of motion . Fuel may be water and coal or diesel or electricity .
• Steam locomotives are designated by the type and number of wheels such
as
• => 4 – 6 – 2 type locomotive shows
a) 4 – Four wheels or bogie carriers
b) 6 – Six central or driving or coupled wheels . More the number of driving
wheels , better will be the performance of the locomotive .
c) 2 – Two rear or trailing wheels .
Bogie wheels Driving wheels Trailing wheels

Figure : 4 – 6 – 2 Type of Steam Locomotives

Questions :
1. Railways have _____ degree of freedom .
2. Highway vehicles have _____ degrees of freedom .
3. Aeroplanes have ____ degrees of freedom .
4. Indian railway is divided into _______ zones .
5. The clear distance between the inner or running faces of two track rails
is ______ .
6. The distance between the inner faces of a pair of wheels is called the
_______ .
7. _________ is a machine which transfers chemical energy of fuel into
mechanical energy of motion .
8. Railways require the ______ amount of power as compared to their
weight .
9) Which of the following options correctly describes the numerical values in 4 – 6 –
2 type of steam locomotive :
a) Option a
4 – Four wheels or bogie carriers
6 – Six central or driving or coupled wheels .
2 – Two rear or trailing wheels
b) Option b
4 – Four rear or trailing wheels
6 – Six central or driving or coupled wheels .
2 – Two wheels or bogie carriers
b) Option c
4 – Four central or driving or coupled wheels .
6 – Six wheels or bogie carriers
2 – Two rear or trailing wheels
b) Option d
4 – Four wheels or bogie carriers
6 – Six rear or trailing wheels.
2 – Two central or driving or coupled wheels