Custom-built freight loco for the 1.5 KVDC section of the CR Mumbai Division. Better adhesion available through the provision of a vernier control on the starting resistance. AC auxiliaries — compressor and alternator from Kirloskar, exhauster by Northey (?), others by S F India. Air brakes for loco, and regenerative brakes; vacuum train brakes. Three series-parallel motor combinations weak field operation. Bogie design as with WDM-2.
RDSO designs, based on Japanese models but final design and manufacture was by CLW. These locos can be MU’d up to 3 units. Some units of the WCG-2 model have a different gearing ratio for banking duties and are classified WCG-2A.
This loco has a very loud noise caused by the blowers used to cool the dynamic brake resistors. Mumbai division has about 50 WCG-2s, 57 in all. The WCG-2 locos, normally coupled in pairs or triples, haul freight trains in the Bombay – Igatpuri/Pune sections. They are also used as bankers on the ghat sections. There was a period around 1992 -1996 when the Mumbai division were desperately short of motive power due to the aging and failure prone WCM-1/2/4/5 fleet. The punctuality of trains in and out of CSTM went haywire due to loco failure. During this period the WCG-2 was used on many Mail / Express runs. But the ‘Deccan Queen’ has been hauled only once by a WCG-2 and only a few times by a WDM-2 when its power, the WCM-1, failed.
The Ghat banking duties in the Bhore ghat (Karjat – Lonavala) and Thull ghat (Kasara – Igatpuri) are exclusively handled today by WCG-2s. On some occasions some express trains are hauled by these (Sinhagad, Cape, Dadar – Chennai, Sahyadri, Koyna, Pragati, etc.). Because of speed restrictions (90km/h) on the Mumbai (CSTM) – Igatpuri route, even superfast trains can be hauled on this section by WCG-2 locos. The WCG-2 shares bogies with the WAM-4, WCAM-1, WCAM-2, WDM-2/2C, WDS-6, WDM-7 locos (Alco type cast trimount (Co-Co) bogies). Now [2/05] the WCG-2 locos are often seen only performing banking duties. Until recently the Koyna Express and Mumbai Passenger were routinely hauled by WCG-2 locos. The Mumbai-Pune Intercity Exp. is also sometimes hauled by WCG-2 locos.
Manufacturers : CLW
Traction Motors : Heil TM4939AZ (690hp, 700V, 800A, 1070 rpm, weight 3670kg) Six motors, axle-hung, nose-suspended, force-ventilated. (4200hp total power, 1640 1-hour continuous rating in series mode.)
Rated Speed : 80km/h (originally), 90km/h with upgrades.
Pantographs : Two, Faiveley AM-18B
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