The Indian locomotive class YG were a class of metre-gauge goods locomotives introduced by Indian Railways around 1949. It was one of several standardised locomotive designs developed as further additions to the Indian Railway Standard (IRS) design locomotives built for the metre-gauge railways of India.
History The YG class was the most mass-produced metre-gauge freight locomotive in India after the partition of India. Between 1949 and 1972, a total of 1,074 locomotives were built by nine different manufacturers.
Although designed as goods engines, the YG was often used on passenger trains. It replaced the 1927-built YD class.
YG 3573, completed on 5 February 1972 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, was the last steam locomotive built in India.
Many of the locomotives were in use until the end of the 1990s. The last three examples, 3318, 3334 and 3360 were in regular service with Western Railways in 1999, being used on freight and passenger trains from Wankaner to Navlakhi via Morbi on the Gulf of Kutch. BuilderBuilt dateNumberSerial numberRunning numberBaldwin Locomotive Works1949/5012074474–745923000–3149Montreal Locomotive Works19502077606–77625Canadian Locomotive Company1950102624–2633Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co. (TELCO)1952/53501–503150–3199Nippon Sharyo1954/55751619–16934001–4075Wiener Lokomotivfabrik Floridsdorf19565017776–178254076–4125Lenin Works (Škoda)1956503434–34834126–4175Nippon Sharyo1956461706–17514276–4321Mitsubishi Heavy Industries195639880–9184322–4360TELCO1956–66554151–200, 291–760, 831–844, 936–9553200–3513, 3690–3749,4176–4275, 4361–4440 Not in orderChittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW)1969–7260N/A3514–3573
Design The YG class was designed as a metre-gauge variant of the broad-gauge class WG, but externally, they were broadly similar to the class YP passenger locomotives. The biggest difference between YG class and the preceding YD class was the use of bar frames, which were lighter and easier to manufacture than the plate frames.
In addition, the YGs had the latest technical features in a steam locomotive of its era, such as steel fire grates, rapidly heating boiler tubes, combustion chambers and large-area superheaters. Improved boiler conditions allowed the combustion of low-grade Indian coal with high ash content.
Allocations The YG class was widely used throughout India. By 1976, 1,059 locomotives were still rostered on the following zones of Indian Railways: RegionNumberCentral Railways24Northern Railways165North Eastern Railways293Northern Frontier Railway106Southern Railways159South Central Railways151Western Railways161
East African exports In 1976, five locomotives, numbers 3563, 3564, 3551, 3550, and 3549, were sold to East African Railways. These were manufactured in 1971 and 1972, and were overhauled in India beforehand. Differences include the absence of smoke deflectors and some other minor adjustments. The five locomotives were placed in the 2701-2705 numbering sequence, being designated as Class 27II, and were passed on to Tanzania Railways after the breakup of the EAR, before being withdrawn and scrapped in 1993.
Preservation At least 50 locomotives have been preserved. In 2000, two more examples were sold to private individuals in the United States, although their subsequent fate is unknown. NumberLocationStatus3011SaharsaInactive3040TinsukiaInactive3042Thana BihpurInactive3174TinsukiaInactive3212DibrugarhInactive3213MarianiStatic display3218DibrugarhOperational3261AmbalaStatic display3318LucknowStatic display3334LucknowStatic display3358SalemStatic display3360DwarkaStatic display3382Koch BiharStatic display3403KolkataStatic display3415RewariOperational3430SabarmatiStatic display3437ChandigarhStatic display3438RewariOperational3474GorakhpurInactive3490SaharsaInactive3509ChittaurgarhStatic display3526WankanerInactive3532TinsukiaInactive3534ChittaranjanStatic display3721TinsukiaInactive4028IndoreStatic display4029TinsukiaInactive4091LumdingStatic display4092SaharsaInactive4101BadarpurOperational4119GuwahatiStatic display4121BadarpurOperational4124TinsukiaInactive4129EtawahStatic display4136ChennaiStatic display4138WankanerInactive4143GunaStatic display4159WankanerInactive4182WankanerInactive4205TiruchirappalliStatic display4232RewariOperational4252RewariOperational4310TiruchirappalliStatic display4330SaharsaInactive4367LumdingStatic display4369WankanerOperational4371SaharsaInactive4379NeemuchStatic display4405BhopalStatic display4422TinsukiaInactive
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External links Pictures of the locomotives manufactured by the Vienna Locomotive Factory for India