Indian locomotive class YG


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 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.

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:
RegionNumber
Central Railways24
Northern Railways165
North Eastern Railways293
Northern Frontier Railway106
Southern Railways159
South Central Railways151
Western 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being designated as Class 27II, and were passed on to Tanzania Railways after the breakup of the EAR, before being withdrawn and scrapped in 1993.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.
NumberLocationStatus
3011SaharsaInactive
3040TinsukiaInactive
3042Thana BihpurInactive
3174TinsukiaInactive
3212DibrugarhInactive
3213MarianiStatic display
3218DibrugarhOperational
3261AmbalaStatic display
3318LucknowStatic display
3334LucknowStatic display
3358SalemStatic display
3360DwarkaStatic display
3382Koch BiharStatic display
3403KolkataStatic display
3415RewariOperational
3430SabarmatiStatic display
3437ChandigarhStatic display
3438RewariOperational
3474GorakhpurInactive
3490SaharsaInactive
3509ChittaurgarhStatic display
3526WankanerInactive
3532TinsukiaInactive
3534ChittaranjanStatic display
3721TinsukiaInactive
4028IndoreStatic display
4029TinsukiaInactive
4091LumdingStatic display
4092SaharsaInactive
4101BadarpurOperational
4119GuwahatiStatic display
4121BadarpurOperational
4124TinsukiaInactive
4129EtawahStatic display
4136ChennaiStatic display
4138WankanerInactive
4143GunaStatic display
4159WankanerInactive
4182WankanerInactive
4205TiruchirappalliStatic display
4232RewariOperational
4252RewariOperational
4310TiruchirappalliStatic display
4330SaharsaInactive
4367LumdingStatic display
4369WankanerOperational
4371SaharsaInactive
4379NeemuchStatic display
4405BhopalStatic display
4422TinsukiaInactive