By Dominick Rodrigues
Mumbai : The Central Railway, Parel Workshop here has added another feather to its cap by developing a prototype coach — for carrying automobiles — within a short span of 45 days. This prototype is expected to increase the speed potential of the NMGH coach from 75 kmph to 110 kmph and the RDSO will now conduct oscillation trails of this coach.
Lauding the efforts of the Team Parel Workshop for modifying the NMG coach in a record time, Sanjeev Mittal, General Manager, Central Railway and D.K. Singh, Principal Chief Operations Manager, Central Railway both observed that the speed potential of the NMGH automobile carrier will be a +game changer+ in quick and safer transportation of the automobiles.
The CR developed the New Modified Goods coach (NMGH) with ‘improved fall plate’ for easier loading of automobiles, lashing channels for proper securing of vehicles, fully-welded chequered plate floor, louvers for ventilation and natural pipe light illumination.
While the Railways have become a safe and affordable transport for sending automobiles to various parts of the country and Bangladesh also, efforts to improve related standards led to an interaction taking place between the Railways and Manufacturers of automobiles recently. The suggestions put forth by manufacturers for improvements in end-opening, door design, fall plate and coach floor design & guidance for loading and unloading was referred by Central Railway to RDSO to improve the New Modified Goods (NMG) coach, which is used for transporting automobiles. Automobile manufacturers also inspected the coach and expressed satisfaction over the improved design.
The dedicated workforce of the Parel workshop in Mumbai led by Shri Vivek Aacharya, Chief Workshop Manager — under the guidance of A.K. Gupta, Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer, Central Railway — undertook the challenge and developed the coach with proper entry slope, markers on floor for guidance, retro-refractive marking on floor, pillar and carline for guidance, unrestricted full height end opening, etc, according to a CR release.
