The Golden Rock Workshop (GRW) has rolled out broad gauge WCDS6 engine, at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore, for the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) which in turn would supply it to public sector undertakings.
V Carmelus, Chief Mechanical Engineer, Southern Railway, told PTI that it was a better option to convert metre gauge engine to a broad gauge engine instead of going for a new one. Cement maufacturers, Bharat Heavy Electricals, coal companies and giant engineering companies required broad guage engines for hauling their materials for short distances, he said.
The converted engines could be used for 25 years.
The GRW's performance had been so good consistently, that it would be shortly upgraded into a production unit by the Indian Railway, Carmelus said.
It had rolled out 1005 wagons in the current financial year, the highest ever by any Indian railway workshop.
He said, GRW had carved a niche for itself in the construction of low level platform container wagons for the public sector undertaking - Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor).
The Golden Rock Workshop had produced 34,787 wagons of 50 varieties and completed orders worth Rs 313 crore for the manufacturing of low level platform container wagons.
The workshop was executing another order to manufacture 1,125 wagons, comprising 25 rakes for Concor.
The workshop was also involved with manufacturing of stainless steel wagons, he said and added that locomotives from GRW had been exported to Malaysia, Benin, Mozambique and Tanzania.
General Manager Southern Railway Rakesh Chopra, flagged off the 16th rake, 1,005th wagon from the workshop yesterday.
