Coaching Stock
The different types of passenger coaches include the electric multiple units that are a part of suburban trains and conventional coaches such as II class, I class, II sleeper, ac three tier, ac two tier and ac I class coaches.
In 1994-95, Indian Railways had a stock of about 3600 EMU coaches and 30,000 conventional coaches capable of carrying a total of about 3.7 million passengers. These coaches have three basic structural designs.
(a) Integral coaches built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perambur, Chennai
(b) Integral coaches built by Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), Bangalore
(c) Non-integral wooden body coaches made in accordance with the Indian Railways standard design (IRS)
Some of the salient features of these three types of coaches are given in Table 24.8.
Table 24.8 Salient features of IRS, ICF, and BEML coaches
|
IRS |
ICF |
BEML |
Type of body |
Wooden |
Light metal |
Light metal |
Type of structure |
Wooden body |
All metal, all |
Similar to an ICF |
|
resting on rigid |
welded integral |
coach except that |
|
steel underframe |
coach of a tabular |
here load is taken |
|
|
construction |
by the floor |
|
IRS |
ICF |
BEML |
Coach dimensions Overall width |
3250 mm |
3250 mm |
3250 mm |
Overall length |
21,031 mm |
21,337 mm |
21,336 mm |
Overall height |
3886 mm |
3886 mm |
3926 mm |
Damage during |
Extensive |
Less damage |
Same as ICF |
collisions and derailments |
damage |
because of the presence of an anti-telescopic structure in the end walls to absorb shocks |
|
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