Indian Railways today inducted its first Dual Cab Freight Diesel Locomotive named Vijay.  It is a 4500 HP Engine and was flagged off from  Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi by Minister of Railways Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Locomotive has the code WDG4D and is the first dual cab diesel electric freight locomotive to be built by Indian Railways. The locomotive has been designed on a 21.7 metre platform to accommodate two cabs and this is about two meters longer than the single cab version. The cabs have full width front view.
Vijay, the Dual Cab Freight Diesel Locomotive
Besides the obvious visibility advantages, the locomotive also has several features for crew comfort. Recognizing the fact that a comfortable work area reduces fatigue and increases alertness, Vijay has been provided with air conditioned cabs. The AC unit is designed to heat up the cab during winters while cooling it during summers, thus maintaining a comfortable ambient for efficient working.
The loco also has TFT screen based integrated driver display. This feature which is similar to the one used in the aero planes allows the operating parameters to be displayed on a single screen. Using icons it naturally provides focus to the more important parameters. The system also provides alarm levels for the ease of the crew. The display system naturally assists the crew through fault diagnostics. The system reduces eye fatigue, improves reliability and improves crew response.
The locomotive has been provided with an ergonomically designed control stand and seat. The seat which has been based on the excavator design (which needs 360 deg view and operability) has been provided with movement on three axis for operational flexibility. Besides it has tilting back with lumbar support and breathing upholstery. The locomotive has also been provided with airplane type task light and automotive type auto wash wipers.
Vijay has been built around the 4500 HP 710 G3B engine with inverter controlled three phase traction motor drive. The inverter control uses the state of the art IGBT technology. This is the technology being used worldwide by the leading manufacturers i.e. GE, ABB, Alstom etc. The locomotive is provided with the latest Computerised Control Brake system which is the world standard. The brake system uses the latest in the electronics and communication to improve response times and to improve reliability.
The locomotive has been designed to implement the Indian Railways’ efforts at increasing the speed of loaded trains to 100kmph. It can run at 105 kmph and can be used to haul passenger trains in emergencies. The locomotive has been designed to haul as much as the existing workhorse WDG4. The cost of the locomotive is approximately Rupees 14.7 crore as compared to 14.38 crore for the single cab version. Since the future would belong to dual cab freight locomotives, this model has been designed to retain as many elements as possible of the passenger dual cab being built by DLW. This standardization in the manufacturing elements will enable IR to easily move into series production after successful prototype trials.