Locomotives of Bangladesh

In the rail transport system of Bangladesh, diesel locomotives are used. Among diesel locos, there are diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic locos. Besides diesel locos, steam locos were used in the past, but now they are no longer used. By gauge, there are narrow-gauge (762 mm), meter-gauge (1,000 mm) and broad-gauge (1,676 mm) locos in Bangladesh. Among them, as no narrow-gauge railroads are active, so the narrow-gauge locos are not used anymore.

Locomotive 2705 at Kamalapur railway station

In 1961, there were 415 steam locos (both broad-gauge and meter-gauge) in the then East Pakistan, out of which, 262 were more than 30 years old.[1] Also there were 51 meter-gauge diesel locos, among which, 40 were class 2000 and 11 were class 3000 locos.[1] As of 2020, total 476 meter-gauge and broad-gauge diesel locos (including the old 11 class 3000 locos) have been imported in Bangladesh. Most of them are diesel-electric, but 80 locos are diesel-hydraulic. Among the 476 locos, 349 are meter-gauge and 127 are broad-gauge.[2] All diesel-hydraulic locos were produced by Ganz-MÁVAG of Hungary. Various companies produced the diesel-electric locos, notable among them are GMD, ALCO, MLW, Hyundai Rotem. and BLW, Progress Rail.[3][4][5][6]

History

Rail network started in the then East Bengal of Indian Subcontinent on 15 November 1862.[7] During that time, steam locos were used to pull trains. They served the railway of Bangladesh for the next hundred years (approx.). Diesel locos first started operation in Bangladesh (the then East Pakistan) with the introduction of class 2000 EMD B12 diesel-electric locos in 1953.[8][9] Till then, the demand and usage of diesel locos increased rapidly. Side by side, the usage of steam locos decreased, and in 1980s, all steam locos were taken out from service. A small number of them are preserved.[10]

Classification and numbering

All steam locos were classified according to the Indian Railways' classification system. In case of diesel locos, a class name having three letters and two digit number is given according to the present classification system of Bangladesh Railway.

First letter denotes the track gauge the loco is operated.

• B = Broad–gauge
• M = Meter–gauge

Second letter denotes type of diesel traction.

• E = Diesel–electric
• H = Diesel–hydraulic

Third letter denotes first or last letter of the name of manufacturer.

• A = American Locomotive Company (ALCO)
• B = Bombardier
• D = Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW)
• E = English Electric
• G = General Motors Diesel (GMD)
• H = Hitachi
• I = Hyndai Rotem
• L = Henschel
• M = Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW)
• P = Progress Rail
• Z = Ganz–MÁVAG

Two digit number denotes the approximate power × 100 of the locomotive in horsepower unit.

For example: MEG-15. Here, M = Meter-gauge, E = Diesel-electric, G = General Motors Diesel, and 15 = 15 × 100 hp = 1,500 hp.

A number series is given to each loco class and all locos of that class are numbered according to that series. For example: There are 13 locos from BED-26 class. The preferred series for that class is 6400 and the 13 locos are numbered from 6401 to 6413. In some cases, class is called specification and series is called class instead.

There are some exceptions to this rule. For example: The 40 locos of MEG-11 class are numbered from 2000 to 2039 instead of from 2001 to 2040 (same case for BEA-20 class too). BED-30 and BED-33, despite being different loco class, have the same series (6500 series). 2300 and 2400 series locos belong to same class, MEM-14. There used to run some shunting locos in Bangladesh in the 1960's having the 3000 series (currently withdrawn). So, the 10 new Hyndai Rotem locos from South Korea should be given the 3400 series (as 3100, 3200 and 3300 series are also already used). But instead of 3400 series, they were given the 3000 series. As of 2020, no locos from 2100, 3000 (old), 3100, 6200 and 7000 series are active.

Steam locomotives

Gauge (mm)	Class	Builder	Build date	Total made	Whyte notation	Length (m)	Width (m)	Height (m)	Weight	Tractive effort (tonne)	Locale
762	CB	Vulcan Foundry	?	?	2-4-0T	?	?	?	?	?	Khulna-Bagerhat Railway
	CS	W. G. Bagnall	1936	?	2-4-0T	5.689	2.286	3.2	11.76 Tonnes	2.05
1000	MAWD	Alco	?	86[11]	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
	PM	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
	PS	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
	RC	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
	WD	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
	YD	Nippon Saryo	1952	25 (for PER)	2-8-2	?	?	?	?	?	?
1676	APC	?	?	?	4-4-2	?	?	?	?	?	?
	BTC	?	?	?	2-6-4T	?	?	?	?	?	?
	CWD	Canada	?	?	2-8-2	?	?	?	?	?	?
	HPS	Vulcan Foundry	1947	?	4-6-0	18.98	3.2	4.11	Loaded: Loco-76.9 tons; Tender-52 tons Empty: Loco-71.3 tons; Tender-23.96 tons	?	?
	SGC-Z	Vulcan Foundry	1921	?	0-6-0	16.4216	2.731	4.017	98.48 Ton	11.76	Paksey Division (1921–36) Saidpur workshop (1936; For shunting purpose)
	SGS	Vulcan Foundry	?	?	0-6-0	?	?	?	?	?	?
	SPS	Vulcan Foundry	?	?	4-4-0	?	?	?	?	?	?
	XB	Vulcan Foundry	1936	?	4-6-2	?	?	?	90.2 long tons	12.14	?

Preserved steam locomotives

Gauge	Class	Loco no.	Build no.	Location	Withdrawn	Image
762 mm (2 ft 6 in)	CB	7	?	Paksay Railway HQ, Pabna	1970
		8	1757	Pahartali railway workshop, Chittagong	1969
	CS	15	2539	Saidpur railway workshop, Nilphamari	?
1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ^3⁄8 in)	RC	233	?	National Scout Training Center, Mouchak, Gazipur	?
	YD	718	?	Rail Bhaban, Dhaka	1983
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)	HPS	30	?	Rajshahi Rail Bhaban, Rajshahi	1984
		32	?	Eastern Railway Museum, Howrah, India[12]
	SGC-Z	240	?	Saidpur railway workshop, Nilphamari	1983

Diesel locomotives

Meter-gauge diesel locomotives

Class series	Class name	Builder	Model	Nos.	Numbering	First introduced	Power (hp)	Speed (km/h)	Base	Image
2000	MEG-11	GMD	B12	40	2000–2039	1953	1125	100	CGPY
2100	GEU-14	GE	UM13C	10	2101–2110	1964	1420	103	?
2200	MEG-9	GMD	GL8	41	2201–2241	1961	875	124	CGPY Kamalapur Pahartali Parbatipur
2300	MEM-14	MLW	DL535A/RSD-30	24	2301–2324	1969	1400	96	Kamalapur Parbatipur
2400				12	2401–2412	1978
2500	MEH-14	Hitachi	HFA13A	18	2501–2518	1982	1400	96	Kamalapur
2600	MEG-15	GMD	GT18LA-2	16	2601–2616	1988	1500	107	Pahartali
2700	MEL-15	Henschel Adtranz	JT18U6	21	2701–2721	1994	1500	107	Pahartali
2800	MED-14	DLW	DL535A/ RSD-30 (YDM 4BR)	10	2801–2810	1996	1400	96	?
2900	MEI-15	Hyundai Hyundai Rotem	GT18LA-2	39	2901–2939	1999	1500	107	Kamalapur Pahartali Parbatipur
3000	?	?	?	11	?	?	335	?	?
	MEI-20	Hyundai Rotem	GT38AC	10	3001–3010	2020	2200	107	Kamalapur Pahartali
3100	MEE-5	English Electric	EEU-6	26	3101–3126	1973	550	56	Pahartali
3200	MHZ-5	Ganz-MÁVAG	DHM 10	22	3201–3222	1980	590	60	Dewanganj
3300	MHZ-8	Ganz-MÁVAG	DHM 12	38	3301–3338	1983	800	72	Bonarpara

Broad-gauge diesel locomotives

Class series	Class name	Builder	Model	Nos.	Numbering	First introduced	Power (hp)	Speed (km/h)	Base	Image
6000	BEA-20	Alco	DL543/RSD-34	18	6000–6017	1965	2000	106	Ishwardi
6100	BEM-20	MLW	DL543/RSD-34	16	6101–6116	1969	2000	106	Ishwardi
6200	BEH-24	Hitachi	HFA24A	12	6201–6212	1980	2450	?	Ishwardi
6300	BEB-22	Bombardier	MX 624	12	6301–6312	1980	2200	105	Ishwardi
6400	BED-26	DLW	DL560C (WDM 2B)	10	6401–6410	2001	2600	120	Ishwardi
		DLW	DL560C (WDM 2CA)	3	6411–6413	2004	2600	120	Ishwardi
6500	BED-30	DLW	DL560C (WDM 3A)	26	6501–6526	2012	3100	120	Ishwardi
	BED-33	DLW	DL560C (WDM 3D)	10	6527–6536	2020	3300	160	Ishwardi
6600	BEP-32	Progress Rail	GT42AC	40	6601–6640	On order	3250	?	?
7000	BHZ-5	Ganz-MÁVAG	DHM 9	20	7001–7020	1980	500	60	?

Preserved diesel locomotives

Gauge	Class series	Loco no.	Builder	Build no.	Transmission	Location
Metre gauge	2000	2000	GMD	A443	Diesel-electric	Pahartali Diesel Shop, Chittagong
	3300	3309	Ganz-MÁVAG	?	Diesel-hydraulic	Central Locomotive Workshop, Dinajpur
		3332		?		Saidpur railway workshop, Nilphamari

Narrow-gauge diesel locomotives

An abandoned narrow gauge locomotive at Dewanganj

There existed some narrow-gauge diesel locos in Bangladesh. They might be used for industrial purpose, but little is known about their specifications. At least three of them can be found abandoned at various locations around Bangladesh.

Railcars

There used to run some meter-gauge diesel railcars in Bangladesh around the 1980's. But they were active for a short period of time and all of them went off from service. Some railcars were converted to standard passenger coaches and are used on some trains, notably the Chittagong University shuttle trains.

Multiple unit

A DEMU train of Bangladesh

Meter-gauge Diesel-electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) service were introduced in Bangladesh on May 25, 2013 for short-distance travel. These DEMUs usually are operated on various short-routes including the Chittagong Circular Railway.[13] 20 sets of DEMU were imported which were manufactured by Chinese company "CNR Tangshan". Each set contains 3 coaches which can carry 300 passengers at a time. The power of each set is 800 hp and can go at a speed of 60 km/h maximum.

Besides DEMU, Electric multiple unit (EMU) are supposed to be used on Dhaka Metro Rail, Dhaka Subway and Dhaka–Chittagong high-speed railway.

Locomotive turntables

To change the direction of locos, there exist 12 turntables in Bangladesh. As of 2020, 8 of them are active while the rest 4 are inactive.

1. Akhaura, Brahmanbaria
2. Bonarpara, Saghata, Gaibandha
3. CGPY, Chittagong (Inactive)
4. Kamalapur railway station, Dhaka
5. Kewatkhali, Mymensingh
6. Kulaura, Moulvibazar
7. Laksham, Cumilla
8. Lalmanirhat (Inactive)
9. Noakhali (Inactive)
10. Pahartali , Chittagong
11. Parbatipur, Dinajpur
12. Sylhet

Locomotive workshops and loco sheds

In Bangladesh, there are four workshops for the maintenance and repairing of locomotives:

Name	Location	Locomotive type
Central Locomotive Workshop	Parbatipur, Dinajpur	Meter-gauge and broad-gauge
Dhaka Diesel Shop	Kamalapur, Dhaka	Meter-gauge
Pahartali Diesel Shop	Pahartali, Chittagong	Meter-gauge
Parbatipur Diesel Shop	Parbatipur, Dinajpur	Meter-gauge and broad-gauge

Among them, heavy repairs are done in Central Locomotive Workshop. For the rest three, general maintenance and repairing works are done. Locomotives in excess of 30 years old are considered by Bangladesh Railway as beyond their accountancy and due for replacement.[3]

There are various loco sheds in Bangladesh.

Name	Location	Status
Akhaura	Akhaura, Brahmanbaria	Active
Bhairab Bazar	Bhairab, Kishoreganj	Inactive
Bonarpara	Bonarpara, Saghata, Gaibandha	Active
CGPY	Chattogram	Active
Dewanganj Bazar	Dewanganj, Jamalpur	Active
Fulbaria[14]	Fulbaria, Dhaka	Inactive
Ishwardi	Ishwardi, Pabna	Active
Kamalapur	Kamalapur railway station, Dhaka	Active
Kewatkhali	Mymensingh	Active
Khulna	Khulna	Active
Kulaura	Kulaura, Moulvibazar	Active
Laksham	Laksham, Cumilla	Active
Lalmanirhat	Lalmanirhat	Active
Pahartali	Pahartali, Chittagong	Active
Parbatipur	Parbatipur, Dinajpur	Active
Rajbari	Rajbari	Inactive
Rupsha East	Rupsha, Khulna	Inactive
Santahar	Santahar, Adamdighi, Bogra	Inactive
Sarishabari	Sarishabari, Jamalpur	Inactive
Sirajganj	Sirajganj	Inactive
Sylhet	Sylhet	Active

See also

• Coaches and Wagons of Bangladesh

References

1. "Transportation Survey of East Pakistan, 1961: Detailed report". www.books.google.com. 1961. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
2. "মেয়াদোত্তীর্ণ ইঞ্জিনে চলছে ট্রেন | বাংলাদেশ প্রতিদিন". Bangladesh Pratidin. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
3. "ANALYSIS OF PROBLEMS" (PDF). Bangladesh Railway. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
4. admin (28 August 2012). "DLW bags order for 16 locomotives from Bangladesh Railways". Global Rail News. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
5. "Bangladesh Railway orders Progress Rail locomotives". International Railway Journal. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
6. "Bangladesh taps Progress Rail for GT Series power". Railway Age. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
7. "Railway - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
8. Strack, Don. "GENERAL MOTORS DIESEL". utahrails.net. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
9. "Old Time Trains". www.trainweb.org. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
10. "Preserved Steam Locomotives in Bangladesh". Internationalsteam.co.uk. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
11. "Transportation Survey of East Pakistan, 1961: Detailed report". www.books.google.com. 1961. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
12. "Steam Locomotive Information". www.steamlocomotive.info. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
13. "DEMU trains begin debut run in Ctg". Bdnews24.com. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
14. "A quiet masterpiece that serves as Dhaka's gateway". The Daily Star. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2020.

External links

• Media related to Locomotives of Bangladesh at Wikimedia Commons
• Bangladesh Railway's official website