The Sambhar Salts Limited operates an extensive railway network at its works around the Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan. Mohan Bhuyan and Shashanka Nanda visited the company's works and were generously allowed access to document one of India's most unique Industrial Railways. A blogpost on our stay there can be read here.
The SSL Railways have two NG locomotives, one each by Suri & Nayar (SAN) and OEPL. The SAN loco is currently awaiting repairs, so the OEPL loco is doing all the hard work.
The loco waits patiently for its complement to be re-railed. Note the additional condenser fitted for radiator assembly, to facilitate working in the hot weather of Rajasthan.
With the wagon back on line, the little train graciously curves back in to duty.
The NG tracks allow almost 90 turning angles for the trains as they head toward the salt pans.
Once in the pan, the loco's job is to quickly arrange the empty wagons along the temporary lines and collect the loaded wagons for the journey back to the factory.
Without wasting even a minute, the little blue beast gets on the job pushing wagons in to the sidings.
Meanwhile, traffic on the mainline goes on as usual. This time, a Sabarmati WDG4 with a heavily loaded rake coal BOXNs comes in from the Merta Road side into Sambhar Lake.
The MG network of SSL extends much further. A line laid along an anicut on the lake goes all the way up to Gudha on the northern shores. However, poor maintenance means that loaded trains do not work on this section any more.
An MG rake belonging to SSL is being pushed towards the salt pans for collection. The coupling on the MG wagons is the same male - female combo as seen on mainline trains. However, the NG wagons have simple chain link coupling.
Once the MG rake has brought back its collection, it is unloaded in to the factory for processing.
The MG fleet at SSL is also 2 loco strong. One built by Ventra Locomotives and this one, most likely a TELCO product.
The Bikaner - Jaipur Intercity crosses the Sambhar Lake to enter the eponymous station. The train is hauled by an Abu Road WDM2 that was commissioned way back in Jun 1983 and is still going strong.
Sambhar Lake is a dream destination for Railway enthusiasts and bird lovers alike. For someone like us, who happen to be both - this shot of flamingos against the backdrop of the Jodhpur - Bhopal passenger summed up one of the most memorable trips of our