wp glory a tribute to the magnificent WP class of steam locomotives of the Indian Railways |
by S.SHANKAR (With inputs from JOHN LACEY & TERRY CASE) |
PHOTOS PAGE-1
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Probably among the most handsome classes of steam locomotives in the world, the glorious WPs live on eternally in the hearts of their admirers.
Solid, rugged, dependable and above all aesthetically very pleasing, the WPs held the
express traction scenario on the bg in India well within their grasp for over FOUR
DECADES, hauling the slower and secondary express trains till as recently as 1994.
Enjoy the ride behind the one of the world's best looking steam engines.
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ALL PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE ARE COURTESY JOHN LACEY
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1. Living up to her fabulous reputation of being a beauty queen among locomotives is WP 7254 as she departs from Benares (Varanasi) with an unidentified train in December 1980. |
| 2. The WPs were ideally suited for India's long and heavy but moderately paced trains, travelling along for miles on end, packed with humanity. This fact is more than brought out in this picture of a WP hauled express on the plains. (Pic provided by John Lacey: scanned from undisclosed source.) |
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3. Nonetheless, the magificent beasts could also easily handle the handful of superfasts that existed in those days. Here is a WP at dawn, having just left Delhi with the Taj Express to Agra. The train is now electric hauled and runs upto Gwalior. |
| 4. One of the overseas-built WPs: bearing number 3037 is seen here outside the Wiener Lokomotivfabrik works at Floridsdorf, in Austria. Note that the engine is mounted on standard gauge bogies for movement by rail inside Austrian territory. The engines underwent stringent oscillation trials on the ER near Calcutta. When withdrawn in 1988, the prototype WP/Ps were based at Daund near Poona. (Pune) (Pic provided by John Lacey: scanned from undisclosed source.) |
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5. Clouds of smoke, steam and vapor as a magnificent WP leaves Burdwan (now Bardhamman) on the ER in January 1982. |
| 6. New Delhi in January 1992: a WP arrives while WG 8710 passes by. |
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7. WP 3036 going through the works at the Wiener Lokomotivfabrik works at Floridsdorf, in Austria. This machine is being fitted with a Gisel ejector. (Pic provided by John Lacey: scanned from undisclosed source.) |
| 8.A star-less WP on the SER traverses the causeway past the Chilka Lake on the Howrah-Madras line. Note the cashew plantations in the background. |
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9. An interesting variation to the typical star on the WP's smokebox was this multicolored floral motif, seen here on a decreipt WP 7316 at Gondia on the head of the 133 Howrah-Ahmedabad Express in 1984. |
| 10. In absolute contrast in this pristine WP # 7713 as she pauses for breath at Mathura at the head of the Delhi-Agra Taj Express in December 1980. |
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11. WP 7316 (with a tender of WP 7342!) tackles a curve with the Howrah-Ahmedabad Express in 1982. Note the large numbers on the tender (a SER speciality), and the milk tanker hooked up front. The loco-tender number mismatch is a tragic indicator of cannibalization and mix and match resorted to during the last years of steam. In their last years, some WPs even carried tenders or wheels from other classes. |
| 12. A star-less WP 7659 performs menial shunting duties at Puri in January 1983. |
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13. Another starless WP with a lot of silver: all decked up for a steam beauty contest is this magnificent 7247 in pristine condition. Note liberal addition of interesting though irrelevant fittings like a weather vane, elephant cutout etc. The engine has been temporarily named 'SWAYAMWAR'. (Pic provided by John Lacey: scanned from undisclosed source.) |
| 14. The road ahead: A WP puts forth a beam of light from her headlight as she pauses for breath at Agra. |
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15. A trio of named WPs at Lucknow shed. (from left: RAAH-E-WATTAN, PAWAN PUTRA and SANJAY). Several WPs on the NR bore bold red painted names above the buffer beam. Whether the name was permanent, or was changed or even dispensed with at each servicing session is not known. (Pic provided by John Lacey: scanned from undisclosed source.) |
| 16. A close-up of the right-most engine 'SANJAY'. Note the extra fittings. (Pic provided by John Lacey: scanned from undisclosed source.) |
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17.WP 7041 of the NR departs Delhi Junction (Old Delhi) in January 1992 with the passenger train to Saharanpur. |
| 18.Yet another Delhi departure is WP 7024 in December 1980 with the 17 JammuTawi-Madras Janata Express. |
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19. Smoke and steam: a NR WP departing Amritsar in December 1980 with the Dehradun Passenger. |
20.WP 7295 at Shaharanpur shed being
prepared for the Republic Day celebration in 1957. Note freshly silvered smokebox. (ref.
note from the photographer below). In the background is another greatly loved passenger
engine of yesteryear: the graceful EM.(Pic
provided by John Lacey: photo by Hal Hughes.)
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21. A photograph appearing in the May 1961 issue of The Railway magazine advertises the deployment of WP class engines on the Delhi-Madras Janata Express. Engine illustrated in WP 7418.The Delhi Janata is no more in operation. (Pic provided by John Lacey: scanned from source indicated above.) |
| 22.Last on this page is this terrific pic of a WP glistening in the afternoon sun at Puri on the SER. |
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