A ‘Howler’ locomotive that was stuck at the Khalapur toll booth for the past two days is now on its way to its destination in Lonavala after clearing all hurdles.
One of the most versatile and common locomotives on the ghat mountain ranges, it is fondly referred to as ‘Howler’ for the noise it makes. The locomotive was being transferred from Mumbai to Lonavala via road, where it is proposed to be placed as an exhibit on permanent display at a proposed museum.
PIC/VIJAY ARAVAMUDHAN
“The loco was oversized for the booth and was hence stranded for two days. It is now being cleared and has resumed its journey and will reach (Lonavala) soon,” a Central Railway (CR) spokesperson said. Asked if there had been any cost escalation due to delays at the toll booth, railway officials said it is a usual practice and all such costs are included.
The locomotive had been on display at the Mumbai CSMT Heritage Gully since 2019 but is now being shifted to Lonavala for a proposed museum site as the Heritage Gully has been dismantled for the redevelopment of the station.
The engine, formally withdrawn from service in 2010, had arrived on a trailer truck by road from Kalyan Electric Loco Shed to Mumbai CSMT in 2019. In its last working days, it had also hauled a few local trains in Mumbai during the motormen’s strike.
The locomotive that was stuck at the Khalapur toll booth. PIC/HARSHAL S SAKPAL
Officials said it had the heaviest engines (132 tonnes), and powerful ones when launched. They were manufactured at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), and all the 57 locomotives that were built were assigned to the Kalyan shed of the Mumbai division of Central Railway.
Used mostly to haul freight trains and perform banking duties on the Bhor and Tull ghats (push climbing trains from behind), this locomotive rarely hauled express trains.
As of today, all these locomotives have been scrapped except one (20158), which had been originally earmarked for preservation at the National Rail Museum, New Delhi.
