CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled Types of Relays

used in Diesel Locomotives, ECP, OWS, maintainence & Testing
is being submitted by, in partial fulfillment of project based training
for Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.), in Diesel Locomotive
Works, Lucknow from 8th June 2015 to 7th July 2015 i.e., within the
duration of four weeks, is a record of bonafide work carried out by
him under my guidance and supervision.

Date:
Place: Lucknow

(S.K. Vajpayee)
SSE, Diesel Locomotive Works,
Charbagh, Lucknow.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
An engineer with theoretical knowledge is not a complete
engineer. Practical knowledge is very important for an engineer to
develop and apply engineering skill.
I express my sincere thanks and gratitude to Sri SAH Rizvi ExPrincipal & Sri Sandeep Mukherjee Principal BTC/CB/LKO who has
given me privilege to undergo this industrial training at Northern
Railway, LOCO WORKSHOP, CHARBAGH, LUCKNOW.
I also extend my heartiest gratitude to Sri S.K. Vajpayee
SSE/LOCOSHOP for his creative guidance & valuable suggestion
while undergoing this training.
The help and cooperation extended by the staff of SSE, Mr. A.C.
Dwivedi, Mr. Javed and other coordinating staff members of
Charbagh, Lucknow is fully acknowledged. Words are not enough of
thanks for their help and guidance.
Last but not the least I extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Manish Gaur
Head Training & Placement Cell, I.E.T. Lucknow for providing me with
the opportunity to undergo training in such a reputed organization.

Submitted By:

Sudhanshu Singh,
B .TECH. (Electrical Engg.),
Roll No. - 1205220044,
I.E.T., Sitapur Road, Lucknow 21, (U.P.).

PREFACE
Project work is an integrated part of ELECTRICAL Engineering
program. This emphasizes on the job exposure to real life
management situations and to develop simultaneously the ability to
relate studies to the real world. This also helps to gain insight into
corporate culture and in developing decision abilities.
We undertook our project work in Institute of Engineering &
Technology. We worked on Types of Relays used in Diesel
Locomotives.
We were assigned project training at Lucknow Diesel
Locomotive workshop for four weeks.
We gained valuable experience and knowledge during the
training. This project report consists of our findings and after
tabulation of collected data and finally recommendation was put
forward. This will be very helpful for us in upcoming days.

Sr.No.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

INDEX

Contents
Introduction to Indian Railways

Page No.

Diesel Locomotive Works, Charbagh, Lucknow

6-9

DEMU Section

10

Reverser

11-12

Engine Temperature Switch

12-15

Power Contactor

15-16

Project

17

What is a Relay?

17

History of Relay

17

Basic Design & Operation

18-19

Items of Relay Section for Overhauling

20-21

Types of Relays: Latching Relay

22-23

General Purpose Relay

23

Ground Relay

24

Wheel Slip Relay

24-25

Maintenance

25

Inspection

26

Testing

26-27

Testing Precautions

27

Conclusion

28

INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN
RAILWAYS
Indian Railways is the state-owned railway company of India.
It comes under the Ministry of Railways. Indian Railways has one of
the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, transporting over
18 million passengers and more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily.
Its revenue is Rs.107.66 billion. It is the world's largest commercial
employer, with more than 1.4 million employees. It operates rail
transport on 6,909 stations over a total route length of more than
63,327 kilometers(39,350 miles).The fleet of Indian railway includes
over 200,000 (freight) wagons, 50,000 coaches and 8,000
locomotives. It also owns locomotive and coach production facilities.
It was founded in 1853 under the East India Company.
Indian Railways is administered by the Railway Board. Indian
Railways is divided into 16 zones. Each zone railway is made up of a
certain number of divisions. There are a total of sixty-seven divisions.
It also operates the Kolkata metro. There are six manufacturing
plants of the Indian Railways. The total length of track used by Indian
Railways is about 108,805 km while the total route length of the
network is 63,465 km. About 40% of the total track kilometer is
electrified & almost all electrified sections use 25,000 V AC. Indian
railways uses four rail track gauges
Indian Railways operates about 9,000 passenger trains and
transports 18 million passengers daily .Indian Railways makes 70% of
its revenues and most of its profits from the freight sector, and uses
these profits to cross-subsidies the loss-making passenger sector.
The Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express are the fastest trains of
India.
5

DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE SHED

CHARBAGH, LUCKNOW

Fig-(1): LUCKNOW DIESEL SHED

Diesel locomotive shed is an industrial-technical setup, where repair

and maintenance works of diesel locomotives is carried out, so as to
keep the loco working properly. It contributes to increase the
operational life of diesel locomotives and tries to minimize the line
failures. The technical manpower of a shed also increases the
efficiency of the loco and remedies the failures of loco.
The shed consists of the infrastructure to berth, dismantle, repair
and test the loco and subsystems. The shed working is heavily based

on the manual methods of doing the maintenance job and very less
automation processes are used in sheds, especially in India.
The diesel shed usually has:Berths and platforms for loco maintenance.
Pits for under frame maintenance
Heavy lift cranes and lifting jacks
Fuel storage and lube oil storage, water treatment plant
and testing labs etc.
Sub-assembly overhauling and repairing sections
Machine shop and welding facilities.

DIESEL SHED, CHARBAGH, LUCKNOW of NORTHERN RAILWAY is

located in LUCKNOW. The shed was established on 22nd April 1857
under Oudh & Rohilkhand Railways for overhauling of steam
locomotives. Post independence this workshop came under
Northern Railway. It was initially planned to home 75 locomotives.
The shed cater the needs of Northern railway.

The activities in course of time have changed from POH of steam

locomotives to now POH/IOH/ SR of Diesel locomotives (WDM2B,
WDM2A, WDM2C, WDP1, WDP2, WDP3, WDG2, WDM3 & WDG3),
Electric locomotives (WAM4, WAG5,& WAG7), DMUs, Rail Buses as
well as SPART/ SPARME. Other major activities done in the shop
include IOH of coaches, reclamation of CO-CO bogies, Axles Boxes of
WDM2 diesel locomotives, traction motors, equalizing beams etc.
are continuing. CBW is ISO-9000 certified. Recently, CBW modified a
DTC for working in train set with a WDP1 at the other end. This is
successfully running in MB division of Northern Railway.

This shed mainly provides locomotive to run the mail, goods and
passenger services. No doubt the reliability, safety through
preventive and predictive maintenance is high priority of the shed.
To meet out the quality standard shed has taken various steps and
obtaining of the ISO-9001-2000& ISO 14001 OHSAS CERTIFICATION is
among of them. The Diesel Shed is equipped with modern machines
and plant required for Maintenance of Diesel Locomotives and has
an attached store depot. To provide pollution free atmosphere,
Diesel Shed has constructed Effluent Treatment Plant.

(a) OVER VIEW

Inception

22nd April1857

Present Holding

147 Locomotives
19 WDM2
37 WDM3A
08 WDM3D
11 WDG3A
46 WDP1
26 WDP3A

Accreditation

ISO-9001-2000 & ISO 14001

Covered area of shed

10858 SQ. MTR

Total Area of shed

1,10,000 SQ. MTR

Staff strength

Sanction 1357
On roll - 1201

Berthing capacity

17 locomotives

(b) CLASSIFICATION
1. Standard Gauge designations and dimensions: W = Broad gauge (1.67 m)
Y = Medium gauge ( 1 m)
Z = Narrow gauge ( 0.762 m)
N = Narrow gauge ( 0.610 m)
2. Type of Traction designations: D = Diesel-electric traction
C = DC traction
A = AC traction
CA=Dual power AC/DC traction
3. The type of load or Service designations: M= Mixed service
P = Passenger
G= Goods
S = Shunting
4. Horse power designations from June 2002 (except WDP-1 & WDM-2
LOCOS)
3 For 3000 horsepower
4 For 4000 horsepower
5 For 5000 horsepower
A For extra 100 horsepower
B For extra 200 horsepower and so on
.
Hence WDM-3A indicates a broad gauge loco with diesel-electric

traction. It is for mixed services and has 3100 horsepower.

D.E.M.U. SECTION

Fig-(2): A DEMU Train

Fig-(3): DEMU Workshop

10

The various parts of a DEMU train that are repaired, maintained and
tested in this section include the following:

Reverser
Engine Temperature Switch
Power Contactor
Relays

Reverser
A Reverser is used to reverse the direction of train by reversing
the direction of power supplied to it.
In DEMU, the reverser used is of 2-contact type having 4 units
on each contact.
It is operated either manually (by a long handle) or by supplying
air pressure.

Fig.-(4): Top view of a Reverser

11

Testing of Reverser:
The testing of Reverser is done by a test known as Paper Test.
In this test, a thin strip of Butter Paper is inserted between the
fixed and moving contacts. As the moving contacts strike the
fixed contacts, the butter paper is tried to pull up.If the butter
paper slides out easily, then contacts are not perfect and they
need disassembling and reassembling till the contacts become
perfect and the paper does not slide out.

Engine Temperature Switch (E.T.S.)

Engine Temperature Switch consists of a temperature sensor
which is used to measure the temperature of the engine
coolant of an internal combustion engine.
The readings from this sensor are then fed back to the Engine
control unit (ECU), which uses this data to adjust the fuel

12

injection and ignition timing. On some vehicles the sensor may

also be used to switch on the electric cooling fan. The data may
also be used to provide readings for a coolant temperature
gauge on the dashboard.

Fig-(5): An E.T.S.

Fig-(6): Inside an E.T.S.

13

Operation:
The ECU sends out a regulated reference voltage (typically 9 volts) to
the coolant temperature sensor. The voltage drop across the sensor
will change according to the temperature because its resistance
changes. The ECU is then able to calculate the temperature of the
engine, and then (with inputs from other engine sensors) uses
lookup tables to carry out adjustments to the engine actuators,
i.e. change the fuel injection or ignition timing. This is necessary
because in order to run smoothly, a cold engine requires different
timing and fuel mixture than an engine at operating temperature.

Fig-(7): Test Bench of an E.T.S.

14

 Power Contactor
A contactor is an electrically controlled switch used for switching an
electrical power circuit, similar to a relay except with higher current
ratings. A contactor is controlled by a circuit which has a much lower
power level than the switched circuit.
Contactors are used to control electric motors, lighting, heating,
capacitor banks, thermal evaporators, and other electrical loads.
A contactor has three components. The contacts are the current
carrying part of the contactor. This includes power contacts, auxiliary
contacts, and contact springs. The electromagnet (or "coil") provides
the driving force to close the contacts. The enclosure is a frame
housing the contact and the electromagnet. Enclosures are made of
insulating materials like Bakelite, Nylon 6, and thermosetting plastics
to protect and insulate the contacts and to provide some measure of
protection against personnel touching the contacts. Open-frame
contactors may have a further enclosure to protect against dust, oil,
explosion, hazards and bad weather.

15

Fig-(8): Power Contactors fitted in a Diesel Engine

16

Project Title:
Types of relay used in Diesel
locomotives, ECP, OWS, maintenance
and testing.
What is a relay?
A relay is an electromagnetic switch operated by a relatively small
electric current that can turn on or off a much larger electric current.
The heart of a relay is an electromagnet (a coil of wire that becomes
a temporary magnet when electricity flows through it). You can think
of a relay as a kind of electric lever: switch it on with a tiny current
and it switches on ("leverages") another appliance using a much
bigger current. Why is that useful? As the name suggests, many
sensors are incredibly sensitive pieces of electronic equipment and
produce only small electric currents. But often we need them to
drive bigger pieces of apparatus that use bigger currents. Relays
bridge the gap, making it possible for small currents to activate larger
ones. That means relays can work either as switches (turning things
on and off) or as amplifiers (converting small currents into larger
ones).

History
Relays were invented in 1835 by American electromagnetism
pioneer Joseph Henry; in a demonstration at the College of New
Jersey, Henry used a small electromagnet to switch a larger one on
and off, and speculated that relays could be used to control electrical
machines over very long distances.

17

Fig-(9): An EM Relay

Basic design and operation

A simple electromagnetic relay consists of a coil of wire wrapped
around a soft iron core, an iron yoke which provides a low reluctance
path for magnetic flux, a movable iron armature, and one or more
sets of contacts (there are two in the relay pictured). The armature is
hinged to the yoke and mechanically linked to one or more sets of
moving contacts. It is held in place by a spring so that when the relay
is de-energized there is an air gap in the magnetic circuit. In this
condition, one of the two sets of contacts in the relay pictured is
closed, and the other set is open. Other relays may have more or
fewer sets of contacts depending on their function. The relay in the
picture also has a wire connecting the armature to the yoke. This
ensures continuity of the circuit between the moving contacts on the

18

armature, and the circuit track on the printed circuit board (PCB) via
the yoke, which is soldered to the PCB.
When an electric current is passed through the coil it generates a
magnetic field that activates the armature and the consequent
movement of the movable contact either makes or breaks
(depending upon construction) a connection with a fixed contact. If
the set of contacts was closed when the relay was de-energized, then
the movement opens the contacts and breaks the connection, and
vice versa if the contacts were open. When the current to the coil is
switched off, the armature is returned by a force, approximately half
as strong as the magnetic force, to its relaxed position. Usually this
force is provided by a spring, but gravity is also used commonly in
industrial motor starters. Most relays are manufactured to operate
quickly. In a low-voltage application this reduces noise; in a high
voltage or current application it reduces arcing.

Fig-(10): Relay-Constructional Details

19

Items of Relay Section (DSL) for Overhauling

Sr.No.

Item

1.

G.P. Relay, G.R. Relay, Wheel Slip Relays

2.

R 1,2 with arc box, CKC with arc box

3.

F.P.C. with arc box

4.

G.F.C. with arc box

5.

F.S.C. with arc box

6.

CK 1,2,3 with arc box

7.

E.P. Contactor with arc box

8.

Bell Buzzer

9.

PCS (P 1,2, PCS 1,2, EPG)

10.

Load Meter(LM 1,2 )

11.

Electronic water meter indicator sensor unit

12.

Low water alarm switch(L.W.S.)

13.

LED Flasher Light 1,2 , Control and lamp unit

14.

DC-DC Converter

15.

LED Indication Panel

16.

Separately Alternator mounted power rectifier

17.
18.

Thyrite resistor(G.F.R) Engine temperature control

resistor(TCR)
Power control ground resistor panel

19.

Load ammeter resistor panel

20.

Inverse Voltage Suppression Panel (VSP)

21.

Miscellaneous item(GROC,CPR,RCD,TB,VSPETC)

20

22.

Excitation Panel(EXCP) with card

23.

Transition Panel (TRP) with card

24.

Voltage Regulator Panel(VRP) with card

25.

Stabilizing Panel

26.

Load Control Resistor(LCR)

27.

Generator/Alternator voltage divider panel(VCD)

28.

Oscillator voltage divider resistor panel(OVDP)

29.

Alternator field resistor(AFR), Head lamp resistor(HLPR),WSSR

30.

Load control resistor, Limit resistor

31.

Tacho generator load resistor(TGLR)

32.

Breaking unit voltage divider

33.

Voltage regulator current limit switch(VRCLS)

34.

Load ammeter shunt(LAS), Armature current reactor(ACR)

35.

Engine Temperature switch(ETS).

21

Types of Relays
Latching relay
A latching relay (also called impulse, keep, or stay relays)
maintains either contact position indefinitely without power applied
to the coil. The advantage is that one coil consumes power only for
an instant while the relay is being switched, and the relay contacts
retain this setting across a power outage. A latching relay allows
remote control of building lighting without the hum that may be
produced from a continuously (AC) energized coil.
In one mechanism, two opposing coils with an over-center spring or
permanent magnet hold the contacts in position after the coil is deenergized. A pulse to one coil turns the relay on and a pulse to the
opposite coil turns the relay off. This type is widely used where
control is from simple switches or single-ended outputs of a control
system, and such relays are found in avionics and numerous
industrial
applications.

Fig-(11): A Latch Relay

22

Another latching type has a remanent core that retains the contacts
in the operated position by the remanent magnetism in the core.
This type requires a current pulse of opposite polarity to release the
contacts. A variation uses a permanent magnet that produces part of
the force required to close the contact; the coil supplies sufficient
force to move the contact open or closed by aiding or opposing the
field of the permanent magnet.A polarity controlled relay needs
changeover switches or an H bridge drive circuit to control it. The
relay may be less expensive than other types, but this is partly offset
by the increased costs in the external circuit.

General Purpose Relay

a) Earth Fault/Ground Fault monitoring of three phase systems

b) Microcontroller based design
c) SMD technology, Manual Reset
d) Input 1A or 5A through CBCT
e) Adjustable Earth Fault trip setting
f) Adjustable trip delay and ON delay
g) 2 co relay output
h) Failsafe-Non failsafe selectable

Fig-(12): General Purpose Relay

23

 Ground Relay

An electrical relay provided in diesel and electric traction system to

protect the equipment against damage from earth and so called
ground. The result of such a relay operating is usually a shutdown
of the electrical drive. It is also some time called an earth fault relay.
The Ground Relay as used on a diesel electric locomotive
provides a number of important features. It was originally applied to
furnish flashover protection but has become useful in connection
with other functions so that it now provides protection on a diesel
electric locomotive for:
1) Armature grounds in either the main generators or traction motor
2) Accidental power circuit grounds
3) High resistance creepage grounds, such as those caused by
moisture and dirt
4) Flashover protection for generators, motors and contactors
5) Ground protection during dynamic braking
6) Ground protection during engine starting.

Fig-(13): Ground Relay

Wheel Slip Relay

A Wheel Slip relay has four terminals. Two of those are use in series
operation and another two are used in parallel operation. At the
starting time out of six traction motor each two are connected in
series and those all three constructions are connected in parallel
with a resistor. In between one pair of motors the wheel slip relay is
connected in the equi-potential position.

24

Fig-(14): Wheel Slip Relay

Maintenance

Periodic relay testing is, first and foremost, preventive maintenance.

Thus, procedures and records should be designed with preventive
maintenance as the guide. The tests themselves will reveal
catastrophic failures which would have prevented the relay from
performing when called upon to operate, while properly maintained
records will reveal any trends which could lead to such failures.
The tests to be performed during routine maintenance are, of
course, determined by the type of relay to be tested. However, the
following tests should be included for all electromechanical relays.
Also mentioned are some preventive measures which may be
indicated by the results of such tests.

25

Inspection

Before the relay cover is removed, a visual check of the cover can
reveal valuable information as well as prevent possible trouble. First,
of course, excessive dust, dirt or metallic material deposited on the
cover should be noted and removed. Removing such material will
prevent it from entering the relay when the cover is removed. The
presence of such deposits may call attention to the need for some
form of air filtering at the station. "Fogging" of the cover glass should
be noted and removed when the cover has been re-moved. Such
fogging is, in most cases, a normal condition due to volatile materials
being driven
out of coils and insulating materials and, as such, merely requires its
removal from the glass. However, if the fogging appears excessive,
further investigation is indicated. Since most relays are designed to
operate in ambient temperatures not exceeding 104 F, a check of
the ambient temperature would be in order.

Testing

A high quality relay test set and tools are important to te st

protective relays in an accurate and repeatable manner.
Troubleshooting of microprocessor-based relays may also require
specialized equipment, a laptop computer, communication cables,
and software. Check manufacturers recommendations for necessary
tools and equipment. If not available at the facility, most test
equipment and tools can be borrowed from 86-68450, phone 303445-2305. Microprocessor relay testing can be automated. These
relays can be tested with computer-based software that
communicates with both the relay and test set. It is preferable to test
relays using automated testing procedures to reduce the time
required and increase reliability and repeatability of tests being
performed. However, it is critical that the person responsible for
relay testing be totally familiar with the relays, external protective
circuits, and all test procedures. All automated testing procedures
must be validated by a qualified person before using them to test
relays. Due to the critical nature of protective relays and enormous
26

prohibitive cost of a failure-to-trip or false trip, only a thoroughly

trained, experienced person should perform and/or oversee these
tests.

Testing Precautions

To preclude inadvertent trips, before starting any relay test with

protected equipment in service, testing personnel must be familiar
with relays and associated circuits. When test blocks are used,
ensure that removing or inserting plugs will not open a CT secondary.
Opening a secondary with the primary energized will result in high
voltage which can destroy the CT or other equipment, be dangerous
to personnel, and/or cause an inadvertent trip. If test blocks are not
available, before the relay CT circuit is opened, CTs must be shorted
by the shorting blocks provided by the manufacturer or by shorting
switches.
Before removing any relay from service, be very cautious; the unit
may need to shut down for relay testing, or the unit may have
redundant protection and can continue to operate during testing. In
any case, do not allow the unit to operate without any relay
protection while testing.

27

Conclusion
Training opportunities and facilities provided to us were
adequate and helpful. Each and every department of this
organization has given us full cooperation. All the instructors
journey in the reputed organization.
During my training period, I have gained adequate and valuable
knowledge regarding various machineries and instruments
used in DLW(Lucknow). I hope that whatever valuable
knowledge and experiences I have gained during this period,
will be useful and helpful in my future professional career.

28