ELB device of wagons modified by city Rly engineer works wonders

By Sagar Mohod

A simple tinkering with empty load box (ELB), a device necessary for controlling goods rake, has provided ennumber of advantages for the Indian Railways. With the modification, apart from savings, since number gears are reduced, even its operation is now simplified. The development is credited to N L Jiddewar, he worked as Safety Counsellor with Mechanical Department at Central Railway's Nagpur Division.

Jiddewar is that rare breed of employees in Government system that are not content with simple 10 to 5 working at their job, rather he walked that extra mile to make all the difference for the Railways. And a salient aspect of the innovation is that it came even as he was near superannuating, he retired recently. More creditable for Jiddewar, the simple changes in empty load box mechanism for BOXN and BCN wagons has won him national applauds.

Railway Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) recognised the modification, as Shailendra Kumar Sharma, Director, Wagon, RDSO, said the innovation on part of Jiddewar is quite innovative as same reduced the rigging of items inside the gear. Sharma mentioned that with modification in ELB will increase its reliability. A team from RDSO visited Ajni sick line and was impressed with working of the new ELB.

In the new mechanism, instead of lots of gear moving continuously to generate brake power, Jiddewar introduced push-pull thrust movement. Sharing the details of his innovation with ‘The Hitavada’, the Safety Counsellor, said, to make the device full proof, a ‘V’ shaped handle was put in place, it is a means of double lock mechanism. Since the wagons moves at fast speed, even during vibration the system remains in place. So at time of running empty, in sick line only the handle position needs to be reversed to allow use of controlled brake power, it is different when wagons are loaded and when empty, he said while explaining the importance of ELB.

The Mechanical Engineer said he struck upon innovation while working on wagon maintenance, the Mechanical Department faced tremendous difficulties fixing the problems with ELB. The device fitted underneath the wagon maintains sufficient power during hauling of loaded wagons. The box contained several gears whose momentum provided the thrust to pull the loaded consignments and in process many of them often got damaged. However, when the wagons are running empty, the gear needs to be reset and in original design same required quite lot of time.

Maintenance time is curtailed, fixing ELB in 58 to 59 wagons was quite tedious as during running most of its gear often used to go missing as same would fall down on tracks due to wear and tear. After going through the diagrams, Jiddewar said he hit upon the brain wave and it simple clicked.