Trains are vital to India. They are a top choice for travel in the country due to their convenience. They offer ample space, comfort, and a fun experience. Indian Railways is committed to providing top-notch service, comfort, efficiency, and speed to its passengers.
Chances are, you’ve traveled by train at least once. During your journey, you might have noticed letters, numbers, signs, and signals on trains and platforms. Ever wondered what terms like WAG, WAP, WDM mean? If you’re curious but don’t know, don’t worry. Keep reading to learn more.
Many locomotive trains and engines bear terms like WAG, WAP, WDM, WAM, and so on.
If you’re a keen observer, you might have seen these terms on train engines. They are special codes that not everyone knows. Let’s decipher their meaning.
The first letter of these codes, ‘W’, stands for the railway track gauge, which is five feet. ‘A’ and ‘D’ represent the engine’s power source. ‘A’ means the engine is powered by electricity, while ‘D’ indicates diesel.
Further, these codes include letters like ‘P’, ‘G’, ‘M’, and ‘S’. These letters indicate the type of train. For instance, ‘P’ is for passenger trains, ‘G’ is for goods trains. ‘M’ is used for mixed purposes, and ‘S’ is for shunting.
Let’s decode these engine codes
Now that we know what each letter represents, let’s understand these engine codes. The code WAG on train engines means the trains run on wide gauge tracks and use AC power for pulling goods trains. Similarly, if you see the code WAP on a train engine, it means the train runs on wide gauge tracks, uses AC power, and pulls passenger trains.
Next, trains with the code WAM on their engines run on wide-gauge tracks. They use AC power to pull both passenger and goods trains. Lastly, trains with the WAS code on their engines run on wide gauge tracks and use AC power for shunting purposes.
