Rly safety counsellor’s innovation bolsters wagon braking system

Nagpur: Two days before he retired on March 29, Central Railway senior section engineer Naresh Jeddiwar, 60, was elated to receive an appreciation letter from the Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO), the research and safety regulator of the railways. Jeddiwar garnered praise for his innovation-cum-suggestion to modify the Empty Load Box (ELB) for enhanced safety and economy for the railways.
The RDSO said his suggestions are under study for implementation in wagons with suitable modifications.
Jiddewar, who has also served as safety counsellor (mechanical) over his 36 years of service, has developed an innovation in the wagon’s ELB braking system.
Current ELBs face recurrent damage and failures, leading to safety being compromised like loss of brake power, track damage, bearing damage, hot axle and other complications.
The ELB device is provided in the wagons to achieve the required brake power in empty as well as loaded condition at loading centres by altering the leverage.
In the existing system, ELB is a component of various systems, which alters the location of the lever arm for the desired braking effect. The assembly comprises of large and small sign plate, handle, 25mm rod, long toothed segment, connecting levers, bell crack levers, and other parts, which cumulatively weigh around 43kg.
Jiddewar designed a maintenance-free, push-pull type mechanism with double self-locking arrangement, which is easy to operate and much safer than the existing ELB system.
The weight of Jiddewar’s innovative system is 10-12kg, and it can be developed from even scrap material. The innovation will help each wagon carry 30kg more consignment, which will increase total haulage by more than 1,700kg per goods train, leading to a jump in revenue too.
Jiddewar, while working as technician, had designed an instrument to measure the chamber of laminated spring fitted in wagons. “I was directly promoted to junior engineer after designing that,” he said.