What is the colour scheme of Indian locomotives under the Indian Railways?

The Indian Railways primarily operates electric and diesel locomotives. What is the colour scheme of Indian locomotives under the Indian Railways?

The colour schemes depend on two factors, The type of locomotive and The home shed of locomotive.

only ALco Locomotives have different colour schemes that depend on home shed for e.g.

Shakti

Pushpak

Baaz

Prateek

And only WAG 5 in Electric locomotives have different colour schemes.

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WAP 1: Orange-ish with thick yellow band(the ICF rajdhani livery)

The common colour scheme for each loco is

WAP 4: Bright red with yellow band

WAP 5: White with dual red bands

WAP 7: White with single red band

WAG 5: Chocolate brown with yellow band

WAG 7: Has two colour schemes

Blue with yellow band for Locos produced in CLW

Red white blue for locos produced by BHEL

WAG 9: Bright green with yellow band

WAG 9 H: Bright green with white band(historical)

WAG 12: Blue with black

WAM 4: ICF rajdhani livery

WDG 4: White cab, blue loco with thick white/ silver band

WDP 4: Cream cab, blue loco with yellow white band

Locomotives were classified by track gauge, motive power, function and power (or model number) in a four- or five-letter code. The first letter denotes the track gauge. The second letter denotes motive power (diesel or electric), and the third letter denotes use (goods, passenger, mixed or shunting). The fourth letter denotes a locomotive’s chronological model number.

In 2002, a new classification system was adopted. For newer diesel locomotives, the fourth letter denotes their horsepower range. Not all diesel locomotives were reclassified, and the fourth letter continues to denotes their model number.

A locomotive may have a fifth letter, generally denoting a technical variant, subclass or subtype: a variation in the basic model or series, or a different motor or manufacturer. Under the new system, the fifth letter further refines horsepower in 100-hp increments: A for 100 hp, B for 200 hp, C for 300 hp and so on. A WDP-3A is a 3,100 hp (2,300 kW) locomotive, and a WDM-3F is 3,600 hp (2,700 kW).

The system does not apply to steam locomotives, which are no longer used on main lines. They retain their original class names, such as M- or WP-class.

© Swagata Sarkar.

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