WAG5 class AC freight locomotive variants:

• WAG5 A/B - orginally designated WAM4B
• WAG5HA - Hitachi motors
• WAH5HB - Hitachi motors, BHEL built
• WAG5HR -  with rheostatic braking
• WAG5E - Air brakes only

A pair of  WAG5A locos from Vijaywada shed of SCR storm out of Bhubaneshwar yard in Orissa. With electrfication work going on in full swing, it is expected that the Chennai - Howrah trunk route will be full electrified by mid - 2005. Note the DMU car and a Jan Shatabdi coach parked in coaching depot.

WAG5HB #24041 based at Jhansi shed of North Central Railway passes through Kosi Kalan on a brilliant December morning in 2003. These BHEL built machines are easily distinguished from their CLW built brothers by the unique livery, which in my opinion is one of the best on IR.

 A BZA WAG5 heads out of Nellore station with unidentified express. The bridge in the foreground is over a little canal that forms an offshoot of the Pennar river and provides irrigation to the  rice fields along Nellore’s coast line.

 A WAG5HA class locomotive belonging to SR’s Arrakonam shed  gets off the Pennar bridge with a southbound rake of BCN wagons. This class of loco built by CLW features HS15250 traction motors instead of the TAO69 motors. However an underrated transformer limits the power output to 4000hp only.

A WAG5A class locomotive is captured with a rake of containers just short of Nellore. Bhusaval is one of the most famous sheds in IR. In the days gone by it had one of the largest holdings of steam locomotives anywhere in India. Now it plays host to WAM4 and WAG5 class of locomotives.

A Vadodara based WAG5 class machine crosses the Pennar river with a colorful rake of containers. Vadodara machines are easily distinguishable by the digital font used for denoting the road number of the locomotive.

The guard of the Chennai bound GT Express fixes the LV board to the rear end of the WAG5 as the shunting master monitors the coupling of the banker at Dharakhoh. A single banker is sufficient for a 24 coach passenger train, but for greater loads involving freights, two or even 3 MUed locos may be used.

A strikingly colored WAG5 from Bhillai shed screams past the Delhi bound AP Express somehwhere between Mathura & Hodal. Sheds from the SE region of India have always maintained colorful liveries to make their locos stand out in a sea of maroon  normally found on WAG5s