The Indian locomotive class WCM-5 is a class of 1.5 kVDCelectric locomotives that was developed in 1961 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), Direct Current (C), Mixed traffic (M) engine, 5th generation (5). The WCM-5 was the first locomotive of any type to be fully developed and built in India, entering service in 1961.[citation needed] A total of 21 WCM-5 locomotives were built at CLW between 1961 and 1963.
The WCM-5 served both passenger and freight trains for nearly 40 years. In 1998, the last WCM-5 locomotive ran with the Indrayani Express. With the introduction of more modern locomotives and 25 KV AC electrification, all were withdrawn in the early 2000s after repeated failures. Today,[when?] one locomotive is on display at the Kolkata Rail Museum, while the rest of the locomotives have been scrapped.[citation needed]
The history of WCM-5 began in the early 1960s with the stated aim of the Indian Railways (IR) to remove the ageing fleet of WCG-1 and WCP-1 class locomotives working on Central Railways (CR).[1] So IR to procure 21 1500 V DC electric locomotives from Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), who also previously supplied steam locomotives to India. They were manufactured in India during 1954–1955. They were the last "nosed" locomotives of any type to be manufactured.[2]
The WCM-5 locomotives were used on many express trains such as the Deccan Queen, and the Indrayani Express, as well as freight trains. The Deccan Queen had WCM-5 with a matching livery until the 1990s. In the mid-1990s, the ageing WCM-5 began to fail regularly, disrupting train services. So Central Railways decided to withdraw these locomotives from service and by 2000, all units were withdrawn.[citation needed]
