i’ve a very limited knowledge of Pakistan Railways and i have seen video clips which show electrified traction between Lahore and Sahiwal but never seen an electric locomotive plying on that route. i was told by someone that there are NO such locomotives in service anymore.
well, i found two video clips which captured an antique looking primitive type of locomotive and i thought to share with u guys. what happened to all the locomotives that Pak Rail might have had? are there any other kinda locos sitting somewhere in the marshelling yards?
Re: Pakistan Railways' RARELY seen ANTIQUE ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
There goes my hope of traveling the Train when visiting Pakistan :(
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why? trains still do run between cities and towns. there are a whole bunch of good, comfy and fast trains i suppose. where do u wish to travel to by train?**
Re: Pakistan Railways' RARELY seen ANTIQUE ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE
Electric Locomotives were purchased in 1961 from GEC England, they completed their lives in 20 years and all were depreciated in the early nineties. The maintance was very expensive as every electric spare part had to be imported from England. Elecric crisis started in the eighties and there was no electric power in the nineties to run electric locomtoives. Every equpiment has amortised life. You can not run equipment for ever. These half century old locomotives like steam locomotives are actually antiques.
As regard Railways failure, it was running in profit up to mid seventies when mardood Zia-ul-Haq took over. He introduced NLC to take away the major share of Railways budget in to his corrupt NLC organization which is now in shambles. NLC was created to bribe and corrupt military officials. Later it was Mush who hammerred the last nail in the coffin of Railways when his generals imported defective locomotives and carriages from China, got heavy kick backs. The platforms of all the stations of Pakistan Railway were modified incurring billions of losses to accomodate these defective carraiges.
Corruption in Railways is a secondary issue, the primary issues are/were the policies of above leaders who ruined a well estabilished transportation system built by Britishers in 1861 for movement of troops and artilaries and later on for travelling of middle class and poor masses.
