A rare,vintage photograph of the original diesel railcar that operated on the Kakinada-Kotipalli line.
These railcars were 180HP (some sources mention it as 140HP and some as 110HP) diesel-electric rail cars capable of operating at 96kmph (?). The engines were supplied by Armstrong-Whitworth, while the coach shell and bogies were manufactured by the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway's (MSMR) workshops (Notice the MSM marking on the railcar).
A total of 6 railcards were supplied to the MSMR. They initially operated...
more... around Madras for a very short time, but soon all 6 were pressed into service in and around Kakinada (then Cocanada). They operated services on Kakinada-Kotipalli and after the closure of that line in 1942, they were pushed into service on the Kakinada-Samalkot-Rajahmundry and Rajahmundry-Tadepalligudem sections.
Kakinada port station had a small maintenance shed for these railcars. The shed was located near the present day 'Coconut siding' at the old port station.