Are there any special requirements for locos to work ghat sections?
Many locos can be used as bankers on ghat sections. Usually, goods locos are used for banking duties, although this is not a rigid rule. The leading loco on a ghat section can in general be any loco provided it has suitable braking systems, etc. There are some ghat special powers — locomotives that are specially modified for duties on steep gradients. These are usually equipped with an ‘Auto-Emergency’ (‘AE’ or ‘AEB’) brake system, which is an electronically controlled system which monitors the speed of the loco and applies the brakes automatically if it exceeds 25km/h (or other speed limit appropriate for the section). These powers are especially used on steep gradients where catch sidings may not be provided (e.g., Braganza ghat Castle Rock – Kulem; in contrast, CR’s Lonavala-Karjat section and SER’s Krandol-Kacheli section have catch sidings and systems like AEB are not usually used). The AEB system is normally kept switched off in normal sections, and switched on only in the ghat
