
Railways in 1978 Kolkata (Calcutta)
In 1978, I traveled to India to see the Darjeeling Railway. The Air India flight on a Boeing 707 took nearly 11 hours, stopping for refueling in Hong Kong and Bangkok before reaching Kolkata (then called Calcutta). The main purpose of the trip was Darjeeling, but I also photographed the railways and streetcars around Kolkata. At that time, I had no knowledge of Indian railways outside of Darjeeling, so most of the information about locomotives written here was researched later using the internet. (November 1978)
Bardhaman–Katwa Railway




The Bardhaman–Katwa Railway connected Bardhaman and Katwa in West Bengal, with a total length of 53 km. It opened in 1915 and was originally built with a 762 mm narrow gauge. Two tank locomotives, AK6 and BK4, were in operation at the time—AK6 was built in 1916 and BK4 in 1914, both with a 0-C-2 wheel arrangement. The line was later converted to broad gauge (1,676 mm) and electrified in 2018. (Photographed near Bardhaman)
Steam Locomotives at Howrah Steam Loco Shed






This is the Howrah Steam Loco Shed in Kolkata. Several locomotives could be seen here, including what is believed to be a class SG locomotive of the East Indian Railway (EIR) with a Belpaire firebox and inside cylinders; a WP class 2-C-1 wheel arrangement passenger locomotive; and a WT class 1-D-2 tank engine. WP stands for broad gauge (W) and passenger (P). WP7201 was built in 1947 by Baldwin in the United States, and WP7249 and WP7272 were manufactured in 1949 by either the Canadian Locomotive Company (CLC) or the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). WT stands for broad gauge (W) and tank engine (T). These locomotives were manufactured from around 1959 to 1967 by the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) and were used for suburban services and shunting.
Steam Locomotives (Freight)


The locomotive on the left is a WG class freight engine. WG stands for broad gauge (W) and goods (G). From 1950 to 1970, a total of 2,450 units were produced by manufacturers such as North British and Vulcan Foundry in the UK, others across Europe, as well as Hitachi in Japan and the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) in India. It shared its boiler and tender design with the WP class. The locomotive on the right was photographed at Howrah Station. It is smaller than the WG class and has a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement, but its exact classification is unknown.
Steam Locomotives (Passenger)


Both are large 4-6-2 wheel arrangement passenger steam locomotives. The XC class on the left was built between 1928 and 1931, with a total of 72 units manufactured by William Beardmore and Company and the Vulcan Foundry. The designation "XC" stands for broad gauge (X) and medium-to-large passenger locomotive (C). This particular XC2225 was photographed in the Barddhaman area near Kolkata. The WP class locomotive on the right was also photographed around Barddhaman. Although it is a large passenger locomotive, it was running in reverse at the time.
Diesel Locomotives


The locomotive on the left is a WDM-2 class, where W = Broad Gauge, D = Diesel, M = Mixed (for both passenger and freight use). It was originally designed and prototyped by ALCO (American Locomotive Company) in 1962 and later mass-produced in India under a technology transfer agreement. About 2,700 units were manufactured at the Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW). Some were also exported to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. WDM-2 numbers 17856 and 18758 belong to the 17 series produced in the 1970s, and most of them have been retired by 2025.
The locomotive on the right is a WDS-4 class (W = Broad gauge, D = Diesel, S = Shunting). It is a rod-type shunting engine, and 662 units were built between 1967 and 1990 at the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW). Most of them have also been retired by 2025.
Electric Locomotives


The locomotive on the left is a WAM-4 class, where W = Broad Gauge, A = AC Electric, M = Mixed (passenger and freight). It is a 25 kV AC mainline electric locomotive, with 500 units produced between 1970 and 1983 at CLW (Chittaranjan Locomotive Works).
On the left side of the photo are WAG-1 class units 20311 and 20309. WAG stands for Broad Gauge (W), AC Electric (A), and Goods (G). These locomotives were built between 1963 and 1966 by a consortium of manufacturers including Krauss-Maffei, Krupp, Société Française de Construction et d’Assemblage de Chemins de fer (SFAC), and La Brugeoise et Nivelles. All units have now been retired, with one preserved at the National Rail Museum of India.
In the center of the right photo is a WAG-5 class locomotive numbered 20859. It is a freight version based on the WAM-4 design, produced between 1978 and 1997 by CLW and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), with a total of 1,173 units built. To the far right is another WDM-2 from the 17 series.
Electric Multiple Units (EMUs)


These electric multiple units (EMUs) were used for suburban services in cities like Kolkata. They were manufactured by Indian Railways' Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and were in operation from the 1970s to the 1990s. The doors on these cars were manually operated and often left open during operation.
Kolkata Trams






These are trams operated by the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC), previously managed by the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC). They run within Kolkata and are the only remaining operational tram system in India. The network started as a horse-drawn tram in 1880, later switched to steam, and was electrified in 1902, making it the oldest operational electric tram in Asia. In the 1970s, the network had over 25 routes spanning around 70 km. However, due to the expansion of the metro and other factors, it has since been significantly reduced. As of 2025, only a few lines remain. The rolling stock included a mix of single-car and articulated trams. Unfortunately, as the photos were taken from a moving bus, I was unable to clearly identify the exact tram models or locations.