Indian locomotive class WDP-3A

The Indian locomotive class WDP-3A, nicknamed the Toaster, is a diesel-electric passenger locomotive that Banaras Locomotive Works at Varanasi developed in 1998 for Indian Railways. The name stands for broad gauge, diesel and passenger traffic, with 3A marking its 3,100 horsepower rating, and the class began life as the WDP-2. Forty-four units, numbered 15501 to 15544, were built until February 2001 as re-geared WDM-3A locomotives with a dual-cab design and a control stand like that of an electric locomotive. At 160 km/h it was the fastest Alco-based locomotive in India, and it hauled trains such as the Pallavan Express and the Trivandrum Rajdhani, but drivers found the radiator side of the cab uncomfortably hot, hence the nickname. EMD locomotives soon outperformed it, and as of September 2026 only 14 remained in mainline service.