A video of the repair job has gone viral.
Putting their lives at risk to avoid inconvenience to the passengers on their train as well as the rakes behind them, two loco pilots carried out a complex repair on the engine while one of them was practically dangling off the side of a bridge in Uttar Pradesh.
The Narkatiaganj Gorakhpur Passenger train was trundling along on Friday when a sudden air pressure leak from an unloader valve in the locomotive caused it to stop. The engine and a few coaches were atop a bridge and, knowing that it would take time for technicians to arrive and fix the problem, the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot clambered down to check for themselves.
A video, which is now going viral, shows one of the loco pilots crawling under the engine while another balances himself dangerously close to the edge on the bottom ledge of the bridge. He can be seen below the sleepers placed under the tracks, holding on to areas around them to keep from falling off.
The two daredevils managed to solve the problem between them by plugging the air pressure leak and their courage and ingenuity have also been applauded by the railways. The Samastipur Divisional Railway Manager, Vinay Srivastava, has announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for both loco pilots.
An official said the place where this happened is bridge number 382, between Balmikinagar and Paniyava.