Raahe / Suomen valtionrautatiet 2-6-0 Locomotives in Finland

Class G1/Sk1/Pikku-Rusko (Locobase 5411)

Data from "Passenger and Goods Locomotive for the Uleaborg Railway", Engineering (London), Volume 41 (4 June 1886), pp. 546- ; "A Light Mogul for Finland", Railroad & Engineering Journal, Volume 65, No 4 (April 1891), p 192; and additional data and commentary from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003).

Works numbers were 429-433 in 1886, 480-483 in 1887; 506-510, 515-520 in 1888; 659-666 in 1891; 810-818, 855 in 1893; 993-998 in 1896;

This wood-burner, designed by C A Engstrom, VR engineer, was bound for the frozen reaches of the Uleaborg extension of the Finnish State, which ran to the Gulf of Bothnia. The article points out that this was the most northerly railroad in the world at 65 N latitude, except for a Swedish line. The cabbage-stacker had a plate frame and small tender. Other than that, said the correspondent, it was quite American in design.

The copper firebox was deep and nearly square and the boiler was made of steel. According to the Engineering report, a key feature related to the Finnish climate was the relatively small portion of the grate that consisted of grate bars. The use of "large wood" for fuel meant that a regular grate would allow cold air to hit the firebox plates directly. Plating over the rest of the grate with cast-iron sections addressed the difficulty of keeping a close fire with large wood. It seems to have been an ingenious solution that took account of the air flow through the gaps available in a bed of fuel using large wood chunks to provide sufficient oxygen.

SLM delivered 21 more in 189-1893.

The G1/G4s (Locobase 5625) filled in the earlier gap in power, hauling freight, passenger, mixed traffic, and work trains. As rail weight increases permitted heavier locomotives, the Sk1s performed secondary duties as well as serving as helper engines. 38 were discarded in 1925-1932. Motive power shortages prolonged the service lives of 22 others, which weren't discarded until 1953-1954.

Class G10/Sk3 -- Mummo (Locobase 5622)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary). Works numbers were 2918-2943 in 1901.

This was a two-cylinder, cross-compound design (as opposed to a 4-cylinder balanced compound, e.g.) produced in considerable numbers over several years. The G3, G5, G10, G11 were eventually reclassified as Sk-3. The class nickname was "Mummo".("Grandma")

Karvonen's commentary implies that the four classes were essentially identical in 1942 when they were grouped as Sk3s.

Class G11/Sk3 -- Mummo (Locobase 5623)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003).

This was a two-cylinder, cross-compound design (as opposed to a 4-cylinder balanced compound, e.g.) produced in considerable numbers over several years. These Finnish-built locomotives represented the largest single class and were identical to the Berliner machines that began deliveries in 1901.

Tampella's production covered 5 batches over 4 years:

1901 373-375

1902 376-396

1903 397-406

1904 427-429

1905 430-436

Class G12/Sk5 (Locobase 5631)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary).

Two-cylinder cross-compounds that started in private service on the Raahe railway. Finland's state railway--Suomen valtionrautatie--bought the Raahe in 1926 and gained these two light cross-compound Moguls. Both were based at the Oulu depot, although one of the two went to the Rauma Railway from 1948-1950.

Karvonen noted the greater size and power than most other Finnish 2-6-0s. They also had large tenders.

Their fulfilled their last duties at the Tampere depot before being discarded in 1953 and 1955.

Class G2 (Locobase 5619)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary).

These are four Finnish-built variants of the G1 design that made up the bulk of the VR Mogul stock at the time.

Class G3/Sk3 -- Mummo (Locobase 5620)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003). See also Asteamhead + Sat Mar 09, 2013 5:07 pm post "Re: Richmond two cylinder compound locomotive for Sweden", on the phpBB Home Machinist board at [], last accessed 2 April 2023. Works numbers were 730-734 in 1892 and 1107-1116 in 1898.

This was a two-cylinder, cross-compound design (as opposed to a four-cylinder balanced compound, e.g.) that was produced in considerable numbers over several years. All four G classes (G3/G5/G10/G11-Locobase 5620-5623) were eventually reclassified as Sk-3. The class nickname was "Mummo" (translates as "Grandma").

Later engines used the Dultz intercepting piston valve from the start: all Sk3s received them in the 1920s. Asteamhead on the Home Machinist board wrote that the Dultz was popular, being used in Prussian P4, p5, and P6 passenger locomotives. The valve sat on top of the smokebox and was operated by a lever.

Class G4/Sk1/Pikku-Rusko (Locobase 5625)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary). Works numbers were 3190-3194 in 1894.

This Glasgow builder received two orders for Moguls from the VR. The first five (shown here) finished off the original set of data later reclassified as Sk1 (see Locobase 5411) in 1942.

Class G5/Sk3 -- Mummo (Locobase 5621)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary). Works numbers were 3195-3199 in 1895.

This Dubs quintet was considerably heavier than the SLMs and the five Dubs engines (Locobase 5625) that immediately preceded them on the production line.

G3, G5, G10, G11 were eventually reclassified as Sk-3. The class nickname was "Mummo"("Grandma").

Class G6/Sk2/Pikku-Rusko (Locobase 5626)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary).

Roughly identical to SLM's G1s/Sk1 Moguls (Locobase 5411), but grouped under its own later classification of Sk2. Karvonen explained that the Sk2s were somewhat heavier, offered more evaporative heating surface area, and trailed a tender with more water capacity.

Class G7/Sk4 Pienipyorainen kaanari (Locobase 5629)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary); and Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 21, p. 100. Adhesion weight from specification, where it is characterized as "about 66,000 lb."

The animator's railroad website -- [] (2 April 2003) -- gives us Baldwin's works #:15700-15705 (242-247), 15729-15734 (248-253) in 1898,

16557-17564 in 1900.

Simple, straightforward Mogul that soldiered on for decades. Toward the end of their service lives, these engines operated as switchers.

Class G8/Sk6 Riksmont (Locobase 5630)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary); and "American Locomotives for Foreign Railways," Engineering News, Volume XLI, No. 24 (15 June 1899), pp. 371-374. B Rumary's summary of Richmond production, supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004, showed these were works numbers 2749-2765

Compound locomotives using the Richmond system. A contemporary photo shows a plain cab with small windows, a tall dome over the center, driven axle and a big balloon stack reflecting the determination of the VR to avoid setting its forests on fire.

Class G9/Sk2/Pikku-Rusko-superheated (Locobase 5628)

Data from Markku Karvonen's personal.inet.fi/koti/markku.karvonen/prk/vanha3.htm (visited 29 March 2003) (link no longer active, but Locobase preserved Karvonen's commentary); supplemented by Tampella production grid.

Finnish-built class of small Moguls identical to several classes that later fell into three main groups (Sk1, Sk2, and Sk3). Like the G6s described in Locobase 5626, this pair of batches from Tampella were somewhat heavier. Locobase's data reflects a later superheater installation from the 1920s..