Soviet State 2-10-0 Locomotives in Russia

Class Group E (Locobase 2514)

These were the first steam locomotives designed to have interchangeable parts. Short-haul freight loco built from 1912-1923. 1,106 built in Russia at Putilov in Kolomna from 1912-1918; 1,200 built in Sweden (500 by Nohab as Esh, and 100 of these subcontracted to Henschel) & Germany (19 builders with 700). Perhaps a total of 2,800 by 1923.

Devised by a committee led by George Lomonossov, they were the first of more than 12,500 Es built over several decades. This group had slightly smaller cylinders and the least superheating surface.

See [] for the history, [] for the data.

Class P/L (Locobase 5848)

[] (a Ukrainian website organizing steam tours) for the data. Dzherelo says the information comes from Anthony J. Heywood & Jan D.C. Button, Soviet Locomotive Types: The Union Legacy (1995). The website's entry says this was the freight locomotive for post-war Soviet railways and were well-liked by their crews.

Originally designated P for Pobeda (translates as "Victory") and the first one off the floor was named "Pervenetz" ("The First -Born"). In 1947, however, the design was reclassified L to connote L S Lebedyanskii, the principal designer at the Kolomna Works; the class's nickname was therefore Lebedyanka.

In addition to the 9-year, 1,762-locomotive Kolomna production run, L-series deliveries came from Bryansk in 1947-1950 (389 locomotives total, then 2,049 from Lugansk from 1950-1955 .

By 1967, the number in active service was down to a still-impressive 2,313 engines. Ten years later 472 were left and by 1987 all by 127 had been put in storage.

Class SO (Locobase 4235)

See [] for the history, [] (a Ukrainian website organizing steam tours) for the data. Dzherelo says the information comes from Anthony J. Heywood & Jan D.C. Button, Soviet Locomotive Types: The Union Legacy (1995).

The BMZ history says they entered production in 1936 and were named for Serge Ordzhonokidze, one of Stalin's closest allies and head of the secret police. One of the class took a 1,200-ton train from Moscow to Vladivostok and back (21,000 km) running "in heavy climatic conditions without any break." SOv, which began production in 1940, had feedwater heaters and forced-draft(? - the English in the BMZ history site says "ventilator supercharge").

A variant was the SO-K, which like the later Class 25C of the South African Railways, sent its steam exhaust back to a special tender to be condensed into water. The BMZ history says this engine could run 1,700 km (1,055 miles) without taking water and used 25% less coal.

After the German invasion in 1941, Bryansk's production was shifted east to Krasnoyarsk where SO production resumed in 1943. The greatest number supplied by one builder was the 1,469 from Khar'kov.

Lugansk followed with 1,399, Briansk with 674, Ulan Ude supplied 574, and Krasnoyarsk added 288.

Some 800 remained active in 1967 (with another 2,370 in storage). Numbers had dwindled to 101 active out of 815 still held and even as late as 1992, 19 were still in service.

Class YeA (Locobase 468)

Data from "Russian Decapods", Baldwin Magazine, Volume 2, No 1 (1st Quarter 1945), pp. 18. See also [] (a Ukrainian website organizing steam tours). Dzherelo credits Anthony J. Heywood & Jan D.C. Button, Soviet Locomotive Types: The Union Legacy (1995).

These were World War II-era near-repeats of the 875-locomotive order originally posted by the Imperial Russian government during World War I. The basic dimensions remained the same, but the superheater ratio grew, as did tender size, and weight on the drivers. Twelve-inch (305 mm) piston valves served the locomotives' cylinders. Four arch tubes supported the brick arch and contributed to the firebox heating surface area. A mechanical stoker in the tender moved coal to the firebox.

Baldwin's detailed article also noted that some of the class was delivered with bar frames "with separate cylinders, crossties and other fittings bolted in place." Within this group, some had frames built up from flame-cut steel slabs, the others with cast steel frames. Others had one-piece cast steel beds "with integral cylinders, crossties, and other attachments."

Baldwin and Alco both supplied locomotives to this order. A total of 2,117 was built. Baldwin's works numbers were 70517-70816, 70901-71400, 71431-71501 in 1944; 71591-71725, 72514-72623 in 1945; this represents 1,116 locomotives produced. Alco's works numbers included 71670-71869 in April 1944, 72193 -72692 in the rest of 1944,73101-73291 in 1945, 73904-73890 in 1946, and 75158-75170 in 1947--a total of 991.

Known as Soyuznitsy, the class at first operated in the western USSR in the wake of the advancing Red Army. They soon were exiled to Siberia and Kazakhstan and most had been put in storage by 1960. Twelve remained active in 1987.