Donetz 2-4-0 Locomotives in Russia

Class A1 (Locobase 21049)

Data from "2/3 gek. Personenzug-lokomotive fur Russiche Spurweite", Locomotiven, A Borsig (Tegel bei Berlin, 1898), archived on Historical Railway Images, Flickr, at [], p. 3, last accessed 11 July 2022. See also "The Locomotive Engine Works of A Borsig at Berlin", abstracted from Glaser's Annalen fu r Gewerbe und Bauwesen, No. 224, October 1885, p. 143) and published in Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Volume 68 (United Kingdom: The Institution, 1887). pp. 494-495.Works numbers were 3600-3610 in 1878.

A remarkable fact about the builders is reflected, mirror-like, in the order for these eleven six-wheel passenger engines for the Donetz (then Russian, more recently Ukraine). A note that claimed that as of 1879, Borsig had delivered 3,709 locomotives. Perhaps not surprisingly, 3/4s of the total-2,845--went to German or Prussian operators. But more important for the current entry, the second greatest number--718 engines--were delivered to Russian customers. (About 130 others went to other European buyers.)

Compared to other standard or broad-gauge 2-4-0s, this design presented a somewhat larger grate, most likely to handle the relative low-calorie coal.

Locobase isn't sure if the Borsig share of total sales to Russia was the greatest of any single builder, but it seems likely.