Hi Gary, hi all, thanks for starting this topic!

It had to be strange if I wouldn't appear here, right?

First useful link can be brief official info about Soviet and Russian railways in English, available at the site of RZD - Russian State Railways Company: http://eng.rzd.ru/static...c/rzdeng?STRUCTURE_ID=30

Also I guess that some selected (by me) facts about Soviet railways would be interesting for all of you since we really, really had (and still have) great railway history, extensive railways network, interesting loco designs and much more!

Here is my choice. Lets start from my favoutite heavy and high speed-steam locomotives.

In the beginning of 1930s Soviet government decided to use the U.S. experience (which was actually great) in designing and building of the first Soviet heavy freight steam locomotive. Both countries had quite similar conditions of locomotive service: long distances, high speeds, heavy trains, similar landscape. Therefore in 1931 Soviets bought the U.S. heavy freight steamers Ta and Tb, all necessary working drawings and built heavy freight steamer FD, heavily borrowed from its American brothers. American influence is obvious in this and other heavy steam locomotive designs of the Soviet Union.

FD (Felix Dzerzhinsky) Heavy Freight Steam Locomotive. Built in 1931-1942 (3213 machines). Load per axle up to 22t, power output up to 3100 HP. Used until 1960s, in the beginning of 1960s around 1000 engines granted to China and North Korea.


IS or IS20 (Iosif Stalin) became passenger derivative of FD and the most powerfull serially built Soviet steam locomotive. Built in 1932-1942 (629 machines). Load per axle up to 20t, power output up to 3200 HP, maximum speed up to 115 km/h. Used until beginning of 1960s, few engines until 1972.
Immaculate looking machine, what to add, was favourite loco of the most Soviet loco engineers.



In 1937 streamliner version of IS20 (IS20-16) was built. 155 km/h speed achieved during test runs. Tests didn't go ahead since railtrack on the most territory of the country was not ready for such high-speed service.


However, high-speed experiments continued with this amazing steam locomotive:


Unusually looking streamliner of the type 2-3-2b (so called steamer #6998) was built in 1938 using parts of FD and IS. Main wheel diameter was 2,2 meter, maximum planned speed 180 km/h. Engine has been widely tested before and after WWII in Ukraine and part of Moscow-Leningrad line.


In 1957 2-3-2b set the speed record for Soviet steam locomotives - 175 km/h.


In 1950s the last steam locomotive constructions in the USSR appeared.
1. P36 fast passenger steam locomotive. 251 machines of this type built in 1950-1956. Maximum speed up to 125 km/h. Maximum power output 3077 HP. Finally retired in 1974, this very powerful and reliable engines had to sidestep to diesels and electrics.


2. P38 extra heavy freight steam locomotive. 4 engines built in 1954-1955. The heaviest and the most powerful Soviet steam locomotive. Mallet design construction. Load per axle 20t, service weight of the loco up to 214t, service weight of the tender with coal and water up to 168t, total weight up to 383t, power output up to 3800 HP.
These monsters tested in 1955-1959, including complicated landscapes and severe climatic conditions of Siberia.
Simply Soviet Big Boy!
Just very few photos left.


In February 1956 Soviet government decided to stop all developments related to steam locos and to concentrate on the railways electrification and building of electric and diesel locomotives.

More interesting links:
Soviet high-speed steam locomotives:
Note that IS20-16 streamliner is running at the speed about 130 km/h and being filmed from Polikarpov U-2 Soviet bi-plane aircraft flying at about 110 km/h. So the spectators would think the steamer is faster than the airplane!

On the occasion of 175th anniversary of Russian railways (celebrated in September 2012) great loco parade took place at Shcherbinka RZD test facility near Moscow on September 7, 2012. Here you can see some of the main types of the Soviet and Russian (from 10th minute) locomotives.


Thankfully, with the help of some sponsors and railway enthusiasts, many historical locos in recent years were restored to operational condition. Its great!

Thanks for reading and viewing, all the best, Andrey.

Edited by user 25 December 2012 10:45:52(UTC)  | Reason: P38 info added

Thanks a lot, Gary!



IS20-16 (1937) is almost... New York Central "Commodore Vanderbilt" (1935)

Hi Gary,

thanks for your interest.

IS20s were dark blue (mostly at the beginning) and dark green (at the end of their careers).
Models photos seem to be rather bright and shiny. Colors of actual models are bit darker.

At the same time I don't have any info regarding IS20-16 prototype colors. Presumably prototype was as shown on the model.

The problem is that no color photos and almost no witnesses of the prototypes left. In Russia there are only one or two experienced experts (one of them is former IS20 engineer) who could share the facts about IS.

And only one IS20 (all of them from 1962 were called FDp to dismantle Stalin's cult) survived and set as monument in Kiev (Ukraine).
You can see the tender details on the real locomotive FDp20-578.

Glad that you liked, Juhan!

Now we have the guest from Germany - BR 52.



About 2200 BR 52 were brought to the USSR from Germany starting from 1943 as war trophies or under reparations.
36 built in the USSR using the parts of the German engines partially destroyed during the war.

All BR 52 steamers got Soviet designation TE, were converted to 1520 mm gauge and widely used in freight and passenger service until mid 1970s, mostly in Western regions of the country.

TE got very good feedback from the Soviet railways employees. The only drawback was its sensitivity to coal quality. Soviet regular coal was not as good as German and this resulted in drop of power output when low quality coal has been used.

In the USSR TE got new turbo-generators and air pumps, new smoke box hatches, large headlamps, Soviet standard coupling mechanism and nickname "Frau". In some cases smoke stacks were lengthened, buffers and smoke deflectors removed. Some locos were converted for oil-firing.

Different tenders have been used. Except standard wannen-tender, there were examples with German tenders presumably from BR 01:


And oil tenders:


Passenger locos were mostly blue and green, freight ones - black. However, passenger locos could be easily used for freight purposes and vice versa.

Many locomotives preserved, even in operational condition.

TEP 80 - the world's fastest diesel locomotive



At the end of 1980s Soviet loco industry was working on the new prospective diesel locomotive for the fast passenger service.

Two experimental engines - TEP 80-0001 and TEP 80-0002 - were built in 1988-1989. Locos received diesel-electric transmission, 20 сylinder diesels with turbo pressurization (maximum output 6000 HP) and 8 axles powered.

Normal speed set up was 160 km/h, however during test runs they earnestly demonstrated their flaming nature.

Eventually on October 5, 1993 TEP 80-0002 set up the world's speed record for the diesel locomotives - 271 km/h.

The collapse of the Soviet Union broke all plans to build TEP 80 serially. Some technical inventions were later used on the Russian diesel locomotives.

Some videos depicting TEP 80:

- Setting the world's speed record for diesel locomotives (October 5, 1993)


- TEP 80 at the speed 253 km/h filmed from side of the track (October 6, 1993). Flying like the bullet from hell!


Both locos preserved.

The proud notice on TEP 80-0002 - museum loco.

Edited by user 07 February 2013 11:18:08(UTC)  | Reason: Video links corrected

Since Soviet steam locos models in HO are not present on the model market (almost), Russian modellers get them by converting locos of the world's major manufacturers or even build them completely, using chassis, motors or other parts by well known brands.

Sometimes such "new" models are built in small series.

Here are some examples worth to be shown. Most of them are analogue models.

TE (ТЭ) series in green (passenger service) (ex BR 52, converted from Liliput, by MSG modelle)




TE (ТЭ) series (with oil firing, by Modelldepo)





Em (Эм) series (private manufacturer)




BR 55 (war trophy, converted from Fleischmann by MSG modelle)




BR 94 (war trophy, by MSG modell)




BR 75 (war trophy, by Modelldepo)




SHa (Ша) series (American steamers built for the Soviet Union during WWII)




IS20-16 streamliner by Russian Custom Train. Brass model (already discussed in this thread)



Original locos in Soviet railways liveries from the world's leading manufacturers are rather hard to find, or they cost too much to be affordable for the Russian modellers.
Hope you know the following models, which are not actually Soviet design steamers, just Soviet railways' versions of the steamers used in Germany.

BR 86 (war trophy, by Fleischmann)




TE (ТЭ) series (ex BR 52, by Maerklin)




T44 (war trophy, ex BR 44 by Roco)




Pt 31 (originally Polish steamers, brought to the USSR in 1939, also used in Germany as BR 19. Model by Brawa)




Pt 31 pictured with BR 52 Liliput conversion.