Russian live steam

[Bill Yoder]

Friends –

A Russian site which uses the very same format as the Chaski site is reporting at length on the building of a very elaborate Russian Felix Dzierzinski-class 2-10-2 in Moscow. I believe it will also have a stoker. See: http://scaletrainsclub.com/board/viewto ... =19&t=9521. It ran on steam for the very first time several days ago. That can be seen on the site, too. The scale is 1 to 5, which works out to a track gauge of 12 inches.

This excellent site has very extensive information on all the major Russian steam locomotive classes, for ex. the P36 4-8-4. It also has much on the US-built 2-10-0s delivered after both world wars. See: http://scaletrainsclub.com/board/viewto ... =42&t=2483.

Incidentally, I would guess that several hundred US-built 2-10-0s still survive, mostly in the Russian Far East.

Yes, all text is in Russian, but the photos aren’t.

Bill Yoder in Orsha, Belarus

[hwboivin3]

Google translate!

I've been browsing that site for the past month or 2.

Lots of goodies on there!


Harry

[Rob Gardner]

Now that is a rather impressive build! Can't wait to see it moving down the tracks with some cars in tow! Is 1 to 5 a common scale in Russia?

Rob Gardner

[Bill Yoder]

Dear Rob - Thanks for responding, I have seen your name often!

I'm afraid to say that this 2-10-2 is the first thing I have seen in Russia between 45 mm G-scale and 600 mm narrow-gauge, full-size. So I am sure there is no "usual gauge" to speak of in Russia other than 45 mm.

I know there are some models in museums here, often 1 to 10 scale. But I have never heard of these locos running. Does anyone else know of any model live steam trains running in Russia? I would be delighted, if there is. I guess I should also be asking on the Russian-language website.

Bill Yoder, in Belarus and Moscow

[ccvstmr]

Bill...

Don't know where you're at in Belarus, but there's a children's railroad in Minsk...2.5 ft. gauge. I believe it's too late in the year to be running now. Used as a training program for teenagers looking to get into the railroad industry. Was sorry it was closed when I was there back in 2007. Enjoy the trip...safe travels! Carl B.

[Bill Yoder]

Dear ccvstmr:

The Pioneer children’s railroad at Minsk, Belarus is 600 mm, I am quite sure, and has not had steam at least since the 1980s. See: http://www.dzd-ussr.ru/towns/minsk/index-eng.html. There are several of the old Soviet Pioneer kid lines that still use steam: Nizhny Novgorod in Russia, for ex. There is a working 600 mm museum northeast of Moscow at Pereslavl, which does run and restore steam. See: http://www.kukushka.ru/.

But note I was stating that I knew of virtually nothing between 45 mm and 600 mm gauge.

I put out a query on the Russian-language forum “ScaleTrainsClub” as to whether anyone knew of live steam. Nearly all answers pointed only to 45 mm efforts. So still, the only live steamer I know of between 45 and 600 mm is the gent in Moscow building the 12”-gauge 2-10-2.

The most promising site beyond the “ScaleTrainsClub” is the following:

http://web.archive.org/web/201407142248 ... .narod.ru/

The site is entitled: “Steam locomotives with your own hands”. It shows a little self-built L-class 2-10-0 in steam, but it may be only 45 mm. A few photos show an outdoor layout of something like 7 ¼ “ track, but I see no vehicles.

[Asteamhead]

Hello Bill,

Thanks for posting that interesting link!
Enjoying the lots of photos, I am impressed by the method of welding nearly everything.
Look, the builder made a working throttle for the superheated steam similar to the prototype!

Asteamhead