The first Russian passenger mainline steam locomotive is 180 years old

On August 11, 1845, the first Russian mainline steam locomotive was created in St. Petersburg, intended for the railway under construction between St. Petersburg and Moscow. The production of this locomotive was entrusted to the Alexandrovsky Iron Foundry, founded in 1824 and located on the banks of the Neva River near St. Petersburg.

Following the first ones, other steam locomotives appeared, differing in power, number of driving wheels, and other characteristics. They quickly acquired a narrow specialization, dividing into freight, passenger, and shunting locomotives. Thus, Russian locomotive construction began to develop rapidly as soon as the railway ceased to be a curiosity and became a full-fledged transport enterprise.

Initially, there was no single standard railway gauge in Russia. The Tsarskoye Selo Railway had a width of 1833 mm, the Nikolaevskaya – 1524 mm (corresponding to the standards of the southern states of the USA), and the road to Warsaw – 1435 mm. Emperor Nicholas I, being an engineer by education, established a width of 1524 mm for the main lines.

In just two decades, the Russian Empire completely got rid of dependence on the import of steam locomotives. By the beginning of the 20th century, domestic industry fully satisfied the internal demand for steam engines. Over the past twenty years before the revolution, an impressive number was produced — 16,064 steam locomotives of various models. These machines were distinguished by exceptional reliability and versatility: they were unpretentious, could run on various fuels besides coal, withstand significant overloads (four times higher than the norm), and were economical in operation and repair. It is not surprising that Russian steam locomotives remained in service for over a hundred years, and the last one rolled off the assembly line in 1956.

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