Moskalev L. Russian Narrow-Gauge Steam Locomotives. Moscow: Zheleznodorozhnoe Delo, 1997. — 408 pages.

In Russian and English languages.

Reviewer: V. Rakov.

From the author

The history of construction and operation of locomotives of a narrow gauge in Russia takes beginning in 1870, when the decision on construction of narrow-gauge railways of common use was accepted by the government. With this purpose the first narrow-gauge locomotives were purchased abroad. Soon domestic factories have become to produce such locomotives, and the steam traction remained a main kind on our narrow-gauge railways during many decades. In 1960, Votkinskii factory produce of the last locomotive of a series VP-4 finished a locomotive production in the USSR. During the subsequent ten years intensive transition to more progressive kinds of traction on soviet narrow-gauge railways occured. Really this process was basically finished in the middle of the seventieth years.

In turn, the given more than hundred-year period can be divided into four characteristic stages.

The first stage — exploitation and construction of the first narrow-gauge locomotives — began following above-stated, in 1870 and proceeded during twenty two years.

In 1892 the Ministry of Ways Communications accepted the “Construction and operating Regulations for Steam-Powered Feeder Railways to Common-Carrier Railways” — an important document, which regulated the main requirements to construction of narrow-gauge railways in general and locomotives in particular. With this moment the second stage began — rough growth of narrow gauge railways number and mass construction of locomotives for them. Such situation has become possible due to the private capital interest in this branch. The second stage finished in 1919, when the distruction in Russia put an end to narrow-gauge locomotive manufacturing among with other technical branches.

The beginning of the third stage — the industrial — was obliged to the decision of problems of the first five-year plans. The narrow-gauge has taken a meaningful place in maintenance of transport needs of the industrial enterprises. The given stage was characterized by issue of large consignments of serial narrow-gauge locomotives by Russian factories with application of new technologies. The Great Patriotic War has compelled this stage to finish.

After the end of the war the narrow-gauge locomotives of standard types construction was resumed and began the final the post-war stage. Though, in the seventieths the steam traction has left on within the USSR, as the exception, on some narrow-gauge railways an acting steam locomotive yet could be met in the beginning of the eightieth years (for example in Novopoltavkа, the Ukrain).

Exposing the material we shall adhere to offered periodization. Considering the history of construction and operation of narrow-gauge locomotives in Russia, one needs to remember, that even up to nowadays it has a lot of “white spots”. It is called first of all by that the account of locomotives during a significant period was conducted by different principles in different departments, and simply was not conducted frequently. The main identifiers of a locomotive: factory number and year of construction, as a rule, appeared only in the technical passport, which was destroyed together with writing off of a locomotive. Thus, usually it is possible to locate data, containing types and quantities of locomotives of particular narrow-gauge railway in central archives, at the best — onboard numbers of locomotives and year of their construction, and only in exclusive case — serial factory numbers. Archives of domestic locomotives' factories appear to be not better, part of materials in which is for ever lost. Till now the history of development of a narrow-gauge locomotives production in Russia was submitted in the technical literature in works of engineer A. Nikitin, professors V. Trubetskoi and E. Mokrshitskii, some other works. The specified books were intended first of all for the experts and, unfortunately, contained a number of the faulty items of information of statistical plan. Comparison of numbers from given various sources revealed significant divergences. Therefore the most authentic items of information, if possible were chosen by comparison from lots of special and official sources.

The absence of published systematized data on narrow gauge locomotives of Russia made the author to create the help review on this theme, which is offered to your attention. Here we should notice, that this book was written by a enthusiast of railways and is faced first of all to those, for whom the history of engineering and railways is necessary not under the debt of a service but voice of soul.

The locomotive are located in this book in chronological order of occurrence of the first copies of each particular series in Russia.

I express words of sincere thanks to a well known engineer and historitian of locomotive production Vitalii Rakov. All those ten years, during which the work on this book was on, Vitalii Rakov showed to it a real interest, made fair and useful remarks, facilitating with materials from his own archive.

The other person, without whom the book about narrow-gauge locomotives would never be possible, was a passion fan of railways, engineer, I. Indra. By his hands he returned to life dozens of archival photoes of Kolomenskii factory, has rendered the significant help in ordering of data, let alone moral support of my work as well.

I beg my thanks to Galina Zakrevskaya, director of the Central Museum of Railway Transport of Russia, for a given opportunity to use photos from archive museum.

At different stages the help to the author was rendered by Alexander Nikolskii, Yurii Ilyin, Alexander Vasilyev, Peter Klaus, Vadim Mironov, Artur Berzin, Aleksei Vulfov, Karel Prohazka, Nikolai Botov, Valentin Balabin, Vyacheslav Doroshenko, Boris Yanush, Pavel Kashin, Igor Timofeev, Vadim Voronin, Bogdan Pokropinski, Aleksandr Kolesov, Gyorgy Vilani, Toms Altbergs, Mihail Nartsissov, Sergei Kostygov, Vitalii Makurov, Igor Prokhorov and many others. To all these people I would like to express deep graetfulness.

And, at last, I am entirely obliged to the All-Russian Company of Railways' enthusiasts, to its chairman Sergei Pashinin, and to publishing house “Zheleznodorozhnoe Delo”, to its editor-in-chief Andrei Myasnikov, for the book “Russian Narrow-Gauge Steam Locomotives” has seen the world.

I shall be sincerely grateful to all interested readers for criticism, remarks and wishes, as well as for any new information.

L. Moskalev.
St. Petersburg, February 1997

Some photos from the book

	Ground transportation at the construction of the Trans-Siberian route. Photo from the collection of L. Moskalev
	Timber works in Kursha in 1930s. Locomotive 159-453. Photo from the collection of L. Moskalev
	Fairlie-system locomotive “Reka Lubovsha” built by Sharp Stewart (2088/1870). Photo reproduced from the collection of Yu. Ilyin
	Locomotive built by Krauss Works at the construction of Irinovskaya Railway. Photo from the collection of M. Nartsissov
	Locomotive N.290 built by Kolomensky Works (5000/1916). Photo from the collection of L. Moskalev
	Locomotive K.4 built by O&K Works (7208/1914). Photo from the collection of Yu. Ilyin
	Locomotive RP-771 built by Chrzhanov Works (155/1929) on Kinder Railway line in Kratovo in 1970. Photo from the collection of M. Egorov
	Locomotive P24-5 built by Kolomensky Works (8223/1941). Photo from the collection of L. Moskalev
	Locomotive Ft4-028 on the museum railway near Pereslavl-Zalessky. Photo by Leonid Moskalev
	Locomotive of series 157 “Lasar Kaganovich-1” on the Kinder Railway in Gorky. Photo from the collection of L. Moskalev

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