Russia - World's Most Powerful Locomotives Entering Service

[Klause]

Just under 18,000 HP.

https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rolling-stock/single-view/view/13-mw-electric-locomotive-to-tackle-siberian-gradients.html https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rolling-stock/single-view/view/13-mw-electric-locomotive-to-tackle-siberian-gradients.html


For the Trans-siberian railway.


Pull more cars with less tractive units.



RzD (Russian Railways) Is investing heavily in tractive power and rolling stock.

n 2017, Russian Railways invested RUB 58.5 billion (USD 1 billion) to modernise its rolling stock fleet. Last year, the company purchased 459 new locomotives, of which 220 were electric locomotives, and 239 diesel vehicles.
Out of 220 electric locomotives, 21 were purchased for passenger rail services, of which EP1M – 4 units, EP2K – 13 units, EP20 – 4 units. For freight services, RZD purchased 199 electric locomotives, of which 2ES6 – 84 units, 2ES10 – 10 units, 2ES5K – 51 units, 3ES5K – 45 units, 3ES4K – 4 units, 4ES5K – 5 units.
The company bought 19 TEP70BS diesel locomotives for passenger traffic, 86 2TE25KM freight locomotives and 134 shunting units.
The largest number of vehicles was delivered to Kandalaksha locomotive depots (51 electric locomotive 2ES5K and 3ES5K), Chita (45 electric locomotives 2ES5K and 3ES5K), Ershov (49 freight locomotives 2TE25KM), Chelyabinsk (32 freight locomotives 2ES6), Kinel (27 electric locomotives 2ES6), St. Petersburg-Finland (37 shunting locomotives TEM18DM).
RZD estimates that in 2017 the freight volume transported on the network increased by 3 percent, reaching 1.258 billion tonnes, comparing to 2016 level.
Due to infrastructure investments, freight traffic speeds have increased by 2.5 percent and freight train weight was more than 4,000 tonnes.
Russian Railways’ 2017 investment programme reached “an absolute record”, valuated at RUB 500 billion (USD 8.87 billion).

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Klause, you really need to go over there and see things for yourself. Yes, they are making quantum leaps in infrastructure and rolling stock, but you need to see the starting point, and how old the existing technology was, to put it into perspective.

Until recently virtually all of the rolling stock and power units were from Soviet days, and outdated even then.

I've never seen a freight train even 1/4 the length of our unit trains, with much smaller individual wagons, often single axle at each end.
If you travel on a passenger train other than the new high speed exception, you spend more time sitting at sidings waiting for other trains to pass or meet, than moving, if passenger service does so, then I can't imaging how much time a lower priority freight train must wait vs. moving.

See more railroad workers with shovels and scythes than any power tools or machines.

Much of the infrastructure went 30 years without any investment or upgrades, and was poorly built to start with, you can watch it crumble.

As an anecdote, the first time my wife saw the date engraved in a concrete sidewalk in Canada, she couldn't figure out why it said 196*, because concrete couldn't possibly last that long. In Soviet times, every person along the way stole their share of the ingredients for their own use or resale, until the final product was just sand gravel and water, almost without reinforcement. You pretend to pay me, and I will pretend to work was prevalent, and it shows in the final product.

[Klause]

Klause, you really need to go over there and see things for yourself. Yes, they are making quantum leaps in infrastructure and rolling stock, but you need to see the starting point, and how old the existing technology was, to put it into perspective.

Until recently virtually all of the rolling stock and power units were from Soviet days, and outdated even then.

I've never seen a freight train even 1/4 the length of our unit trains, with much smaller individual wagons, often single axle at each end.
If you travel on a passenger train other than the new high speed exception, you spend more time sitting at sidings waiting for other trains to pass or meet, than moving, if passenger service does so, then I can't imaging how much time a lower priority freight train must wait vs. moving.

See more railroad workers with shovels and scythes than any power tools or machines.

Much of the infrastructure went 30 years without any investment or upgrades, and was poorly built to start with, you can watch it crumble.

As an anecdote, the first time my wife saw the date engraved in a concrete sidewalk in Canada, she couldn't figure out why it said 196*, because concrete couldn't possibly last that long. In Soviet times, every person along the way stole their share of the ingredients for their own use or resale, until the final product was just sand gravel and water, almost without reinforcement. You pretend to pay me, and I will pretend to work was prevalent, and it shows in the final product.

Oh, I realize that.

Under the soviet system they were far behind us... but it doesn't matter from how far behind you pass somebody, it only matters that you did

Canada's port infrastructure hasn't seen an upgrade in 50 years till G3 finally built *one*. Our railway bridges are over 100 years old, as are the tracks through the mountains.

Trains here sit on the side of the tracks waiting to pass all the time... we have no twinned tracks here either.


20 years ago Russia was buying grain from us - Today they export more than we produce.

We are facing a national transportation crisis and nobody wants to deal with it.


We have three river systems that can be dredged and would provide tidewater access from Ft. Mcmurry, Saskatoon, and connect Hudson Bay to the Red River.

There is no political will to do so.

We could have a national strategy for power... Have Quebec and Manitoba sell hydroelectricity for fair market value to other provinces that don't have the resource... Instead of transfer payments, and instead of selling power south at $0.03/kwh in MB and buying it back at $0.12 from MT in AB.


We could have Atlantic-Pacific trade corridors, 4 lane freeway, high speed train tracks, and a twinned cargo bed along with a RoW for pipelines - where if they meet engineering standards they are automatically approved.

But there is no national will for that.


We could print a half trillion dollars and spend every penny in infrastructure - bridges to Victoria, tunnels under the rockies, waterways and power lines. We could put 100,000,000 people to work in a blink and turn this country into a super power.


But there is no national will for that.


What we really need is a leader that would rally support, that is cross-platform, and that unites instead of divides... That has the balls to tell certain factions where to stick it. That's what we need most of all.

[blackpowder]

Sums it up

[the big wheel]

Twinning the tracks would more than double capacity. One one way the other the other way non stop. The full potential of rail has never been achieved here.

[jimmy]

Oh, I realize that.

Under the soviet system they were far behind us... but it doesn't matter from how far behind you pass somebody, it only matters that you did

Canada's port infrastructure hasn't seen an upgrade in 50 years till G3 finally built *one*. Our railway bridges are over 100 years old, as are the tracks through the mountains.

Trains here sit on the side of the tracks waiting to pass all the time... we have no twinned tracks here either.


20 years ago Russia was buying grain from us - Today they export more than we produce.

We are facing a national transportation crisis and nobody wants to deal with it.


We have three river systems that can be dredged and would provide tidewater access from Ft. Mcmurry, Saskatoon, and connect Hudson Bay to the Red River.

There is no political will to do so.

We could have a national strategy for power... Have Quebec and Manitoba sell hydroelectricity for fair market value to other provinces that don't have the resource... Instead of transfer payments, and instead of selling power south at $0.03/kwh in MB and buying it back at $0.12 from MT in AB.


We could have Atlantic-Pacific trade corridors, 4 lane freeway, high speed train tracks, and a twinned cargo bed along with a RoW for pipelines - where if they meet engineering standards they are automatically approved.

But there is no national will for that.


We could print a half trillion dollars and spend every penny in infrastructure - bridges to Victoria, tunnels under the rockies, waterways and power lines. We could put 100,000,000 people to work in a blink and turn this country into a super power.


But there is no national will for that.


What we really need is a leader that would rally support, that is cross-platform, and that unites instead of divides... That has the balls to tell certain factions where to stick it. That's what we need most of all.

Who’s going to do the work? The uneducated are on the government tit and the educated are to educated to do that kind of work lol. Easier to tax and spend.

[jimmy]

Twinning the tracks would more than double capacity. One one way the other the other way non stop. The full potential of rail has never been achieved here.

It would be amazing what could be done in this country if we had twin tracks.

[furrowtickler]

Meanwhile here in Canada , environment studies and pandering to speacial interest groups will leave our rail system behind ...

[wmoebis]

Meanwhile here in Canada , environment studies and pandering to speacial interest groups will leave our rail system behind ...

Are we killing ourselves saving the world.

[Horse]

But what would all the capatilists do for thier monoply to keep us working to keep them in luxuary. I am sure the soviets has numerous problems but to think we are superior to them is just plain head up your ass thinking.

[Robertbarlage]

[Guest]

thats unfortunately what will probably happen

[wd9]

Strange article since China had the HDX1.7 at over 19,000 hp and Russia has been building the 17,700 hp versions since 2014.

[LEP]

But what would all the capatilists do for thier monoply to keep us working to keep them in luxuary. I am sure the soviets has numerous problems but to think we are superior to them is just plain head up your ass thinking.

You go around the world, you would be amazed at both the advanced as well as the primitive economies in the world. I would say North America is generally pretty advanced but definitely not the most advanced by a long shot.