The expert assessed the prospect of Ukraine’s transition to steam locomotives: “These are all toys”

“They will not replace the shortage of electric locomotives, of which there are more than one and a half thousand”

Ukraine, due to interruptions in the power supply of railways, launched steam locomotives on the line. A video of Ukrazaliznytsia passenger trains has appeared, which run under steam traction. About how many steam locomotives could remain in Ukraine, and whether they can solve the problems of transportation, we talked with the chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Russian Railway Workers Yevgeny Kulikov.

The last Soviet freight steam locomotives were produced in 1957. Most of them were supplied to the Soviet Union as reparations.

“The question is how many steam locomotives Ukraine has left in reserve,” says Yevgeny Alexandrovich Kulikov. – During the Soviet Union, there was a special program for the conservation of steam locomotives in case of a nuclear war. Many parking lots were identified, places in the depot where they stood. That’s what they were called – reserve steam locomotives. There were specialists who served them: lubricated, heated boilers, painted. After the collapse of the USSR, I think that Ukraine has a very small number of steam locomotives left. They stood at special parking lots both in the Sumy region and in Zaporozhye. But they sold the bulk of the state reserve stocks to the Chinese for scrap.

The expert points out that the steam locomotive has a low efficiency. And, if we compare it with a diesel locomotive or an electric locomotive, low power.

– This, of course, is not the technique now. Ride, puff, he, of course, will. But there are many factors to take into account. This is metal fatigue. In half of the surviving locomotives, the wheels are unlikely to spin at all. Others are rusty. And, again, there will be the question of fuel. To fire a steam locomotive, coal is needed, maybe oil.

– The steam locomotive can work both on peat and on firewood.

– As a rule, factory steam locomotives worked on peat, which ran on special access roads. Steam locomotives worked on firewood during the Great Patriotic War. But, it should be noted, the firebox must be designed for special fuel. If it is made under coal, then the firewood in it will burn out very quickly, there will be little sense from them. There is a special criterion – the height of the fire. Under it, boilers and furnaces are made. There is practically no own coal in Ukraine now. Firewood, of course, they can cut. But these are all toys. Steam locomotives will not play a significant role in the movement of goods. And they will not replace the shortage of electric locomotives, of which there are about one and a half thousand in Ukraine. But let them play.

Although for some time, as Yevgeny Aleksandrovich says, steam locomotives “can still crawl.”

But, again, the speed will be small. And it’s not clear how the engine-traffic signaling system will work? If we switch to the old system, to the one that is on steam locomotives, then the rest of the traffic will generally stop. These are rather big difficulties. But you can also harness the horses.

The expert also draws attention to the fact that water is needed to service steam locomotives.

– And the water dispensers, as a rule, no longer exist. Previously, they were part of the strategic reserve. Refueling columns for steam locomotives stood at almost every railway station. I don’t think they survived in Ukraine. The fact that steam locomotives have now appeared on their lines indicates that things are bad for Kyiv. Attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are effectively being dealt.