Five Russian Engines

As a Christmas present to everyone, here's a photo of five Russian engines in the October Railway Museum, Saint Petersburg. From foreground to background:

- E-class freight steam engine Er-750-04: Built from the 1910s to the 1950s to pull any kind of freight train. With anywhere between 10,000 and 14,000 built, this is the largest class of locomotive ever built.

- ь ("Soft sign")- class tank engine ь-2023: The ь-class was the overall designation for freight tank engines, and this one in particular is a 0-6-0.

- S-class express steam engine S-68: The S-class was developed by the Sormovo Works to pull medium to heavy passenger trains at (for Russia) express speeds. It led to the even faster and more powerful Su, of which thousands were built.

- SO-class freight steam engine SO17-2413: This lightweight class was named for Sergo Ordzhonokidze, Soviet conqueror of the Caucasus in the Russian Civil War. It could pull heavy trains on lightly laid lines. This engine appears in my picture "Forward to Communism."

- TEP80-class express diesel engine TEP80-0002: The second of a pair of experimental eight-axle express diesels, TEP80-0002 set the diesel speed record at 271 kilometers per hour in the 1980s. Sadly, the collapse of the Soviet Union prevented further development.

Merry Christmas to all the world!