From a US perspective, they're an order of 2-10-0 steam locomotives of Russian design ordered by Imperial Russia from US manufacturers to deal with increased traffic during WWI (when the US was still neutral). But, before most of them could be delivered the order was canceled on account of the Russian revolution. However, at the same time the US was entering WWI and the newly formed USRA took the locomotives and distributed them to US railroads while manufacturers started up on USRA standard designs.
For modeling, they (along with the USRA designs) are some of the few steam locomotive prototypes that were used by a large number of different US railroads, though after the war they were more popular with some railroads than others (in particular the Frisco and MNS come to mind).
The US also built the same basic design for Russia in WWII as part of the lend-lease program, but those mostly got delivered to Russia (I know one WWII decapod ended up on the MNS, but I'm not sure about any others staying in the US)
We are fortunate that two WWI era "Russian" decapods survive in full running condition, and one is Frisco 1630 at the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union IL. The Frisco ended up with 21 of these orphaned locomotives. While it became Americanized in its appliances and general appearance, there is some lingering foreign aspect to it, and indeed depending on what railroad purchased them, some retained more or less European looks (although the original buffers on the front pilot and rear of the tender were of course removed). For example the boilers sit higher than your usual American steam locomotive and thus the steam pipes to the cylinders are very very long. You also see this is the steam locomotives in the movie "Dr Zhivago" (which depending on what "authoritative" source you read were either Spanish or Finnish steam locomotives as stand-ins for genuine Russian ones).
But the most interesting aspect of the 1630 at the Museum is the driver tires. The engines were built to Russia's 5 foot gauge. The tender wheels and axles were swapped out to American standing 4' 8 1/2" gauge, but for the drivers they equipped them with extra wide tires.
According to Linn Westcott's massive Steam Locomotives book for Kalmbach, at least a few of the 200 orphaned decapods were sold to the Estonian railways. So not all found their homes in America but most of them did.
There are many reasons to make the trek to Union Illinois to the Illinois Railroad Museum, and the chance to see 1630 in "full roar" is one of them.
Dave Nelson
Do a Google search. You will find all you need to know.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_locomotive_class_Ye
Hope that helps,
Ed
The "Russian" 2-10-0 locomotives were built in the United States to be exported to Russia. Then the Russian Revolution happened, and the locomotives could not be shipped.
The locomotives were then sold to American railroads.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thankyou
A number or 2-10-0 steam locomotives were built en masse during the two world wars -
A bit of further information is here
Cheers from Australia
Trevor
What do's it mean ? What type of engine is it?