Exhibit description

Freight two-section diesel locomotive TE2 414

Highly Specialised

TE2-class diesel locomotives were created at the Kharkiv Locomotive Works in the late 1940s, using the experience gained from building the first Soviet post-war diesel locomotive class, TE1. However, unlike the class TE1, which was a universal locomotive suitable for both mainline and shunting operations, the class TE2 was created as mainline freight locomotives, which was the basis of several features in its design.

TE2 was developed to be a mainline freight diesel locomotive, unlike TE1, which could also be used for shunting.

The new class TE2 diesel locomotive used the same basic power equipment as the class TE1: D50 diesel engine, MPT-84/39 traction generator, DK-304B traction electric motors, two-unit assembly, compressor, etc. However, unlike the TE1, the body of the TE2 diesel locomotive was car-type, not hood-type, with the control cabin located at the end, which is far more suitable for train operation.

The number of traction electric motors per diesel engine-generator unit was reduced from six on the TE1 diesel locomotive to four on the TE2. This eliminated one of the weak points of the TE1 — the “over-motorisation” of the locomotive, with underuse of the diesel engine’s power at high speeds. In addition, changes were made to the electrical circuits, and the design of the refrigeration unit was improved.

Defining Feature

Two Units

Last but not least, the defining feature: the TE2 was designed as a two-unit diesel locomotive, consisting of two identical units. These units were two autonomous locomotives coupled together, operated together as a permanent train, controlled from a single station, and designated by a single operating number.

The TE2 was designed as a two-unit locomotive, consisting of two autonomous locomotives coupled together.

In the absence of the successful production of high-power diesel engines, the use of two units made it possible to use the new diesel locomotives for driving freight trains without reducing their weight rating compared to steam traction. The TE2 became the first Soviet diesel locomotive to undergo series production. In the future, the two-unit design would become a staple of Soviet mainline freight diesel locomotives.

Series Production

528 Locomotives

The first locomotive, TE2 001, was built in December 1948, and the second, TE2 002, in July 1949. After testing of the prototypes, serial production of the TE2 began and continued until 1955. A total of 528 class TE2 locomotives were built in this time (no. 001–528). In 1952, a group of workers from the Kharkiv Locomotive Works and the Diesel Locomotive Department of the Ministry of Railways were awarded the Stalin Prize, second degree, for the design and series production of the TE2 diesel locomotive.

Lack of Water

The first class TE2 diesel locomotives were mainly sent to railways in the Central Asian regions of the USSR, where a shortage of good quality water made diesel traction particularly effective compared to steam. Later, these locomotives were delivered to the railways in other regions of the country and all in all became quite widespread on the Ministry of Railways network, having proven to be simple and fairly reliable vehicles.

The first class TE2 diesel locomotives were mainly dispatched to Central Asia, where they were particularly effective compared to steam locomotives due to the shortage of good quality water.

In the late 1950s, most class TE2 diesel locomotives were in operation on the Kazakh, Moscow-Okruzhnaya, Ordzhonikidze, Orenburg, Privolzhskaya, and Tashkent Railways. Individual vehicles were also operated on the Transbaikal, Kirov, Moscow-Ryazan, Oktyabrskaya, Omsk, and Northern Railways. For many of them, the arrival of the TE2 marked the beginning of the transition from steam traction to diesel locomotives.

Most class TE2 diesel locomotives were operated on Soviet railways until the late 1970s-early 1980s. The last of these locomotives were retired in the early 1990s. Additionally, in the late 1950s, a significant number of class TE2 diesel locomotives were transferred to the Mongolian People’s Republic, where they were operated on the Ulaanbaatar Railway.

In the Museum

The TE2 414 diesel locomotive displayed in the museum (units no. 827 and 828) were built in 1954 and was first used on the Orenburg, Kazakh, and Privolzhskaya Railways.