The reconstruction of domestic railway transport is a convincing example of how Lenin's slogan "Communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the entire country" was brought to life.
During the years of industrialization, the primary task in this field was the creation of a mainline freight electric locomotive for hauling cargo trains on the most challenging sections of the steel tracks: mountain passes, long ascents and descents, and tunnels. On flat sections, the new locomotive was expected to pull heavier trains at higher speeds than a steam locomotive. Since electric locomotives for passenger trains did not yet exist at that time, it was assumed that it would also be suitable for this purpose. In short, universal requirements were set for this yet-to-be-born pioneer, and great hopes were placed on it.
In 1930-1931, the technical bureau of the transport department of the OGPU developed preliminary designs for several types of mainline locomotives: the FD series steam locomotive, the electric locomotive, and the diesel locomotive. The maximum wheelset pressure on the rails and traction force were set at 20 tons. The preliminary design was approved by the NKPS, and on March 15, 1932, the working design phase began. This task was carried out at the Dynamo Moscow Electromechanical Plant named after S. M. Kirov, the Central Locomotive Design Bureau, and the Kolomna Machine-Building Plant.
The designers chose a chassis with an axle arrangement of 0-30-0+0-30-0. Since the new electric locomotive was intended for freight operations, it was necessary to achieve maximum adhesion weight while minimizing the mass of structural materials. These considerations led to the rejection of leading and trailing wheelsets. However, the use of two articulated three-axle bogies allowed several seemingly contradictory tasks to be resolved: ensuring the locomotive could navigate curves with a radius of 150 meters, maintaining stability at speeds of up to 100 km/h on straight tracks, and relieving the locomotive body from traction force stresses. The first goal was achieved through the articulated connection of the bogies and the optimal selection of the distance between their outermost wheelsets. The second task was solved by a mechanism that returned the bogies to their original position, while the third was addressed by articulated bogie connections and the installation of coupling devices—screw couplers and buffers—on them.
The suspension of the wheelsets on both bogies was made identical. Leaf springs were used as equalizers, connected to the axles in a so-called statically determinate system. This allowed for an even distribution of the locomotive's weight across each wheelset.
The electric locomotive was equipped with brake shoes operated by a pneumatic system and a handwheel. Space was reserved in the body for an electric braking system.
The locomotive's construction began on August 15, 1932, at the Dynamo plant, the Kolomna Machine-Building Plant, and 14 other enterprises. To reduce production time, the engineers at Dynamo divided the electrical circuit into 14 units, each of which was assembled separately in the workshop and then installed in the locomotive body in its assembled form. As a result, the locomotive’s electrical installation took only 14 days, whereas American standards required three months.
Those exciting days remain in the memory of many veterans of the "Dynamo" plant. Here is what one of them, E. S. Avatkov, recalls: "The task assigned to us inspired tremendous enthusiasm in the team. Foreign companies required 14-16 months for this work. We wanted to create the first Soviet mainline locomotive with our own hands, using domestic materials, and in a shorter time frame. And what happened? The design and manufacturing took only 8 months. It was a great labor victory."
On November 6, 1932, the finished machine left the gates of "Dynamo." At a crowded meeting, the factory workers proposed immortalizing the name of the leader of the proletarian revolution, Vladimir Lenin, in its designation. Since weighing the locomotive showed that each wheelset bore a weight of 19 tons, it was assigned the index VL19-01.
In the spring of 1933, it was tested on the flat section Losinoostrovskaya - Zagorsk of the Northern Railway, and in the summer, on the high-altitude Suram Pass of the Transcaucasian Railway. The test results confirmed all calculated estimates. From March 1934, VL19-type locomotives were produced in series, featuring an improved body design and an electrical rheostatic braking system. These machines soon appeared in the Urals, the Donbas, and even the Arctic. On November 7, 1935, VL19-40 hauled the first freight train from Kandalaksha station on the shores of the White Sea to the Khibiny Mountains.
In the pre-war years, VL19 series electric locomotives truly became laboratories on wheels. Many innovations in railway technology were tested on them. For example, regenerative electric braking, where traction motors switch to generator mode, converting the energy of the moving train into electricity and returning it to the contact network. The VL19-27 and VL19-30 locomotives were modified to operate at two voltages: 1500V and 3000V. This successful experience was implemented at the "Dynamo" plant in the capital, resulting in the construction of the first 12 locomotives with these parameters. Over time, the electrical circuitry and many mechanisms of this machine were gradually improved.
Mainline VL19 electric locomotives were produced until 1939. A total of 145 machines of this series were built. They remained in operation until the early 1970s. The axle arrangement adopted for them proved to be very successful and was widely used in subsequent designs. Simple to operate and easy to maintain, these machines paved the way for movement on many railway lines and served as a school of professional mastery for train drivers and their assistants.
In memory of the enormous role that the VL19 series electric locomotives played in the development of domestic transport, three locomotives have been placed on permanent display: VL19-01 at Hashuri station, VL19-35 at Perm Second station, and VL19-40 at Kandalaksha station.
OLEG KURIKHIN, Candidate of Technical Sciences.