Steam locomotive Joseph Stalin - IS20

IS20 — passenger steam locomotive Joseph Stalin, with an axial load of 20 tons. It was produced in 1932-1942 at the Kolomna plant, Lugansk Locomotive Plant. 649 steam locomotives were built.
Design work began in February 1932 at the Central Locomotive Design Bureau (TSLPB) at the Kolomna Plant by engineers K.N. Sushkin, L.S. Lebedyansky, A.V. Slomyansky and others. The following tasks were set for the designers: the load from the driving wheelset on the rails is no more than 20 tons; the traction force is 50% greater than that of the SU series steam locomotive and the maximum number of interchangeable parts with the FD series steam locomotive.
The boiler and cylinder block from FD for the new locomotive came up almost without alterations. 4 driving wheel pairs with a diameter of 1,850 mm were freely placed under the boiler, which provided the new locomotive with high speed, and the load on each of them of 20 tons made it possible to achieve a record traction force for passenger locomotives. To support the massive furnace, the rear bogie was made biaxial, its design was borrowed from experimental locomotives purchased in the USA. They also borrowed an overseas bar frame made of thick 125 mm steel sheets. The locomotive was equipped with a mechanical carbon sensor — this provided high power, since it was extremely difficult, almost impossible, to manually service the furnace with an area of 7 m2 manually.
On October 4, 1932, the Kolomna Machine-Building Plant produced the first passenger steam locomotive of the 1-4-2 type. The new IS20-1 steam locomotive was run—in on November 5, and on the 15th anniversary of the Great October Revolution, on November 7, it already arrived in Moscow. In April-December 1933, the IS20-1 was tested on Yuzhnaya, Yekaterininskaya and Oktyabrskaya railways. During the tests, it developed power up to 3,200 hp, and under normal operating conditions — 2,500 hp (which was more than twice the power of the SU series steam locomotives).
In total, only 9 steam locomotives of this series were produced until 1937, mass production began after the construction was entrusted to the Lugansk plant. In 1937 alone, more than a hundred steam locomotives of this type were produced. In addition to changing the place of production and increasing production volumes, there were some design changes — the tenders of the FD steam locomotive were replaced by six-axle tenders of type 6P (type 6P had a water tank volume increased by 5 m3 and a wheel diameter reduced from 1050 to 900 mm). In the same year, the first experimental steam locomotive with an air—streamlined casing and disc wheels was built - IS20-16, which was able to reach a speed of 155 km/h during tests.
The following year, at the World Exhibition in Paris, the steam locomotive IS20-241 won the Grand Prix.
Also, according to rumors, this locomotive was able to prevent an international scandal: a train carrying the US ambassador was traveling from Leningrad to Moscow, the drawbar of the internal engine of the L-series locomotive broke on the way, the train stood for 2 hours, after that the IS locomotive was put in the head of the train, ordering the driver to make up for the delay and the train arrived without delay, developing The speed is up to 160 km/h.
Due to their name, the locomotives were not criticized, but they were not perfect. Due to too much axle load, their widespread distribution was difficult, although the IS-20 steam locomotive was called "mainly passenger". In addition, the steam cylinders developed too much force, which did not correspond to the coupling weight, which is why the locomotives were prone to slipping.
In 1939, starting with the IS-20-269 steam locomotive, the centers of the driving wheels began to be made disc, not spoke, as before, open-type wings were also introduced and buffer bars were reinforced.
Before the beginning of the Second World War, 649 cars were produced. Interestingly, the last evacuated locomotives were completed in Ulan-Ude (together with the locomotives, the equipment of the Lugansk plant was evacuated) in 1942 and after that they did not return to their construction.
The first steam locomotives of the IS series initially worked on the Moscow section of the Oktyabrskaya railway, serving, among other things, the Moscow-Leningrad express Krasnaya Strela between Moscow and Bologoe stations. In the middle of 1935, the locomotives were transferred to Moscow and plied on the Moskovsko-Kurskaya railway, and in 1936 some of the locomotives were transferred to Kharkov to serve the Southern railway Moscow — Kursk — Kharkov — Sinelnikovo became the first long-distance route, which began to be serviced by IS-20 steam locomotives, instead of the SU operating there.
During the Second World War, most steam locomotives were concentrated in the eastern regions of the country and served parts of the Krasnoyarsk and East Siberian roads.
After the Second World War, the locomotive was operated at speeds low enough for its power — about 70 km/h. This was due to restrictions on the destroyed tracks and the restoration of the railway track. Nevertheless, in 1957 an absolute speed record for Soviet steam traction was set — 175 km/h. After the exposure of the cult of personality, the locomotive had to change its name — now it was designated FDp, and also gradually began to be decommissioned. The last IS-20 steam locomotive was scrapped in 1972. This was the end of the glorious history of the most powerful steam locomotive of the Soviet Union.
Factory designation:
2P — 2nd type of Steam Locomotive
FDP — Felix Dzerzhinsky, Passenger, the name was obtained after the exposure of the cult of Stalin's personality in 1956
Features:
It is the most powerful Soviet passenger steam locomotive of the 1930s and 1940s with an efficiency of 7.45%
The 1-4-2 axial formula (1 runner, 4 traction and 2 supporting axles) is unique for the Soviet steam locomotive industry
The boiler, cylinders, axle boxes, axles and spring suspension are unified with the FD steam locomotive, although there is a difference in the axial formula
In 1937, the IS20-241 was presented at the World Exhibition in Paris, where it received the Grand Prix Award
At the beginning of the war, it turned out that the destroyed tracks were not able to withstand the load from this powerful locomotive
 
Modifications:
IS21 (1941-1942 edition, 11 pieces were built) — Joseph Stalin, type — 21, effective wide-tube superheaters (L40) were used instead of small-tube (Elecso-E)
Technical characteristics:
P — steam locomotive, T — tender
Height — 4825 mm
Length — 16,365 mm (N) and 10,070 mm (T)
Width — 3150 mm
Track — 1524 mm
The design speed is 115 km/h
The minimum radius of the curves is 105 m
Power — 3200 hp.
Steam pressure in the boiler is 15 kg/cm2
The heating area of the boiler is 148.4 m2 (IS20) and 123.5 m2 (IS21)
The axial formula is 1-4-2
Service weight — 136 tons (N) and 85 tons (T)
Coupling weight — 82 tons
Empty weight — 118 t (N) and 70 t (T)
Type of superheater — Geisinger
Type — passenger