OREANDA-NEWS. January 11, 2007. The Vityaz main line freight diesel locomotive designated 2TE25A manufactured by the Bryansk Engineering Plant (BMZ) led a 7,500 metric ton train loaded with crushed stone during its exploitation run, reported the press-centre of Transmashholding.

The locomotive itself weighs 288 metric tons, so the stock weight totals nearly 7,800 metric tons. It is an outstanding capacity comparable to the top foreign locomotives and far exceeding that of series locomotives (e.g., the RZD standard diesel 2TE10M has a capacity of 5,200 metric tons).

The locomotive run form Bryansk-2 to Oryol. The departure ceremony was attended by Valentin Gapanovich, the RZD vice-president and chief engineer, Vladimir Shneidmuller, the Transmashholding technical director, and representatives of the Bryansk department of the Moscow Railways and the BMZ.

The 2TE25A is the first Russian freight diesel locomotive with an asynchronous traction drive manufactured by Russian production facilities alone. The traction converter, which is the key Vityaz innovation, was developed by the VNIKTI and manufactured by the ElectroC company (Moscow). The locomotive is propelled by an advanced diesel engine featuring electronic injection and manufactured by the Kolomensky Zavod, and has new design bogies.

The mass use of new locomotives will dramatically increase the labour productivity of railways staff and the railways total capacity. The better capacity of new locomotives will cut the number of “weak spots” of the Russian railway network.

The exploitation run is the key element of the new locomotive tests. The 2TE25A Vityaz is expected to receive a certificate of compliance and be fielded in 2008.

“The remarkable progress made by the new locomotive creators is a new year gift for all railways staff", Anatoly Meshcheryakov, the Transmashholding external relations director, said adding, "the success achieved shows the ability of the Russian manufacturers to provide the RZD and other carriers not only with powerful locomotives, but also with up-to-date component parts necessary to produce them.”