In 2002, GE Transportation bought an old locomotive that had been taken out of service by the Russian Railways (RZD) joint-stock company. GE experts in the States decided to keep its external trappings and wheels, but completely overhauled everything else to create something of a trailblazer on the Russian market.
After modernization, the locomotive was delivered to Russia for trials. With a new American engine and electronics, the train spent a winter on the tracks alongside similar Russian locomotives. It soon passed its first test with flying colors, as specialists established that the new equipment could withstand the Russian winter without any problems.
However, it may be some time before these locomotives appear in Russia en masse. RIA Novosti has learned that there is no immediate prospect of the Russian locomotive fleet being modernized at GE plants in America. However, Russian Railways boss Gennady Fadeyev has said if the trials show that the American locomotive outperforms its Russian counterparts in terms of price and quality, the American company would win a contract.
Comparative trials of the locomotive modernized in the States and similar Russian vehicles are under way. Although no official results have been released yet, the American locomotive has passed a series of certification tests and Gosstandart has issued a certificate for the American diesel engine in the locomotive.
It seems, however, that Americans are quite satisfied with the results. It is not the first time that GE Transportation has modernized Russian or even Soviet locomotives: in the past three years, for instance, the company has signed two contracts with Kazakh railways on modernizing 254 locomotives and a contract with Mongolian railways for 22 locomotives.
So even if the locomotives have not yet appeared in Russia, the way for them is open in neighboring countries.
