Soviet Railways No. 6998

In the late thirties, the Soviet Railways tested several streamlined steam locomotives to increase the speed of express trains. One was No. 6998, designed by Dmitry Vasilyevich Lvov and built at Luhansk (Voroshilovgrad) in 1938. The goal was to develop a 4-6-4 with a design speed of 180 km/h and an output around 3,000 hp. Although it is today known as 2-3-2В where the В (V) stands for Voroshilovgrad, this designation was never used by the railway.

It was built in parallel to the 2-3-2К from Kolomna, but the 6998 used many parts from the FD and IS. Its main feature was the streamlining with a distinctive bullet nose. To save weight, one used high-strength steels and welded many parts. All axles had roller bearings and the drivers were disk wheels.

After it had been completed, it was first tested in the Ukraine and then entered regular service on the October railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg. On a specific run, it delivered an output of 3,400 hp on an incline. After the war, this streamlining was removed since the speeds of trains were now much lower. Anyway, it set the Soviet steam record with 175 km/h in 1957.