The VR Class Vr3 was a class of
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
built in Finland. Before 1942, the class was known as O1.
They were nicknamed ''Kukko'' ("Rooster" or "Cockerel")
and they have the same frames and boiler as the Vr Class Pr1 (''Paikku'') locomotive. The first locomotive was ordered in 1924 from Hanomag of Germany, number 10 351 and it was numbered 752. The remaining 4 were produced by Tampella Oy in Tampere. They were numbered 752 to 756.
The VR3 was the largest and most powerful Finnish locomotive of its time. It was a success, but in the hands of inexperienced drivers it could all too easily damage buffers or break couplings. Therefore, a screw-drive regulator was fitted.
[Katajisto, Juhani. (1985). Eilispäivän kulkuneuvoja. Hämeenlinna:Tietoteos. ] At speed there could be longitudinal movement, because locomotive had no bogie wheels, only 5 rigid axles. However, the "Rooster" was generally considered to be a fine locomotive. Some say the name resulted from the slightly louder than normal whistle. They were deliberately designed to work within very large rail yards, where the overall noise level could be very high. For half a century, the chirpy crow of the "Rooster" was a familiar sound in Finnish marshalling yards. They proved to be agile and could easily scale the humps and complex pointwork of marshalling yards where their great power compensated for their low speed.
VR3, the locomotives were in use until 1975.
See also
*
Finnish Railway Museum
*
VR Group
*
List of Finnish locomotives
*
Jokioinen Museum Railway
*
History of rail transport in Finland
*
VR Class Pr1
VR Class Pr1 (original classification N1, nickname ''Paikku'', from Finnish “paikallinen”, local) was a tank steam locomotive for local passenger services of Valtionrautatiet, Finnish railways.
Ordering and delivery
In the 1920s, VR was conc ...
*
VR Class Hr1
*
VR Class Tk3
External links
Steam Locomotives in Finland Including the Finnish Railway Museum
References
* Sakari K. Salo: Höyryveturikirja, s. 14. Helsinki: Kustantaja Laaksonen, 2009. .
* Pölhö, Eljas – Pykälä-Aho, Mia: Suomen juna- ja raitiovaunukuvasto / Finnish Motive Power 1.1.1996., 1996. . Finnish / English
{{Finnish locomotives
Vr3
Vr3
Tampella locomotives
0-10-0 locomotives