New locos from around the world working in central Asia

THE former Soviet Republics of Central Asia have been modernising their rail network and locomotive fleets in the 30 years since the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.

All started with a similar selection of standard Soviet Railways locos, such as ‘VL80’ Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo 25kV AC electrics, Czech-built ‘ChME3’ Co-Cos, Russian-built ‘TEM2’ Co-Cos and main line diesels of the ‘2TE10’, ‘TEP70’ and ‘2M62’ designs.

Since the 1990s the newly independent countries, which are all members of the Russian-led Commonwealth