"Georgian Solyanka" or Electric Locomotive 4E10

There were several huge and well-equipped locomotive enterprises on the territory of the Soviet Union. One of the most famous was TEVZ – Tbilisi Electric Locomotive Plant.



Its history dates back to the pre-war year of 1939. At that time, it was decided to create a full-fledged specialized enterprise on the basis of the existing electric locomotive repair shop. For this purpose, all the equipment of the locomotive plant was sent to the outskirts of the Georgian capital. Later, a large-scale reconstruction of all available capacities took place.


The work was carried out in the harsh conditions of 1942. And five years later the enterprise was re-profiled to repair locomotives. The plant first turned to assembling electric locomotives in 1957. This became possible thanks to the technical assistance of experienced specialists from NEVZ.

On New Year's Eve 1958, Georgian engineers began producing their first product, the N8-201 electric locomotive. In the following decades, TEVZ assembled a number of different Soviet locomotives, both from components from other companies and from its own:

✅ VL8
✅ VL10
✅ VL11
✅ VL15
✅ EK13/EK14 – railway coke quenching machines

The latest models of electric locomotives were produced in a circulation of more than 400 units and were supplied not only to domestic metallurgical plants. They also proved to be in demand in some European countries – members of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, as well as in China, Iran, Finland, etc.

Models of our millennium

In the post-Soviet period, the circulation of manufactured products decreased significantly. Mainly, due to the fact that connections with Novocherkassk colleagues - the main suppliers of components for many units of assembled electric locomotives - were interrupted.


But already at the beginning of our millennium the enterprise tried to create new modifications, most often by modernizing locomotives of the Soviet period. Thus, from the uncoupled sections of the 11th and 15th models in 2000, Tbilisi engineers were able to create two versions of passenger equipment.



The first modification, created as two experimental machines, became a kind of step for the further development of the enterprise. Another goal was the maximum localization of the assembly process by the type of closed production. To create a conditional novelty, elements and units of both the regular VL15 and the special version E13 were used. In this case, the following alterations were required:

✅ modernization of the cabin mask
✅ in the head part – a single piece of glass without a crossbar
✅ installing a controller instead of a steering wheel
✅ other minor homologations

The resulting experimental passenger electric locomotive had a low traction motor power (750 kW). Therefore, the four-axle equipment was used only for towing light trains and on sites without significant elevation changes. And, as is well known, there are few of these in mountainous Georgia. On level ground, the locomotive with two or three cars could confidently accelerate to 120 km/h.

This modification was developed in a very short time due to the fact that the creative backbone of the TEVZ (Elektrovozstroitel) design bureau was preserved. Its promising purpose was considered to be the possibility of export to the countries of the former Yugoslavia. The successful developments achieved in this model were tried to be applied in the subsequent line:

✅ 4E10 – four-axle, produced in small series
✅ 6E1 – six-axle electric locomotive
✅ 8E1 – a locomotive with two four-axle sections

Unfortunately, the last two machines remained as unrealized projects of TEVZ. But 4E10, also prepared in an emergency, still entered local lines and even in a single copy was able to work on Russian railways. Here are some of its features:

✅ purpose – cargo and passenger
✅ power supply – from DC network
✅ braking – electrodynamic type

The locomotive created by Georgian engineers can be called a real "hodgepodge". After all, its design included elements of several USSR legends at once: VL10, VL11 and even VL11M. But there were also some new developments and solutions. For example, the safety system, which received a cyclic stabilization circuit with self-excitation.


The use of a pivot device guaranteed reliable transmission of both traction and braking force between the locomotive bogie and the body. As a result, the electropneumatic alternative was abandoned altogether, and the starting and braking resistors had to be strengthened.

Other features and indicators of the electric locomotive

The design also includes some other elements that facilitate comfortable control of the equipment, including in extreme situations. Namely: the presence of an anti-unloading device, foot-operated engine shutdown (in case of a malfunction of one of the traction motors) and an effective signaling system that informs the driver about a violation of the integrity of the brake line of the train.

The design concept allowed the operation of the 4E10 locomotive with three or even two serviceable TL-2K traction electric motors, which had an hourly power of 670 kW. And here are the other characteristics of the machine:

✅ total power of the traction electric motor – 2680 kW (3644 hp)
✅ maximum speed - 100 km / h
✅ type of power supply current – ​​direct, voltage 3 kV
✅ Electric locomotive weight – 90 t

As mentioned above, the creators were able to borrow the most successful technical solutions from various models of the past. The controller is installed from the VL11M modification. The engineers liked its versatility and practicality: the handle has the ability to both adjust the traction mode and perform electrodynamic braking.

At the same time, the entire small batch of 4E10 received their bodies from decommissioned and written-off VL10 electric locomotives. Therefore, both outside and inside, they differ little from the locomotives of the past. The only element that immediately catches the eye is the new speedometer, which replaced the anachronistic speedometer.


Neither the small weight of the electric locomotive nor its limited power allowed operation with a large number of passenger cars. It was experimentally established that the 4E10 could overcome the long Surami Pass with a train that had no more than six elements. Otherwise, a paired traction with an identical or any other locomotive was required.

In addition to a reliable pneumatic braking system, due to the nature of its use, 4E10 was equipped with a heating system for the train cars. And to power the control circuits or charge the batteries, a compact panel with blocks was installed:

✅ charging
✅ circuit breakers and fuses
✅ voltage regulator

The batch of locomotives manufactured for the needs of Georgian railways included 15 units assembled in the early XNUMXs. But unexpectedly, the story received a short continuation after a one-time Russian order appeared.

For Russia - in a single copy

In 2008, the 4E10/1 electric locomotive was assembled at TEVZ facilities for the needs of the Kostromskaya mine. It was painted white and green, different from the equipment assigned to the Tbilisi-Passazhirskaya and Khashuri depots. It also has some other differences from its "Georgian colleagues", but the general parameters are the same: length - 16,45 meters, width - 3 meters.


The unique Russian specimen was delivered to the country through the general representative of the Georgian enterprise JSC Dortekhkomplekt. For a little over ten years, the locomotive was intensively used at a mine engaged in the extraction of minerals. In 2019, it underwent a medium repair at the Dema depot.