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4rail.net
- Reference - Estonia Welcome to Estonia Main Page. Please pick the category or article below! |
 Best Viewed with Mozilla Firefox! Click the pictures to see the larger versions! Estonia and Railroads General data - Independent country 1918 - 1940, regained it's independence in 1991 - Parliamentary democracy Eesti Vabariik (Repulic of E.) - European Union member since 2004 - 45227 km2 - 1,307 million inhabitants (2008) population decline 0,6%/year 68% Estonian, 25% Russian - Capital: Tallinn, 400'000 - Other bigger cities: Narva, Tartu - Coordinates: 59 00 N, 26 00 E   - GDP per capita: $21100 - GDP real growth rate 7% Railroads Track length: 1024 km ( xxx miles) out Main gauge: 1520 mm (5') - Infrastructure owned by Eesti Raudtee and Edelrautee, which grant the operating licenses. - Operators: Eesti Raudtee, GO Rail, Elektriraudtee, Edelraudtee, Transoil, Spacecom, RZD, Go Track, Volker rail, VR Rata,  Estonian operators
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- Estonia has a railroad network of 1024 km, out of which 115 km double track. 132 km is electrified. Other Interesting subject Roster Pages  Estonian Roster Picture
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Rolling Stock Reference  2TE116... TEP70...
Estonian Railfan Tours  Estonian Tour
2007! POP! |
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General information on Estonian Railways In the end of the 1990's when the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania regained their lost independence from the Soviet Union, the reborn national railways simply took over Soviet raillines, trains and equipment residing on their territories. Since these states joined the EU in 2004, especially Estonia moved quickly forward towards the general new EU idea of free competition in railway operations and a railroad maintenance institution which is separate and independent from the once national main railroad company. In many aspects the Estonia can be seen as one of the forerunners in the liberalization of the railroad traffic within EU and between Estonia and Russia. 4rail.net editors have been visiting Estonia frequently and found out that every year the environment is somehow significantly different from years before. Welcome to join us with the articles in the Estonian pages! |
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Estonian Infrastructure and Future of the Estonian Railway Operations Estonia has a great potential to build world scale infrastructure for its passenger and freight rail operations. Currently Estonia has a number of efficient seaports, all connected with excellent freight rail infrastructure. Passenger infra suffers from the neglect and lack of investment during the Russian and the latter independence period. If you look at the map, Estonia could build its place in the crossroads between the East and the West, the North and the Central Europe. It could be an important link to connect Finland with Berlin with land connection as well. This could be achieved with a tunnel under the Finnish gulf and extending the high speed network from Berlin to Tallinn. If the automatic gauge change is possible between Moscow and Berlin, why not use it in the Polish border as well to build this link? We will add an Estonian infrasturucture page in the near future.  Estonian Infrastructure Page Estonian Stations Page |
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Estonian Rail Operators and Rolling Stock
Owners Most visible of the Estonian rail operators is the Eesti Raudtee (Estonian Railways) once owned by Ed Burkard (of Wisconsin Central). Other well visible operators include Edelraudtee, Elektriraudtee as well as Transoil, Spacecom, etc. There are also local operators like Sillamäe Sadam and Kohtaljarve burning rock railroads. Estonian Operator and
Owners Page...
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Estonian Rolling Stock This section references the most usual Estonian rolling stock and discusses their origin. As Estonian borders are open to railroading everywhere except north there are lots of types and classes! Estonian Locomotives Page Estonian EMUs and DMUs Page Estonian Freight and Passenger Cars Page Russian Locomotives Page... The Old Estonian Roster Page... |
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Estonian Vintage Rolling Stock Estonia Vintage Rolling Stock Page...
Estonian Picture Page in Gallery 4rail.net Gallery Estonian Picture
Page...
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Field Guide to Estonian
Railroads Visiting in Estonia? Ask us on the Estonian Railroads Field Guide! Railfan Trip Reports Always popular tour report from Estonia in 2007, Part1...
Always popular tour report from Estonia in 2007, Part2...
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Organization running the Railroads |
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The
once national monopoly, Eesti Raudtee (Estonian Railways), which up
to 2001 was up to 61% owned by the state, was by that time privatised
and got some major investor owners of Estonian family heritage from the
USA. This led quickly to the import of a fairly large number of old US
locomotives, which were subsequently regauged to broad track. After
years of discussions the competition situation chancing the ER was
bought back to Estonian state. However, European and Russian
open
access remains. The move was made mainly to regain the European style
ownership of the infrasturucture. |
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rail network from ER was around 700 km. During the American owner years Eesti Raudtee was mainly taking care of oil and other raw material transports from Russia to Estonian harbours. These transports were mostly organized to American style long unit trains. |
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Rolling stock consisted initially of old Soviet machines of common types like 2TE116, M62 (equivalent to East German Br V200, the “Taigatrommel” or “Shaman´s Drum”) and the double locomotives 2M62 as well as the TEP-60 and TEP-70 for passenger traffic. ER still uses four of the old and huge TEP-70. In 2002 58 American GE-built engines of the type C36-7 were bought from the Union Pacific Railroad, regauged and equipped with the new electrical systems to become C36-7i's. Another 19 engines of the type C30-7 from CSX and Norfolk Southern followed in 2003. Since that time these have been used in heavy cargo traffic as a new class 1500, which quicky pushed aside first the 2TE116 engines and later also many of the M62s. According to the EVR personnel C3X-7i's have proven to be very reliable and can be used in numerous tasks. Operators page
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Passenger traffic in Estonia |
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Tallinn area local commuter traffic is run as a separate venture
called Elektriraudtee (Electric railroad), still using 14 old ex-Soviet
electric multiple units of the types ER1, ER2 and ER12, but mostly ER2.
These have during 2005-2007 been partly renovated and repainted. The company Edelaraudtee (EER; = Southern railroad) was established in 1996 as a state owned business. It took over a large share of the domestic passenger traffic as well as trains to the neighbouring two other Baltic states in cooperation with their national railroad companies. However, after government subsidies ceased in 2001, a lot of this long-range traffic has been closed. EER operates mainly with 30 diesel multiple units of the types D1, DR1, DR1A and DR1P, which all are old Soviet types. EVR Ekspress / GO Rail is a joint venture of the EER and ER and it runs two international long-range trains on the routes Tallinn – Moscow and Tallinn – St Petersburg using Russian long distance train coaches and ex-Soviet diesel locomotives of the type TEP-70. MOW is freely competited these days and the winners seem to have been GO Track and a newcomer VR Rata from the Estonian northern neighbor Finland. Since the countries share the gauge 1524mm/5ft, there are numerous Finnish originating MOW equipment on the Estonian side, but no Estonian on the northern side, where no competiton exist for the being. Operators page
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Narrow gauge of Estonia |
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| All three Baltic states once had a very extensive narrow gauge network, but today very rare remnants remain. Only two small networks of 750 mm gauge remain active today and even these might not have regular daily traffic and neither of these are in Estonia, but in the neighbouring Latvia. However, some of the ex-Estonian narrow gauge diesel locomotives of the Soviet type TU-2 still remain. | |||
Original text by Ilkka Siissalo 3.8.2007. 2008 updated by John McKey to match the current situation. Key data sources: Greg McDonnell, Field Guide to Modern Diesel Locomotives, Kalmbach Publishing Co. 2002, Richard Latten: Jahrbuch der Europäische Eisenbahnen, 2002, 2003 and 2004, Rüdiger Lüders: Lok Report, Todays Railways Europe edition, Brian Solomon: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railways, MBI Publishing Company 2005, Europa Reiseführer für Eisenbahnfreunde and NGV Verlag AG: 1000 Lokomotiven. trainorders.com CIA World Fact Book Wikipedia Helsingin Sanomat Newspaper |
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| Rolling Stock Reference - Estonia | |
| Super High Speed and High Speed Unit Trains | |
| None for the moment | |
| Although
no trains exist, 'Rail Baltica' would provide an excellent corridor
between Finland, the Baltic Countries and the Central Europe through
Poland and Germany. Via Baltica has been a very successful road
connection bringing these countries closer to the heart of the European
Union (and adding some more traffic to it's congested roads).
Rail Baltica would provide excellent connections on the rail. Building
high speed infrastructure on the relative flat terrain again would be
relatively straight forward. 4rail.net will report on the progress of Rail Baltica, when there is progress on that area. |
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| Other Unit Trains | |
| DMU's | |
| Edelaraudtee | |
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Type:
DR1 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) Usage: Medium distance passenger duties Units: Built: Energy Source: Diesel fuel Power output: kW/Hp Tractive Effort: kN start/continuous Transmission: Wheel arrangement: Maximum operational speed: 120 km/h |
| DR1A
diesel multiple units of Edelaraudtee are nowadays typical long
distance trains in Estonia on routes around Tallinn. They were
delivered in 1984 to the that time Soviet Baltic Railways and
remotorised, renovated and repainted in 1994 at the Balti
Laevaremonditehas Umeks. Their maximum speed is 120 km/h. Picture above from Tapa and below from Tallinn station 16.10.2004. |
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| Locomotives | |
| Eesti Raudtee - C30-7i, C36-7i | |
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Type:
C30-7i Usage: Medium to heavy freight locomotive. Long distance, road switcher and even local switching duties. Units: 19 Built: (C30-7 production 1976 - 1984) Energy Source: Diesel fuel Engine: GE 7FDL12 or 7FDL16 Power output: kW / 3000 Hp Transmission: Diesel electric DC Alternator: GTA-11 Traction motors: DC, 752 Tractive Effort: 40'800 kN / 90'000 lbs or 43'800 kN / 96'000 lbs on newer units Wheel arrangement: C-C Maximum operational speed: Speed severely limited by infrastructure |
| See Roster page
for more information and pictures... |
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| C30-7i's
are a really multipurpose locomotive type to the Eesti Raudtee. These
"work horses" can be found anywhere in just about any kind of work
including additional power to road freights, road switching and even
local switching. At local switching work the units seem highly
overpowered, with just notches 1-3 used to move the train. The engine
is mostly idling. Although the units are from 1980's, inside the cabin almost completely silent. In the U.S., where the locomotives originate, it was norm in the 1980's that the noise level was kept at 73db! A great norm would that be even today. To diminish the otherwise great silence it seems that on at least some of the C30-7i's, the brake valve, while released, leaks into the cabin, making earbraking sound (the pressure of the brake line is relatively high). It seems like the pressurized air production on the demanding switching job is a nonissue to the C30-7i, always abundant supply available to any switching work. The origins of this great and very rugged locomotive show easily: While the visibility forward is great, to the long nose direction it is hard to see anything on the other side of the engine (it's hard to imagine, why the NS had a habit of running it's locomotives long nose forward until late 1980's!), so unless there is a fireman abord, the driver is half blinded driving that direction. The steps of the locomotive are ment to be climbed only facing them, but offer solid although narrow steps that are easy to climb. There is one dinosaur inside the cab: The standard (still used on newer EMD locomotives!) AAR control stand for the engineer looks like it 19'th century. The ergonomy must be unheard of... |
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| Eesti Raudtee - C36-7i | |
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Type:
C36-7i Usage: Heavy road freight locomotive. Long distance duties. Units: 58 Built: 9-11.1985 to Missouri Pacific > Union Pacific Railroad Energy Source: Diesel fuel Engine: GE 7FDL16 Power output: kW / 3750 Hp Transmission: Diesel electric DC Alternator: GTA-24 Traction motors: DC, 725AF Tractive Effort: 43'800 kN / 96'000 lbs ?start/continuous? Wheel arrangement: C-C Maximum operational speed: Speed severely limited by infrastructure |
| See Roster page
for more information and pictures... |
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| These
high horsepower monsters are seen handling Eesti Raudtee heavy freights
mainly from Russia to Estonian harbors. The trains include coal, oil,
lumber and powder/grain unit trains and some manifests. Some of the trains span kilometers! While the trains approch the level crossings in Estonia, they sound their horns, which are very well audible. The sound is low, more relaxing than rising alarm, consisting of the sound of 3 or 5 different horns. Judging from the sound the horns are still operated with the pressurized air from the locomotives air sources. When dirty from the dirt and exhaust, these horns sound like they had got a cold... The engines have a warning bell as well with a relatively low intensity. |
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2te116's,
Russian built double diesel monsters theme page...
TEP70,
heavy Russian built passenger diesel...
Estonian Roster
Page Latvia,
south of Estonia, lot of Soviet tradition lives on... Lithuania,
the country between 1520 and 1435 mm gauge worlds...
Finland,
north of Estonia across the Finnish gulf...
Russia,
east of Estonia, the traditional empire of the area...
4rail.net
fall 2007 highly popular report on railroads between Tallinn and Narva
on the eatern border of Estonia...        |
