TU2-261 with a freight train in Goljanovskaja station in September 1991.
Photo: A.Kolesov.
Nižnij Tagil (Lower Tagil) is situated in the Ural Mountains, 149 km north of Ekatarinaburg. It is an industrial town on the broad gauge line from Ekatarinaburg to the north. From here a 64-km long narrow gauge line was built via Chernoistochinsk to Visimo-Utkinsk. This is a village southwest of Nižnij Tagil, high in the Ural Mountains. The line was build in several stages between 1895 and 1897. Later a branch line to Vostrjak opened. The system had the somewhat exotic gauge of 844 mm.
The railway's main task was the transportation of gold and platinum ore to the metallurgical industry in Nižnij Tagil. But the trains also carried coal, dunite and timber. There was also a public passenger service.
Since 1942 the Nižnij Tagil Metallurgical Combine and its successors have operated the railway. Inspite of its status of industrial railway the line remained in use for public passenger traffic.
In 1960 the line was regauged to 750mm. The original rolling stock with its different gauge was now useless and therefore was replaced by new class TU2 diesels. Already in 1960 at least TU2-259 and five class PV40 passenger coaches were used. Later (until 1-1-1963) five more TU2s were taken into service.
| number | obtained from |
| TU2-016 | Virgin Lands / Shilda? |
| TU2-046 | Margutsek |
| TU2-210 | Beloretsk |
| TU2-259 | Kaluga factory |
| TU2-260 | Kaluga factory |
| TU2-261 | Kaluga factory |
It is said that also TU2-270 was in Niznij Tagil in 1961 (unfonfirmed).
Later the railway also received class TU4's (in the 1960s) and later class TU6D, TU7, TU7A-s (in the 1970s and 1980s). But these could not completely replace the old TU2s.
TU2-261 with a freight train in Goljanovskaja station in September 1991.
Photo: A.Kolesov.
In 1991 the railway was separated from the metallurgical combine and it has acted as an independent railway company since. It continued to run freight trains with dunite (raw material for the brick industry) from the Solovgoreskaje mine to Nižnij Tagil. There were also long passenger trains with approximately six PV51 passenger coaches. In 1993 these were already hauled by modern class TU7 diesel locomotives. The TU2s were taken out of service aroudn 1990. In 1991 TU2-261 was still in Nižnij Tagil. Even in 1995 at least four class TU2 were observed at the depot at Galjanovskaya station, amongst which the light blue locos TU2-046 and TU2-260.
The passenger traffic came to an end in 1998. Due to alleged mismanagement the railway company came into financial problems and went bankrupt in 2000.
Because the freight traffic had to continue, a new railway company (VGOK) was established immediately. The VGOK took over the line, rolling stock and a part of the railway staff. Under the new management the Nižnij Tagil narrow gauge railway seems to flourish. Every month the railway carries 5000 - 7000 tons of freight. On September 1st 2001 the railway even started to run passenger trains in the weekend again. Due to a lack of passengers this passenger service has ended after one year.
For the freight trains the railway had 11 diesel locomotives in a more or less working order in 2002. But these are only TU7s. In Summer 2004 there was no trace anymore of any class TU2s.
The south of the Ural Mountains, now referred to as the Republic of Bashkortostan, is rich of iron ore. In 1912 the first section of the 750 mm gauge industrial railway network opened. It was used to carry iron ore from the mines in the area to the Beloretzk metallurgical plant. Later also timber and charcoal were transported. By 1961 the network had reached its maximum extension of 426 km. The heavy trains and steep gradients required heavy steam locomotives. After the Second World War class 157, Sk and GR locos were used.
In 1958 an attempt was made to dieselise the network. A batch of three class TU2 was stationed at Tirljan MPD. These had running numbers TU2-207, 210 and 212. With their 300HP they soon proved to be inadequate for the requirements of this line. So soon after their arrival at Beloretzk, they were transferred away. TU2-207 and 212 have turned up on the Alapeavsk forestry railway in the Ural Mountains and TU2-210 found new employment on the nearby Nižnij Tagil industrial railway.
In 2002/2003 the last remaining lines from Beloretzk to Tirljan and Zigaza closed. Until the last days the Beloretzk - Tirljan line was used for passenger transport. The other line was freight-only. The trains were hauled by class TU7A diesel engines, sometimes in double-traction. In Summer 2004 the network was being dismantled.
Until 1991 a large nickel plant was operating in the town of Verhnij-Ufalej, in the Cheljabinsk oblast. The ore was transported from the nearby mines to the plant by narrow gauge railway. The railway had a total length of 36 km. Apart from steam engines, also TU2-257 and three unidentified class TU3 diesel locomotives worked on the system. The railway closed in 1975 already. Afterwards the rolling stock has probably been scrapped.
