Russian SO17 1-5-0 Steam Locomotive Named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze, the SO17 (kyrillic:»CO17«) was the first Russian 1-5-0 steam engine. Developed at the Bryansk Engineering Plant (BMZ), the SO-17 was basically an improvement of the »E« Series which received a strengthened suspension and a larger boiler as well. After the evacuation of the Bryansk plant in late 1941, production of the SO17 was resumed at the new locations of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. The SO17 proved robust and reliable in service and was widely deployed to frontal supply duties. Officially, it was a SO17 transporting Stalin and his staff to the Potsdam conference in July 1945, However, according to rumours probably spread by »western revisionists«, the SO17 broke down before reaching Germany and Stalin had to switch to a Lend-Lease ALCO RSD-1 diesel engine in order to arrive in time. He was quite impressed by the American loco and ordered to copy it instantly. Russian supply train loaded with KV-1 and T-28 tanks and captured in 1941

Several SO19 (SO17 variant with increased axle load) as a welcome German prey in the summer of 1941