In 2015, Russian model railroad manufacturer Peresvet came up with a limited TT scale (1:120) edition of a series Э steam locomotive.

With just 80 copies made of this model and just three of them leaving Russia, I was very lucky to get one. After it had arrived, I could hardly wait to set up a small photo scene. In the background, it also shows a glimpse of my two other Russian steamers.

With 11,000 pieces built over a period of more than 40 years, the prototype was the most-built steam engine outside the US. This makes it also the most-made steam locomotive for 5 ft gauge. While the original version dates back to pre-revolution times, the big success of this locomotive type came in the Soviet era. It was made by many manufacturers inside and outside the Soviet Union, among them factories in Germany and Sweden. There were several modifications to keep track with developments in steam technology. The model shows the version Эм, which was built in the first half of the 1930s.