Before 1942 VR Class Vr3s originally had the class name was O1.[1] They were nicknamed “Rooster” / "Cockerel"[1] and they have the same frames and boiler as the Vr Class Pr1 (Paikku) locomotive. The first locomotive was ordered in 1924 from Hanomag of Germany, number 10 351 and it was numbered 752. The remaining 4 were produced by Tampella Oy in Tampere. They were numbered 752-756.[1]
The VR3 was then the largest and most powerful Finnish locomotive. It was a success, but in the hands of inexperienced drivers it could all too easily damage buffers or break couplings. Therefore, a screw-drive regulator was fitted.[2]
At speed there could be longitudinal movement, because locomotive had no bogie wheels, only 5 rigid axles.
However, the “Rooster” was generally considered to be a fine locomotive. Some say the name resulted from the slightly louder than normal whistle. They were deliberately designed to work within very large rail yards, where the overall noise level could be very high. The happy crow of the "Rooster" was for half a century, a familiar sound in Finnish marshalling yards. They proved to be agile and could easily scale the humps and complex pointwork of marshalling yards where their great power compensated for their low speed.[2]
VR3, the locomotives were in use until 1975.[3]
