Class Sr2 locomotive of the Finnish VR was built by former SLM and ADtranz in Switzerland and is almost identical to the Swiss Lok 2000, also known as Br460 or Br465, but obviously Sr2 is broad gauge and operates on 25kV AC instead of the Swiss 16kV. The driver's desk is also on the other side of the cabin, since in Switzerland trains keep to the left (due to their old UK heritage), whereas in Finland normal right side traffic is practised. When the locomotives first arrived, they were white with red stripes. Now the stripes have changed to green.
Picture from Helsinki central station 26.11.2011 by Ilkka Siissalo

A typical Finnish InterCity train in year 2020 on the route Helsinki to Joensuu, led by a Swiss made Sr2 locomotive and composed entirely of doubledecker coaches.
Picture from Simpele station 23.6.2020 by Sanna Siissalo.

Sr1 series unit 3041 at Helsinki railway station. Manufactured in Novotscherkassk, Russia and by Strömberg, Finland since 1975. Sm1 rapid electric railcar train in the background. This is the original livery of most of the locomotives. In the beginning there were only three yellow stripes at the fronts, but then more yellow color was added (as here) to improve the visibility of the locomotives. Most of the machines were delivered like this. For most of their life, these locomotives have been white with red stripes however.
Photo by Mikko Alameri. Uploaded Feb 16, 1998

This was the very first class Sr1 locomotive that was delivered to Finland. Here it was brand new.
Picture by Arto Hellman in 1974.

...and this is the exactly same locomotive, Finland's first Sr1 in the summer of 2018.
Picture taken by Veeti Rissanen in Iloharju, Kuopio.

VR class Sr1 locomotive no. 3002 at Helsinki central station in front of the regional express train M415 3.4.1992. In those days the locomotives had still their original livery, except that they had received some extra black and yellow warning stripes. There is still not yet an air conditioner on the roof to keep the driver's cabs cool and there is still only one headlight lamp on the roof. The wine red and light grey coaches were used especially in rush hour traffic between Helsinki and Riihimäki. Much later the coaches received a green and grey livery. No. 3002 was the second "Siberian wolf" locomotive to be delivered to Finland.
Picture from Helsinki central station 3.4.1992 by Mikko Nyman.

Sr1 series unit 3013 at Helsinki station. Manufactured in Novotscherkassk, Russia and by Strömberg, Finland since 1975. Note: 140 km/h allowed maximum speed plate, Russian railcars. This red and white livery was the most common throughout their operational life.
Photo by Antti Roivainen. Uploaded Feb 16, 1998.

This is how the old Soviet made Sr1 class locomotives look like in the newest VR livery of green and white. The Sr1 is often also known by its nickname "Siberian wolf" due to its howling noice. In Russia this model was originally named VL-40. VL stands for Vladimir Lenin. These Siberian wolves are today over 40 years old, badly underpowered and suffer especially from corrosion. Some floor parts are made of wood which rots. To replace the wolves, VR has ordered from Siemens a large series of new Vectron locomotives.
Photo of this Siberian wolf is from Jyväskylä station and has been taken by by Ilkka Siissalo 13.4.2011.

Sr1 series unit 3103 arriving at the Turku station on 27 September 1995 at 18.27 (train P133 from Helsinki). Photo by Kimmo Ketolainen. Uploaded Feb 12, 1998

Class Sr1 "Siberian wolf" in red and white livery.
Photo from Jyväskylä station 13.4.2011 by Ilkka Siissalo.

An Sr1 "Siberian wolf" has brought an express train from the north to the Tikkurila station in Vantaa. The locomotive has already the newest green and white livery, but the coaches were here still the old blue and grey ones, which are now rapidly vanishing from Finnish rails.
Photo 13.2.2012 by Ilkka Siissalo.

This funny looking express train was normal practise between Rovaniemi in Lapland and Kuopio in Central Finland. One coach was a 1960s old blue and grey one with a small cargo compartment and the other one was a modern doubledecker. The locomotive was an old Soviet made Sr1.
Photo from Oulu station 23.5.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.

An express train is here seen approaching Rovaniemi station, the capital of Lapland. It looks very mixed in style and color, with a random looking mixture of old 1960s blue coaches, modern doubledeckers and anything in between.
Photo from Rovaniemi station 30.10.2012 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Modern double decker coach InterCity trains are nowadays almost always pulled or pushed by class Sr2 locomotives or the even newer Sr3 Vectrons, but this one still had one of the old Russian built Sr1 machines and still in the old red and light gray livery. Maybe a locomotive failure had caused a change of machines?
Picture of an InterCity from Kajaani to Helsinki stopping at Iisalmi station 12.7.2017 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Same train as above. One of the double decker coaches had instead of the usual white and green livery an artistic full covering with the text "We all are pieces of art". There is only one such coach in Finland. The design was made by a 16 years old young lady Ida Österholm and it was taped to a coach in March 2017. VR would want published pictures of the coach to be tagged with #SamassaJunassa
Picture of InterCity IC70 from Kajaani to Helsinki stopping at Iisalmi station 12.7.2017 by Ilkka Siissalo.

A then new VR Sr2 type locomotive at Jyväskylä Railroad Station after trials (notice equipment wires going in via the door window) between Jyväskylä and Tampere. 16 Feb 1996. Notice the "V" logo that VR was using for only a short time.
Picture by Henri Hovi. Uploaded Feb 11, 1998.

This is how the Swiss made Sr2 locomotives used to look like for many years. By now probably all have received the new green and white livery seen above.
Picture from Riihimäki station 27.2.2011 by Ilkka Siissalo.

A typical Finnish express train, a so called IC2 (Intercity doubledecker), here still with a red and white Sr2 locomotive.
Picture from Tikkurila station in Vantaa 13.2.2012 by Ilkka Siissalo.

VR has ordered 80 Vectron locomotives from Siemens in Germany. This is one of the very first delivered ones.
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Here the new Vectron is already in Finland. Picture during test runs of the Vectron, class Sr3, no 3302, at Ilmala, Helsinki 7.1.2016.
Picture by Miko Rautiainen.

Two of the new Vectrons with a test train.
Picture from Puistola, Helsinki 13.6.2016 by Miko Rautiainen.

A fairly peculiar train for the purpose of testing the new Vectron locomotives: a Vectron class Sr3, a yellow measurement coach A17 and an old diesel of class Dv12 at Huopalahti, Helsinki 22.7.2016.
Picture by Miko Rautiainen.

When this picture was taken, the new Sr3 Vectrons had been used in commercial "real" traffic for only a few weeks and even so, mainly in really remote places of the country. This picture is from the border crossing station of Vartius in northern Finland, where iron ore is being imported from Russia to Finland using Russian coaches. Huge Russian diesels bring the ore trains over the border to this station in Vartius and then Finnish locomotives take over. Now they are either pairs of Vectrons, as seen on the left, or pairs of Swiss made Sr2s, as seen on the right.
Picture from Vartius 27.6.2017 by Ilkka Siissalo.

A closeup of one of the same two Vectrons as in the picture above. This individual is the number 3301, Finland's first Vectron.
Picture from Vartius 27.6.2017 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Two Vectrons Sr3 and one Sr2 parked at the old locomotive stables in Riihimäki.
Picture from Riihimäki 15.3.2024 by Ilkka Siissalo.

VR's Vectron no. 3304 during installation at the Siemens plant in Allach, Germany.
Picture 2.5.2016 by Peider Trippi.

VR's Vectron no. 3304 during installation at the Siemens plant in Allach, Germany, seen from the front.
Picture 2.5.2016 by Peider Trippi.

VR's Vectron no. 3304 during installation at the Siemens plant in Allach, Germany, seen from the front. The front of the Finnish Vectrons differs from the normal Vectron models. This is because in Finnish harsh climate there is a need for better protection against flowing snow, which might pack and block the normal openings at the locomotive front.
Picture 2.5.2016 by Peider Trippi.

VR's Vectron no. 3305 during early phases of installation, together with some sister locomotives.
Picture from the Siemens plant in Allach Germany 2.5.2016 by Peider Trippi.

VR's Vectron no. 3305 during early phases of installation. Front parts are waiting to be assembled.
Picture from the Siemens plant in Allach Germany 2.5.2016 by Peider Trippi.

These will be the front parts of the cab of the VR Vectron 3305.
Picture from the Siemens plant in Allach Germany 2.5.2016 by Peider Trippi.

The same locomotive no. 3305 later in Finland. Note the "Suomi - Finland 100 years" stickers at the side.
Picture from Seinäjoki 10.6.2017 by Peider Trippi.

VR Vectron no. 3305 during testing. Two old class Dv12 diesels act as a breaking load.
Picture from Seinäjoki 10.6.2017 by Peider Trippi.

VR Vectron no. 3306 at Riihimäki.
Picture 22.9.2017 by Peider Trippi.

VR Vectron no. 3306 in real work near Äänekoski. There is a large pulp and paper factory at Äänekoski and paper rolls are being transported by trains.
Picture 27.9.2017 by Peider Trippi.

A closeup of VR Vectron no. 3306 in real work near Äänekoski.
Picture 27.9.2017 by Peider Trippi.

VR Vectron no. 3306 with its large snow plough looks quite bullish in front of its paper roll train at Vanha asema (old station) in Äänekoski.
Picture 27.9.2017 by Peider Trippi.

VR Vectron no. 3306 with its pantographs down. The Finnish Vectrons can run even long distances with their auxiliary diesels without catenary wire power.
Picture 27.9.2017 by Peider Trippi.

A really nice shot of VR's Vectron no. 3306 in full speed at Tuiskula.
Picture by Peider Trippi 8.10.20017.

Vectron no. 3310 at the VR yard in Oulu. In the background a "Siberian wolf" Sr1 which is precisely the type that the Vectrons are going to replace.
Picture by Peider Trippi 17.10.20017.

Two of VR's Vectron locomotives hauling a very heavy timber train.
Picture from Kontiomäki 29.7.2023 by Kalevi Kämäräinen.