Efim Alekseevich and Miron Efimovich Cherepanov were Russian engineer-inventors, renowned for creating the first steam locomotive and railway in Russia. They came from serf workers belonging to the famous Demidov dynasty, owners of Ural factories.

According to legend, Efim Cherepanov's career began when he managed to fix a lock that an experienced craftsman deemed irreparable and discarded. His ingenuity caught attention, and after just two years of training, he became a "master locksmith under the dam supervisor," demonstrating outstanding abilities.

By 1820, Efim had created the first two steam engines, which were used to power a mill and a lathe. After successful tests, Nikolai Demidov decided to send him to England to study advanced technologies for the production and application of steam engines.

In Lydd, Cherepanov saw a steam engine moving on rails for the first time. In his report, he described it as follows: "I saw the steam engine of Murray. This machine is very strange, but for us it is unsuitable, for the English masters are quick to act, but their machines do not last long and often require repairs."

In 1835, Efim and Miron Cherepanov developed an improved version of the locomotive, which was more reliable and powerful, with 43 horsepower capable of carrying up to 17 tons of cargo. A railway 3.5 km long was also built, connecting the Vysky factory and the Mednorudyansky mine. In the spring of 1837, the future emperor Alexander II inspected it and was pleased.

After creating the "land steamboat," Russia became the only European country to develop its own model of a steam locomotive, rather than importing technology from England. Therefore, the news that English locomotives would be purchased for the railway between Moscow and Petersburg was a heavy blow for the Cherepanovs.