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Oleg Serdechnikov
The first Russian railway from St. Petersburg to Pavlovsk was opened 175 years ago, in November 1837, marking the beginning of railway construction in Russia.
Oleg Serdechnikov
Russia boasts one of the world’s largest railway networks, which is second only to the United States by length (194,700 km).
Oleg Serdechnikov
The history of railways in Russia goes back to 1830s, when Austrian engineer Franz von Gerstner proposed to Emperor Nicholas I to build a railway line. The Trans-Siberian Railway, the greatest rail project in Russia, connecting the country’s European regions with the Urals and the Far East, was built early in the twentieth century.
Oleg Serdechnikov
At that time the journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow (around 435 miles) took twenty-one hours by train. The rail route that linked the two cities had been built on the edict of Russian Emperor Nicholas I. The route has its own legend.
Oleg Serdechnikov
In the nineteenth century railroad employees wore uniforms with anchors on their buttons. It’s because in the early days the railways were under the control of the Ministry of Land & Marine Communications – hence the maritime anchor. It was only in the 1930s that the symbol was replaced by a more appropriate engineer’s wrench.
Oleg Serdechnikov
“Nowadays the museum houses around two-and-a-half thousand exhibits about the history and future of the Moscow railroad” says Nadezhda Aleksandrova, the Director of the Museum of Moscow Railways.
Oleg Serdechnikov
“We took exhibits from the Railways Library. Veterans brought in interesting objects, their own private belongings. As well as the collection of historic exhibits the museum features installations, working models, interactive maps, booths showing information about the history of the routes, along with archive film footage,” she tells.
Oleg Serdechnikov
In the 1990s, railway construction in Russia came to almost a complete halt with the condition of railway stations and commuter and long-haul trains rapidly deteriorating.
Oleg Serdechnikov
Leonid Kruchavov has worked on the railways for more than a quarter of a century. He’s the driver of the ER-774-38 locomotive – the kind of loco which was hauling freight around the USSR in the era following WW2.
Oleg Serdechnikov
“To get the loco going, you need to stoke the boiler with around two shovels of coal per minute – if running on empty,” he says.
Oleg Serdechnikov
Long ago this kind of loco pulled passenger trains between Moscow and St. Petersburg – today it pulls a retro train for tourists.
Oleg Serdechnikov
‘ERka’ sets off from Paveletsky Station on a route along the Moscow Circular Railroad. It’s not featured in the timetables of passenger trains for the past 80 years. The railroad was built in 1908, right through the centre of Moscow – although practically no Muscovites know anything about it.
Oleg Serdechnikov
The loco’s wheels clank past different warehouses and industrial buildings. From the window you can see the half-abandoned ‘Zil’ factory, which produced limousines in the soviet era for Party bosses. Behind the garages appears a small two-storey building – it’s Kanatchikovo Station, just three miles from the Kremlin. Over the entrance is a sign saying “66.30 yards above sea level”. These signs once hung in front of every station – this is the last one left.
Oleg Serdechnikov
‘ERka’ enters a one-kilometer-long tunnel, lined with platforms. It’s at the preserved ‘Ploschad Gagarina’ station - which is below Leninsky Prospekt. Once again we pass garages, road junctions, and high-rise buildings... the twenty-first century, through which the steam train passes by a small station with curved railings, pot-bellied columns and old-fashioned pilasters...
Oleg Serdechnikov
The engine arrives at Rizhsky Station, and puts out a final toot on the whistle. The last stop is the Museum of the History of Railway Technology. It’s a museum in the open air, housed between the tracks serving commuter trains, and those for long-distance departures. There are over 70 exhibits – from wagons from the time of Tsar Nicholas II to modern high-speed trains.
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