|
A Moscow Railway Miscellany, Russia, Part 1 |
|
|
Harvey Smith was based in and around Moscow off and on from 1997 to 2014 and has now moved to St. Petersburg. Apart from this report he has also posted information on other attractions in Moscow and the rest of Russia, there are links at the bottom of the page. This is a variety of items sent to me by Harvey, he would like to acknowledge the help given to him by Tim Littler of GW Travel. If you are spending some time in the country, you may wish to contact:
Moscow Locomotive Stadium L-3516 This is worth a visit. It is in immaculate condition. The glass windows are in place. As is the tarpaulin between the tender and the loco, and you can even see the gauges through the windows if you look hard. Just take the red line to the North East Corner of Moscow. The second to last stop on the red line Cherkizovskaya metro station. Outside the front of the football stadium you will find the locomotive. There is a side entrance / path to the site near the metro station. It passes between the small shops.
Moskva-Ryazanskaya /Sortirovochnaya depot This is easy to get to. But do not start thinking it is near Ryazanski Propect. At one stage it contained OV-7024 (plinthed), L-1754 and LV-0522, but L-1754 has since gone to Lyublino - see below and LV-0522 to Podmoskovnaya. It is worth the trip. You can see a Russian goods yard and locomotive depot in action. The depot also has lots of interesting photos and memorabilia on the walls. Go to Aviamotornaya metro station on the yellow line. The depot is a 30 minute walk. You can take a tram part of the way. It is quite impressive with its massive Russian 5 foot gauge. Walk down Entuziastov Shosse out of town. Go over the railway bridge next to the metro and keep going you will come to a second railway bridge. From the second bridge you can enjoy the fine view of the locomotive depot and proceed over the bridge and turn first left along Burakova Ulitsa. Walk up Burakova Ulitsa. The most recognisable feature to head for on a satellite image is the roundhouse and turntable. You will pass a fine communist statue of 3 men and a locomotive wheel. Keep walking. You will eventually come to the 2 entrances of the depot offices. Choose the second one with brown flower planters either side of the door just before you get to the silver statue of Lenin. Hide your cameras and boldly go in the front door of the depot. Enjoy the memorabilia and photos. There is a lovely old photo of some workers with a steam locomotive dated 1927 just in side the door opposite a red flag. Go down the long corridor. Out the other end past the work shop on the right , past the stair case and lifts and out the steel back door. You then see OV-7024.
It is both a war memorial and a memorial to workers who repaired it at the first Communist Subbotnik on 12 April 1919 (when workers voluntarily do work on a Saturday Russian Subota). Sadly, it lacks its builders plates and some of its motion. But it is still an example of a pre-revolutionary locomotive. At this point you can either do as I did proceed across part of the depot, past the roundhouse, and round to the back of the roundhouse. There you will find the footbridge over the goods yard. Or you can go back the way you came. Out the front door and turn left past the statue of Lenin and turn left up a track to the footbridge. The view from the foot bridge is certainly interesting. I saw one electric locomotive towing 8 others with ease. Plenty of Czech built diesel shunters were about. As I said there was an unidentified L class out on the tracks, but I could not get close enough to get the number: (There was no sign of this loco during a 2012 visit, it must have been in transit, just OR-7024 was present.)
Lyublino Sortirovochnoe and Locomotive Depot This may interest some people. The depot has are 2 class Ls. The museums at Richskaya and Paveletsky close Mondays and Tuesdays. Also on the way back you could change at Serp I Molot station and get on the Metro at Ploshad Ilyicha and travel on the yellow line to Aviamotorsnaya and see OV-7024 at Moskva-Ryazanskaya /Sortirovochnaya depot (as described above). Also, the local Nikolo-Perervinski Monastery is also very beautiful visually and interesting. It is only a short walk from the depot. But be warned it is very smelly on account of the sewage outfall discharging into the river just below the monastery. A nun also told me off for taking photographs inside the church. To get to the depot go to Kurski Station. Go downstairs and find Kassa 73. Buy a ticket to Depo. The cost was only 26 roubles of 50 pence!! It is the station after Lyublino. There is a nice mural next to the Kassa. Go passed the mural to the right of Kassa 73 and down the tunnel under the platforms.
Once at Depo, go up on the bridge to get your bearings. L-3570 is to the south of the footbridge plinthed outside the roundhouse. L-1754 is to the north of the footbridge. I then went to the north of the passenger platform (water tower end) and down to the tracks using the staircase. I then headed for a white statue of a girl which is under a tree and walked to the roundhouse. Everything I did was illegal but no one took any notice nor did they try to stop me. Please also note that even on a Sunday the tracks are very lively. This is a marshalling yard and locomotive depot with a line passing through it. So be very careful. L-3570 had a small tree growing out the tender behind the cab, and was missing some valve gear. The roundhouse also had a variety of cranes and other unusual rolling stock parked outside, but I did not linger as the men on duty started showing me some interest.
L-1754 was in good condition. L-1754 appeared to have been recently moved from Moskva-Ryazanskaya /Sortirovochnaya depot. I think that she is a runner. She had nicely greased valve gear when I saw her. L-1754 was parked in siding next to a monument commemorating 100 years of the depot and station. It was also outside a building clearly used for education purposes, since there is a bogie and several bogie parts nearby, all of which were clearly used for demonstration/educational purposes.
|
|
