What does a children's railway look like around the world? Children's railways

Which of us, as children, did not play with trains, using the capabilities of the game called “Children's Railway”, clapping our hands. We were simply delighted with the plastic train and the carriages running along circular rails on the floor covering. We parted with this fun when our eyes were already sticking together, or when our vigilant parents, together with our grandparents, sent us to rest in bed. But times are changing, and battery-powered toys are no longer enough for today's children.

Today, the younger generation truly wants to feel like a conductor, driver or passenger. The kids want to drive real trains along narrow-gauge roads. People participate in these games from the age of seven, but to say that fifteen-year-old teenagers will not jump for joy like their little brothers, sisters or younger friends is not true. These youths will also enthusiastically drive small locomotives, will begin to command while still in a high voice, occupying the dispatcher’s chair or becoming a real station attendant. Some will want to look into the past by becoming a stationmaster and fulfilling their in-game official duties with passionate zeal.

It should be noted that on such real, but children's railways, all players are under the close attention of adults, especially locomotive drivers. During the school year, some of the children become attentive listeners in railway circles, where real railway specialists conduct theory classes for them. With the onset of summer time, all these restless people acquire a profession that can become the work of the entire subsequent life of a teenager.

Such children's railways are now available in many Russian cities. The laid tracks in the mentioned towns reach a length of several kilometers; they do not have a common access to the rail track of real Russian railways. Such tracks also have no transport significance, and they can only be used as an attraction in park areas or in recreation areas, where guests become passengers or specialists on the railway. Modern statistics prove that 30% of participants in games on the Children's Railway acquire their future profession here. Such figures indicate the seriousness of the organization of such schools.

To be fair, it should be noted that they started talking about the creation of the first children's railways of the USSR back in the thirties of the twentieth century. Subsequently, countries such as Cuba, China, Germany, Slovakia and Hungary became interested in the acquired experience in the construction of children's railways.

What is JD?

Children's Railway (CHR) is an institution providing additional education for children aged 8-15 years who are studying railway specialties. The main part of the ChR is the narrow gauge railway line, where all practical lessons for young railway workers are held (usually during the summer holidays). At other times of the year, only theoretical classes are held at the Children's Railway. Children's railways strive to be as similar as possible to the prototype - public railways. For this reason, the Russian Railways, whenever possible, uses equipment similar to that of real railways. The list of operating rules established on the ChR is similar to the rules applied on public railways.

Story

The officially recognized chronology indicates that the birthplace of the ChRW is the Soviet Union. In 1935, the Tiflis Railway appeared. But earlier archives speak of the appearance of the ChRW back in the nineteenth century. The initiative was taken by the leaders of the Nikolaev Railway. The idea that arose was transformed into the creation of special teams based on children from the families of railway workers. The children were doing real work, doing feasible work. So the work of their fathers is put forward by their work. These created brigades served as a model for the creation of modern children's railways.

The forerunner of children's railways was a private entertainment complex that was created in the 1890s. for Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich (son of Alexander III) and his sisters in the park of the palace in Gatchina. The composition of this attraction: a steam locomotive and 2-3 passenger trolleys that ran on rails; Mikhail himself was the driver.

The first Children's Railway of the Soviet Union, and indeed in the world, was created in 1932 or 1933 in Moscow, on the territory of the park named after. Gorky. It worked little, and by 1939 it was closed. For an inexplicable reason, the existence of this ChRW was hidden in the USSR. The assertion that the first railway was the Children's Railway in Tiflis (1935) is refuted by two sources: a note from the newspaper “Evening Moscow” dated January 9, 1933 and the brochure “25 Children’s Railways of the USSR” from 1936.

The Moscow children's railway that appeared on the territory of the park named after the writer Maxim Gorky immediately becomes the center of attention, thanks to publications in the central press. Stories about a homemade electric train being controlled by ordinary boys sounded like a fairy tale, captivating their peers. Where boys ruled the roost, it was impossible to do without the passenger train transforming and becoming a real armored train. Here the sounds of real battles were heard, in which the Red Guard troops always emerged victorious.

As a rule, they did not fight for long, because they also had to engage in peaceful labor. This road did not become a real school for railway workers, it played the usual role, just a big toy. In these amusements there were no real rules of the railway and the train was driven as God pleased. But when in 1936 two more children's railways began to operate in Dnepropetrovsk and Tbilisi, an appropriate selection of specialists who worked for the railway was already made here.

The Children's Railway in Tiflis was created on June 24, 1935 at the request of Georgian schoolchildren. And this road, according to official data, is considered the world's first railway. Later, the Children's Railway opened in the city of Krasnoyarsk, receiving the title of the first in the RSFSR. After this, Russian Railways began to be built in all capitals of the RSFSR.

Children's Railways provide great assistance in training professionals for the railway at a time when there was a shortage of specialists.

As of the mid-1980s, there were at least 52 children's railways operating in the USSR.

The construction of children's railways is starting in Bulgaria, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, China, Cuba, etc. The difference between these railways is mainly in the branching and length at times. Most of them, having worked for 10-15 years, closed, others turned into attractions, a few retained their purpose. A similar fate befell the majority of Russian Railways in the RSFSR countries.

There are currently 25 children's railways operating in our country.

We must not forget that the thirties of the twentieth century experienced a rapid increase in the construction of gigantic industrial facilities, which is why the bulk of the inhabitants of the Soviet state were somewhat euphoric from their own victories. But then, probably, it was impossible to do it differently. I would like to note that at that difficult time these and other real children's movements appeared. Children were given the opportunity to create their own road projects and implement their future construction. Children were allowed to work on their objects for two hours for five days, but it was sometimes difficult to pull them away from this work. They were so passionate about this work, because it was about their own, children’s path.

Features of the children's road

Typically, a railway is a section of narrow-gauge track separated from the general railways, ranging from 1 to 11 km in length, often circular. Children's railways do not play a special role; they are laid in parks or recreation areas. Children's railways are operated mainly in the summer, where children, under the supervision of an instructor, apply the knowledge they have acquired over the year. Students at the Children's Railways receive benefits for further training in railway skills.

In addition to this training in railway skills, children in such institutions have the opportunity to study in sections and develop as individuals.

In some cases, children's railways are entertainment complexes depicting a train, which are located in parks. But such attractions are not JR. The first difference is that they are served by adults, the second difference is that the Children's Railways teaches children the basics of the railway profession, which in itself is not entertainment. Unfortunately, at present, many children's railways, for example Almaty, do not fulfill their mission and are only historical monuments.

Absolutely all railway tracks have a gauge of 750 mm. This is explained by the standards established in the Soviet Union, which allowed the ChRW to use equipment produced in the USSR. However, the Krasnoyarsk Children's Railway is an exception. In 1936, its gauge was only 305 mm, in 1961 the gauge was expanded to 508 mm. The Children's Railways of Astana and Vologda were also different. From a width of 600 mm, the tracks were widened to a standard width of 750 mm.

In other countries where railways exist, the tracks are narrower. In Poland, the city of Poznan is 600 mm, Dresden is 381 mm.

In order to demonstrate to young railway workers the operation of modern railway equipment, children's railways were often equipped with signaling, centralization and interlocking systems, similar to those used on real railways (despite the fact that there was no need for them).

And of course, the ChRW installed the same rolling stock that was used by the USSR Narrow Gauge Railway. Before wartime and the first years after the war, these were steam locomotives, in particular GR, project P24 steam locomotives (various models). Since the 60s, steam locomotives have been replaced by diesel locomotives, but on some ChRs they remained until the 80s, but also until the 90s, and the Kiev and Rostov ChR steam locomotives GR are still fulfilling their mission. On the Small Gorky ChRZ (Nizhny Novgorod) there is a steam locomotive Kp4-430 (modification P24).

Rolling stock

Diesel locomotives

In the 1950s - 1960s, the railways of the Soviet Union were filled with diesel locomotives. Diesel locomotives also appeared on the ChR. These were TU2, TU3, TU4, TU6 (less often TU4 and TU6). There was an idea to create a diesel locomotive TEU-16 specifically for the ChR, but as a result of the collapse of the USSR, this did not happen.

Electric locomotives

Electric locomotives, unlike diesel locomotives, are not so popular on the ChR. VL-4, which was created in 1960 at VNIITP, but the electrification of the ChRW was considered dangerous and the electric locomotive was not built. There is information that the Children's Railway in Uzhur uses 2 ED-1 electric locomotives, but there is very little information about the Children's Railway, and there is no confirmation of this data.

Cars and multiple unit rolling stock

In addition to locomotive-hauled trains, the ChRW also used multiple unit trains from time to time. For example, the use of homemade electric trains was practiced on the Moscow and Uzhur Railways. The AM1 motorcar was used on the ChR of the city of Kommunarsk.

On the pre-war children's railway, cars were used that were built at the Kolomensky plant before the revolution. In the post-war period, the ChR used Pafawag cars of the 2Aw, 3Aw model, produced in Poland (from 1956 to 1960) with 38 seats. In the 1980s, they were replaced by PV40 and PV51 carriages, which had been produced at the Demikhovsky plant since the 1950s.

In 1989, the production of cars for narrow-gauge railways ceased. Only in 2003 did the Metrovagonmash plant resume production of narrow-gauge railway cars.

Homemade rolling stock

Traditionally, the organization of the Children's Railways is supported by the administration of public railways. But there are cases of creating a children's railway based on “naked” enthusiasm, as they say. In this case, real locomotives are replaced with homemade ones. For example, the Krasnoyarsk Children's Railway uses only home-made locomotives, but due to the non-standard gauge.

DZD value

Career guidance

Children's railway specialists teach their students the basic skills necessary for almost all railway professions, and servicing children's railways develops in them an interest in working on the railway. A large number of children who worked at the Children's Railway in the 50-70s of the last century chose the railway as their profession.

Parenting

The importance of CD in pedagogy is great. By developing team spirit and the art of interaction in a group, children gain experience working in a team.

Working on the Children's Railway also develops children's communication skills, since children of different ages study here, and during practical classes they communicate with adult passengers. This type of work develops discipline, developing responsibility for oneself and others, and teaches safety precautions.

Transport functions

Basically, the RV is not a vehicle in the traditional sense, and most people consider it a park attraction. Only the Children's Railways of the cities of Chita, Orenburg, Svobodny, Chimkent deliver passengers from cities to the suburbs. During the Second World War, the Svobodny city railway was used to transport products from surrounding collective farms. After the Second World War, the Children's Railways in the city of Vilnius delivered coal to the city thermal power plant, and the Children's Railways of Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky) operated as public transport, along with trams and buses, while earning additional money.

Additional facts about the Children's Railways

At the end of the 30s of the last century, a grandiose railway was designed in Moscow, the best architects and builders were attracted, but the implementation of this project was prevented by the Great Patriotic War. The modern Moscow Children's Railway is located in Kratovo.

Electrified children's railways operated only in 3 cities: Moscow, Uzhur and Donetsk. There are none of them at the moment.

In Odessa there was a tram for children, it ran on electricity, but had practically nothing in common with the Children's Railways.

Electrification of the Russian Railways was used abroad, very rarely. But there were such children's railways in Pilsen and Otsrava (Czechoslovakia), Germany.

The longest railway is the road in the city of Svobodny, the length of which is relative to the railway in the city of Krasnoyarsk, which is the shortest, 10 times, and is 11.4 km.

Russian Railways

Only three years passed after the bloody war, but at the end of August 1948, the “Small October Railway” opened, with a total length of communication lines of 8100 meters. With the launch of the road, the construction of the first three stations was completed, we are talking about Ozyorny, Zooparkovsky and Kirovsky points. The stage: Ozernaya - Zoo with a length of 2800 meters and the stage: Zoo - Kirovskaya with a length of 4700 meters had an electric rod system with installed semaphores, which were signaling devices. The initial version of the rolling stock was represented by the steam locomotive "V-32" and two steam locomotives of the "PT4" brand with assigned numbers as "PT-01" and "PT-02". The Small October Railway was served by nine passenger carriages.

One year later, at the beginning of the summer season, the ChRW rolling stock fleet is expanded with several more cars and the VP1-170 steam locomotive. Since 1958, the children's diesel locomotive “TU2-167” began running from Ozernaya station. After two years, the fleet of passenger cars is again updating its rolling stock. The Small October Railway was immediately replenished with two trains consisting of five cars. The compositions had their own names: “Fairy Tale” and “Pioneer”. Two trains were running along the road at once; they met at the Zoo station.

In 1964, tragedy occurs. Due to the lack of working barriers at one of the crossings, in the area of ​​Nikitskaya Street, a handcar, on which four more children were with an instructor, collided with a dump truck crossing the tracks. There was no one left alive on the trolley. According to the orders received from the management, the Small October Railway was supposed to cease to exist. All rolling stock was written off, leaving only the new diesel locomotive "TU2-167". Subsequently, the decision was changed, the length of the road was reduced to 3100 meters, and the operation of the dangerous section of the ChRW was abandoned.

The remaining section underwent major reconstruction, and semi-automatic blocking appeared. The tracks and stations were equipped with new traffic lights. A signal dependence appeared on station switches with the installation of Melentyev system locks. After reconstruction, the road is replenished with two diesel locomotives of the TUZ series, respectively with the numbers “001” and “002”. The old diesel locomotive was used only as a replacement locomotive when the main diesel locomotive units underwent unscheduled or preventative repairs.

Since the late sixties and twentieth century, young drivers began to receive real certificates, which gave them the right to drive a diesel locomotive, but this happened only after completing practical training and passing a qualification exam. The issued certificates did not differ in any way from those that adult professional drivers had. During the same period of time, the “Pionerskaya” station appeared, which was previously called “Zoo”, since the construction of the menagerie never took place.

Since 1982, diesel locomotives of the Leader type began to operate on the road: TU2-191 and TU2-060. In the mid-eighties, “TUZ-002” was left without work, five years later “TUZ-001” also stopped working, but in 1996 the diesel locomotive “TUZ-001” became a museum exhibit for nine long years. In 2005, the diesel locomotive was restored at the PM-7 depot.

At the end of the eighties, the PAFAWAG type cars were written off, and the PV40 type cars were left on the Small Oktyabrskaya Railway.

In the nineties, one of the existing trains was laid up. In the next decade of the twenty-first century, part of the road's tracks were dismantled. In 2015, the road was replenished with rolling stock as a diesel locomotive "TU10-030"

Malaya Zabaikalskaya

The appearance of the Malaya Zabaikalskaya children's railway dates back to 08/01/1974. Since its construction was carried out in the city of Chita, it can rightfully be called the “Chita Children’s Railway”. It is a structural division of the Trans-Baikal Railway and is united in a branch of OJSC Russian Railways. The actual functioning of this branch began on September 2, 1971. Since 1981, the Children's Railway has received well-deserved recognition, becoming the best children's railway among the forty-four existing roads at that time. The rail track width is 750 mm, with a total length of the operated section equal to 3750 meters. The mentioned Children's Railway has two stations named “Severnaya” and “Porechye”; in the middle of the route there is a platform called “Solnechnaya”, but it is almost all dismantled. The equipment of the rolling stock is represented by the following units: two cars, three gondola cars, three cargo platforms, three passenger cars and three diesel locomotives: TU7A-3354, TU7A-3199 and TU2-208.

The key dependence of signals and switches is introduced into the equipment of the Severnaya and Porechya stations, output and input traffic lights are installed, and there is interstation and train radio communication. At the Severnaya station, the switch sections and track rails have insulating joints. This railway is still in operation today.

On November 8, 1939, the opening of the Nizhny Novgorod Children's Railway took place. At that time it was called the “Gorky Children’s Railway”.

Initially, the tracks of the children's railway passed through the territories of the Avtozavodsky, Leninsky and Kanavinsky districts. One of the final platforms was called "Happy". Today, it is no longer passengers who come to the station building, but newlyweds in order to legitimize their civil status, because a wedding palace, named “Avtozavodsky”, is now located here.

The rail track is considered narrow gauge, its width is 750 millimeters. The length of the main track is 3200 meters, the total length of the tracks is 4100 meters. In the diagram, the DZD looks like a triangle. In the area of ​​the May Day Park there is the platform of the main Rodina station. The working season lasts only three summer months; train movement starts on June 1 and ends on August 29. One of the narrow gauge steam locomotives “KP-4 No. 430” opens the summer season. Every year on the first Sunday in August the professional holiday “Railroadman's Day” is celebrated. The main attribute of this holiday is the same narrow-gauge steam train.

The line of the locomotive depot is represented by three narrow-gauge diesel locomotives: TU10 No. 003, TU7A No. 3346 and TU7 No. 2567. The rolling stock consists of two open stagecoach cars and six passenger cars.

Malaya Moskovskaya

The Small Moscow Railway is recognized as a children's railway. It has the unofficial name of the Kratovo Children's Railway, due to its territorial proximity to the village of Kratovo of the same name, where its educational buildings are located.

This line has two end stations named “Pionerskaya” and “Yunost” and two intermediate platforms “Detskaya” and “Shkolnaya”.

The opening of the children's railway in Kratovo took place on 05/02/1937. The length of the path was 4962 meters. The initial rolling stock consisted of eight PV51 model cars, PAFAWAG type cars, three wooden passenger cars, steam locomotives: RP-771, IS-1 type 63/65 and VL-1. Then diesel locomotives appeared: “TU7-2729” and “TU7-2728”. Now on the ChRZ in Kratovo you can see a staff car, model 20.0016, diesel locomotives “TU2-129” and “TU2-078”.

It should be noted that at the end of the Great Patriotic War, the restoration of the ChRW in Kratovo was carried out by the guys, future railway workers. Today, teenagers begin their training in a profession in a circle located in the building of the Moscow State University of Transport.

The Small Moscow Railway makes it possible to provide vocational training to school students. The lower age limit starts at eleven years old, the upper age limit has reached 17 years. It should be noted that students from twenty-five Moscow schools undergo training. Within five years, teenagers can complete the full course of study. Children are taught in classes that are equipped directly in the administrative building of this railway. There are other opportunities to try to learn your chosen profession as a railway worker. This is, first of all, a visit to the Central House of Children of Railway Workers or to the “Young Railway Worker” circle, located on the territory of the capital Moscow, in the building of the Moscow State University of Transport or in the building of the Moscow Institute of Transport Engineers.

On the Malaya Moskovskaya Children's Railway, the movement of trains is carried out seasonally, starting from the end of May, and ending on the last Sunday in August. The work schedule is limited to a five-day period, counting from Tuesday to Saturday, but on every Tuesday of the week preparatory work is carried out to transport passenger traffic. The movement of trains begins at 10.00 Moscow time with an interval of one hour. During the day, no more than four pairs of trains pass. In the summer, when the air temperature rises above + 29°, or trains are running very late, the number of pairs may be reduced or completely canceled due to bad weather conditions.

Malaya West Siberian

The Novosibirsk children's road with the length of the rail track dates back to June 4, 2005. It was built on the territory of Zaeltsovsky Park. It has three station points with the following names - “Second Passage”, “Sportivnaya” and “Zaeltsovsky Park”. The length of the tracks is 5300 meters. The Novosibirsk Children's Road is equipped with two metal bridges, the length of which reaches 72 m and 24 m, two metal overpasses, their height is three and four meters and concrete retaining walls.

The rolling stock consists of three converted diesel locomotives: TU7A-3343, TU7A-3339 and TU7A-3338. Four-axle fire truck. Three cars, model 43-001, built at the Kambarsky Machine-Building Plant and six cars, model 20.0011, manufactured at the Metrovagonmash plant.

The East Siberian Children's Railway opened on November 8, 1939. It is in the form of a loop, with a length of 3250 meters. There are three station points on the route with the names: “Angara”, “Springs” and “Solnechny”. The road is located on the territory of the Konny and Yunost islands of the Angara River, in the central part, in the city of Irkutsk. The Children's Railway is currently equipped with three diesel locomotives: TU7-2925, TU2-228 and TU2-053, and fourteen cars of the PV51 model. In the first years of the railway's existence, the railway consisted of four cars of the PAFAWAG model, three wooden passenger cars, a tank-steam locomotive of the Compound system, made at the Krauss-Linz plant, and one steam locomotive of the 159-070 brand.

The construction of the East Siberian Children's Railway was initiated by the Irkutsk pioneers themselves back in 1936. This initiative was supervised by the oldest driver of the Irkutsk unit, Andrey Evtikhievich Dryagin. Subsequently, he holds the position of head of the Children's Railways.

In February 1937, the project of this road was completed, and two years later the road was already used by its first passengers.

The decision to create the Kazan Children's Railway was made by Mr. Vladimir Yakunin, the then president of Russian Railways OJSC and Mr. Mintimer Shaimiev on May 27, 2006. The distributed press release indicated the seriousness of this work for the future generation.

When the next day of the city of Kazan was celebrated, on August 30, 2007, that is, after just one year, in one of the most picturesque areas - the Lebyazhye forest park area, the children took their places in the rolling stock cars of the Kazan Children's Railway. The whistle of the diesel locomotive sounded, the wheels began to rattle, and the children rejoiced at the opportunity to ride along this road.

Small Sverdlovsk Railway

The Small Sverdlovsk Railway came into operation on July 9, 1960, which allowed young railway workers to have the opportunity to begin practice without leaving their city. Today's rolling stock of the road includes diesel locomotives: TU10-013 and TU7A-3355, and a new addition has arrived in the form of three cars manufactured at the Kambarsky Machine-Building Plant.

The road was equipped with four stopping points: “Dona”, “Istok”. "Parkovaya" and "Beryozki". Today the rolling stock includes eight cars of the VP750 model, three diesel locomotives: TU2-126, TU10-018 and TU10-002. It all started with post-war technology. Since 1974, in the area of ​​the Beryozki station, the doors of a new educational production building for future railway workers have opened.

Vladikavkaz Children's Railway

Grand opening of the small Vladikavkaz Children's Railway named after V.V. Tereshkova took place on October 30, 1967. The territorial location is on the left bank of the Terek, which is part of the southern part of the city. The rail tracks are installed in the form of an irregularly shaped ring. The length of the tracks is 2200 meters, the width of the rail track is 750 millimeters. The road has three station points, four turnouts, three unguarded crossings, the equipment includes semi-automatic blocking in the crossing area, electrical centralization and train radio communications. Today, the rolling stock includes three VP750 model cars, four Pafawag model cars and three TU10-009, TU7A-2991 and TU2-056 diesel locomotives.

Summer is conducive to trips from Moscow for two days, so we are happy to continue our column and today we will go to the Ramensky district for Children's railway. Although, how can I say, in a children's room, everything is arranged very, very much like an adult.

On October 30, 1935, a rally of pioneers of the Ramensky district took place. One of the issues discussed at the rally was the call of the Tiflis pioneers, who built the first children's railway, to begin the construction of children's railways in all corners of the country. This idea seemed so interesting that on the same day a council was elected to promote the construction of the ChRW in Kratovo.

Take a ride along the children's railway, look into the depot and see how everything works —>

Already in June 1936, the construction of the railway in Kratovo began, the construction work was carried out by the pioneers themselves, and the Komsomol members of the Ramensky and Ukhtomsky districts helped to carry out the most difficult work. By November 7, 1936, 2.3 km of tracks and temporary wooden buildings had been built at two stations. In winter, employees and staff were trained for the operation of the railway, and on May 2, 1937, the opening took place. In the summer of 1940, another 2 kilometers of road and the Kultbaza station were built, and on June 22, 1941, on the opening day of the summer season, it became known about the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR, the railway did not operate for long and soon had to be closed due to air raids. In 1945, the railway started working again, trains changed, stations were improved, many children went through this informal educational institution, many adults came here as children to see how the railway worked. Today's children have this opportunity too!

Railway diagram. The length of the route is 4,962 km; 2 stations: Pionerskaya and Yunost, and 2 platforms: Shkolnaya and Detskaya. This is a narrow gauge railway and the trains here are appropriate.

Children work here! Of course, adults coordinate their work and train them, but all the specialists who ensure the operation of the railway are children

Sightseers board the train

Preparation before departure, everything needs to be checked

It is interesting that the dress uniform of the young conductors has almost completely remained the same as that of the Soviet pioneers, although now these are the corporate colors of Russian Railways

Train departs

It's fun for kids of all ages!

The conductor tells the history of the railway. In order to book a free excursion, you need to fill out an application on the website a few days before the desired date.

The controller checks the tickets

Passionate workers at the Children's Railway talk about how everything has been tripled. To get here you have to walk quite a distance, so all the children “working” here are truly passionate about railways and understand them better than many adult railway workers.

Allowed to go inside the driver's cabin

And even sit in the driver’s seat

Strictly speaking, instead of a sports steering wheel there should be a lever, but since children learn the profession under the strict supervision of adult railway workers, a steering wheel is installed for convenience. The train is driven by a young driver, but the instructor can intervene at any time and correct the actions. Still, the locomotive carries real passengers.

They talk about how arrows work

And this is in the railway control center

Dispatchers actually work, control trains, allow or deny access to the line. Everything is like on an adult railway

From autumn to spring, children undergo training, and in the summer they work on the railway. They say that trains are being canceled because there is no one to drive them - few can pass the difficult exam to become a driver. At the same time, there is a constant rotation of personnel: today’s conductor can take the driver’s exam tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow go as a lineman. Many specialties are mastered at once. If you don't pass the exam, you will get a lower position.

There are only three trains per day. Trains depart from Pionerskaya station at 10:00, 10:55 and 11:50. From Yunost station - at 10:25, 11:20 and 11:50. The fare is 120 rubles. In heavy rain, trains are canceled.

In good weather, you can take a walk near the lake in the village of Kratovo (Pionerskaya station) and even take a swim. Also interesting are the old dacha places with cozy houses in the village of Kratovo.

Getting to the Children's Railway is easy: from the Kazansky railway station there are trains to the Otdykh station or by car along the Ryazanskoye Highway.
Detailed information about the schedule, fares and how to get there is on the official website.

Special thanks to the Regional Express company - REX (for some time, electric trains suddenly began to look normal) for organizing a visit to the children's railway.

Every child has a favorite toy. Sometimes a toy becomes the “blue dream” of a lifetime, not always accessible, but forever loved. In the USSR, a toy railroad became such a dream for many.

The toy went on sale around 1955 and lasted about 15 years. Before 1961, it cost 360 rubles, after the Khrushchev monetary reform - 36 rubles, but in both cases, the longed-for dream of many boys - and the road was sold only in the largest department stores of the USSR, such as Detsky Mir or Dom toys." Most often, the road was purchased by budgetary organizations of children's creativity - houses, clubs and circles of young technicians.

For the first time I saw “Pionerskaya” on the shelves of the Central Baku department store in the summer of 1958. I remember having difficulty getting closer to see the sparkling green carriages and the bright blue diesel locomotive. To the side stood the most beautiful train station in the world, with benches for those waiting for the train and ticket windows. On the other side - a booth with a pipe, a traffic light, a crossing, a bridge...

The older guys showed particular delight, almost completely blocking us small fry from seeing the wonder!

I must say right away that in September 1958 I was supposed to reach my first birthday - 10 years old! I will also note that we were children not spoiled by toys, especially technical ones.

On another summer holiday Sunday, our family was walking around the city and, of course, I dragged everyone to the treasured department store by hook or by crook. Mom, seeing the price tag, let out a long groan, grabbed my hand in order to take me away quickly... But suddenly a supporter appeared in the form of my older brother, who turned 23 in the spring. I was removed by force, but he stayed and suddenly suggested: “Let’s chip in and buy this very railway for my brother’s anniversary!”

As it became known later, the brother wanted to thoroughly understand the bundle of wires that looked out of the box. It was a multifunctional railway, which even implemented the idea of ​​automatic blocking, which had just emerged on a large railway! It is for this reason that the track itself was three-rail.

With a broad gesture, the brother laid out 6 rubles! Mom, shaking her head disapprovingly, nevertheless scraped together 10 rubles in her purse. And the father, sighing and scratching the back of his head, silently took out 20 rubles from a thick packet and put them in a common pot! I stood there, not breathing. Will this wonderful railway really be at our home today!

For some reason, we were sent to the basement along a side staircase to get the box (later, in all subsequent times when I visited this department store, I always turned my head towards this staircase).
The box was bulky and very heavy, but it was a RAILWAY.
At home, of course, they didn’t let me close to the road while my brother dealt with all the difficulties of collecting and debugging. For him with a higher education, it took about 3 hours. The assembly instructions, beautifully published in 1955 on coated paper, did not allow the road to be connected and running immediately. For example, there was a lot of uncertainty in the installation of electrical wires and terminals. It seems that in the pictures everything is visible, understandable and clear, there are markings on the wires and terminals, the veins are all colored, but when you start assembling in reality, it doesn’t work right away... Some pages of the instructions are given in the original.

The first assembly of the rails took about an hour. Fortunately, all the lashes are numbered. In total there were 7 straight rail sections and 16 curves (the instructions say radius). I was amazed by the automatic closing of the barriers as the train approached the crossing and the appearance of the switchman from the checkpoint booth. At the same time, a bright green lantern lit up in his hands. The station duty officer on the platform famously raised the flag, also green, and held it until the train passed... Miraculously, the lights were even on in the passenger cars!

When, in the end, the railway was launched, there was quiet delight from all the relatives, well, no need to talk about me!

The rolling stock consisted of an IS-51 locomotive (Joseph Stalin - 1951) with an axle arrangement of 2-(1+1)-2, two passenger cars and one covered carriage, as well as an open platform. The motor trolley had an ultra-modern group electric drive through an articulated gear drive. The heavy body of the locomotive rested only on the motor bogie, which made it possible to realize high traction forces. The guide bogies carried only their own weight, which at high speeds sometimes led to their derailment, which, however, did not in any way affect the further movement of the train... until the first switch! If you thought that this is where the derailment took place, then you are deeply mistaken, no, at the turnouts the wheels themselves jumped onto the rails. Why not modern “frogs”!

And in the event of a derailment or any other short circuit, after a couple of seconds the protection was triggered and a bright red light on the central control panel turned on! Restoring the circuit was possible only after the bimetallic strip had cooled and, of course, the misalignment or short circuit had been eliminated.

All these innovations brought my brother and me into indescribable ecstasy: perfect protection against short circuits, smooth speed control, reliable three-digit automatic locking, track lighting with locomotive spotlights, and switches and crossings with separate lights. Bright festive lighting of the station, light at the ticket office. To my great regret, the diesel-electric locomotive used an AC commutator traction motor, which did not allow remote reversal. It was possible to change the direction of movement only with a switch located in an inconvenient place on the motor trolley under the body skirt.

I was also fascinated by the automatic coupling, which allowed me to connect the cars without my participation. The figure shows the coupling of two passenger cars. But there were problems with uncoupling, especially on curved sections.

Naturally, not only my entire class visited, but, without exaggeration, the entire school No. 174! Rumors spread quickly!

Later, when the basic two circles became a little boring, I made a dead-end station. Often in the summer he took out the box and laid out a path in our cozy shady courtyard, which aroused genuine interest among all the neighbors, numerous children of different ages. Since the city of Baku is located on the hills, the surface of the courtyard had a clear slope towards the street, which required the creation of an effective braking system. As expected, the brakes of the passenger cars and the auxiliary hand brake of the locomotive, which stuck out from the window of the driver's assistant, were made.

Of course, the spread of the unfolded railway did not allow it to be left on the floor for a long time. Assembled, played - carefully disassemble, fold and slide the box under the table. The family used a weekly incentive: if there were no C grades on the report card, then they were allowed to lay out the road on Sunday... I really didn’t want to collect it in the evening and put it in a box!!

And one more thing you need to pay attention to: after the game I was smeared from head to toe in machine oil and some kind of soot. Isn’t this the ultimate dream of a guy who dreamed of devoting his life to a real railroad!

There is an amazing children's railway in Tatarstan. Kazan, where it is located, opened it with the aim of training qualified personnel. It has existed since August 2007. It is located on the territory of the Lebyazhye forest park area.

History of the opening of the road

A proposal to build a children's railway in Kazan came from the Russian Railways company in early 2004. The project was planned to coincide with the 1000th anniversary of the capital of Tatarstan. Until 2005, a location was chosen. There were two options: in Gorky Park or near Lake Lebyazhye.

In March 2005, preparation of project documentation began. The deadline for putting the facility into operation was set for 2006. Then the date changed to 2007. It was planned to manufacture five passenger trains and three diesel locomotives, of which one was supposed to be a battery electric locomotive.

In the fall of 2006, preparatory work began for laying railway tracks. A children's railway (Kazan) was planned in Yudino and then in his career. But local residents opposed this route, so the deadline for the final commissioning of the facility was somewhat delayed.

As a result, the Kazan Children's Railway (address: Altynova Street, 4 "A") was opened only on August 30, 2007. The event was held in a solemn atmosphere. The opening was attended by the President of Tatarstan, the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation and other officials.

Goals and objectives of opening a children's railway

The Children's Railway (Kazan) was built for pre-professional training of future qualified workers. The purpose of creating the object is to create the necessary conditions for teenagers for self-determination. Thanks to familiarization with the railway business, students develop communication, creative and organizational skills. This is facilitated by the joint activities of teenagers.

As a result, they become interested in their future profession. Students receive not only theoretical knowledge in many specialties, but also consolidate it in practice. At the same time, collectivism, accuracy, responsibility and conscientiousness are instilled in adolescents.

Description of the road

For the Children's Railway, four kilometers of tracks were laid and two terminal stations (Molodezhnaya (or Yashlek) and Izumrudnaya) and intermediate stations (Sportivnaya and Berezovaya Roshcha) were built. On the main one (one of the trailing ones) there was a two-story station with a three-stall depot and an educational building. The dimensions of the facility allowed for the storage of all rolling stock. A 4-point lift and a beam crane were installed in the workshop.

The three-story building was equipped with a dormitory for railway students who came from other cities in the summer to practice. A buffet and canteen for workers were opened at the station. There is a large parking lot near the station square.

The Children's Railway (Kazan) has terminal stations, one of which is named Izumrudnaya. Only a one-story building was built on it, in which the ticket office is located. There are no permanent structures at intermediate train stops. Only blue plastic awnings are installed. All buildings of the Children's Railway have an intricate architecture with blue and mirror glass and ceramic wall cladding.

The route starts from the village of Zalesnoye and ends at the Yudinsky quarry beach. The train route runs through a picturesque pine green area. The narrow-gauge railway is equipped with switches, modern equipment and two crossings. During the train's journey, traffic lights, safety devices, communications and alarms are used. There are also automatic blocking and centralization systems.

Station at the station The youth room is designed for 25 people. The building contains a ticket office, a small cafe and an electrical power station. The railway is managed from here. The train is called "Rainbow". It moves at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour. The total capacity of passenger cars is 157 people.

Education

Children's Railway (Kazan) has an administrative and educational building. It is equipped with classrooms for studying railway specialties:

• locomotive drivers;
• carriages;
• movers;
• railway workers

Farm specialists are also trained in the educational building:

• passenger;
• alarms;
• blocking and centralization;
• communications.

The educational building has a dining room with 36 seats and a gym for students and teachers. The dormitory has double rooms, which have all the necessary amenities for students who come from other cities to study and practice.

The academic year is from October to March. Theory is taught only once a week. Practice begins in June. The training is free and lasts three years. There are special conditions for nonresident students. Study groups are recruited from schoolchildren in grades 4-7 from secondary schools and gymnasiums in Kazan and other cities of Tatarstan. After training, graduates receive certificates of completion of a three-year specialized course.

Kazan, children's railway: how to get to it?

You can get to the Russian Railways by buses No. 46 and 72 to the stop. Railway College. Or on numbers 36, 158 and 401 to the stop. Behetle (otherwise - Zalesny).

1. At the station, parts of the trains - passenger and freight - were mixed up. Cut out the pictures from the Appendix and assemble the trains. Ask your deskmate to check on you. After checking, stick the parts. Tell us what kind of cargo the freight train carries.

A freight train carries cars, sand, timber, chemicals, and various goods.

2. Do you know what a children's railway is? This is a wonderful place! If the opportunity arises, visit such a road and get to know how it works. If there is no opportunity, find out about it using the Internet or other sources of information. Be prepared to talk in class about what you saw and learned.

Children's railways

Children's railways are special educational clubs in which children aged 8-15 years study railway specialties. Children's railways are trying to bring them as close as possible to the prototype - public railways. Therefore, as far as possible, children's railways use the same equipment as real railways.
Sometimes children's railways are called attractions located in cultural and recreation parks, which are a train that rides children in a circle. However, such attractions are not children's railways. Firstly, they are operated by adults, and secondly, real children's railways are organizations that teach children the basics of railway professions, which does not apply to attractions.
The first children's railway was built in Moscow in 1932. By the mid-1980s, at least 52 children's railways operated in the USSR. Now in Russia there are 25 children's railways in the cities: Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Kazan, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, Kratovo, Kurgan, Liski, Nizhny Novgorod, Novomoskovsk, Novosibirsk, Orenburg, Penza, Rostov-on-Don, St. Petersburg, Svobodny, Tyumen, Ufa, Khabarovsk, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Yaroslavl.