Museum work is not limited to art. To preserve the heritage and history of industrial development, the origins of great undertakings that made the country one of the most powerful in the world, is also the task of museum halls and storage facilities. The history of the creation, formation, development of railways in our country began two centuries ago. How it was, what the first equipment looked like, bridges and what tools were, tells the Russian Railways Museum in St. Petersburg.
First exposures
The Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation in St. Petersburg on Sadovaya Street is one of the oldest museums dedicated to the preservation of the history of scientific and technical thought. Emperor Alexander I was personally involved in its creation, having issued a corresponding Manifesto about this. It says that the Institute of the Corps of Engineers is being established in the Yusupov Palace, where machines and structures important for Russia and other states should be preserved. The first models appeared in 1813. The exposition was located in six halls, where the exhibits were collected according to the principle of belonging to one or anotheranother area. The storage facilities also received construction documents, models of roads, structures, bridges.
In 1823, the institute and museum of the Russian Railways were transferred to Moskovsky Prospekt. All employees on the railway got access to the documentation and exposition; visits have been open to the general public since 1862. The collection was constantly replenished, the main sources were organizations, ministries and caring citizens.
Museum named after Nicholas I
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tsar Nicholas I, who did a lot for the development of the railway infrastructure of Russia, it was decided to establish a museum of the department in St. Petersburg, giving it the name of the emperor. The scale of the name and the number of potential exhibits required a large space. The construction of a new building on government land in the Yusupov Garden was started so that its facade was facing Sadovaya Street. In addition to items related to the railway business, items from the Russian exposition of water transport that participated in the Paris World Exhibition (1901) were sent to the new museum. The legacy of this exhibition can still be seen in the halls of the museum today, for example, the model "Pleisir Yacht" of Peter the Great, the icebreaker "Baikal", bridges and more.
The new Russian Railways Museum was opened in 1902, and by 1904 a two-story wing was added to demonstrate the rich exposition. More massive rarities were placed here: the boat of Peter I, as well as the boat of Emperor Alexander II, the banners of the railway battalion. The second wing was built in 1909 and the institute museum was transferred to it, which at that time100 years old.
Soviet period
The Revolution and the Civil War almost destroyed the entire museum fund, only through the efforts of enthusiasts almost everything was saved. It began to function in 1924, the exposition consisted of five halls, in which the historical stages of the development of transport were sequentially viewed.
By 1934, 11,843 units of storage were registered in the museum's funds. During this period, the Russian Railways Museum introduces the practice of organizing branches, traveling exhibitions.
The Great Patriotic War caused significant damage to the museum building, all exhibits were taken to Novosibirsk. The restoration of the halls and work on a new exposition began after the blockade was lifted, in 1944. Through the efforts of employees, the first exhibition opened in the summer of 1948, it was organized for the Day of the railwayman at the site of the Central Park.
The status of the Central Museum was received in 1987, which opened up great opportunities for collecting information and replenishing funds. At the present stage, the Russian Railways Museum stores more than 60 thousand items, which include documents, lithographs, drawings, models, models and about fifty real locomotives.
Current exhibition
The Museum of Russian Railways (St. Petersburg) invites you to familiarize yourself with the expositions located in nine halls:
- Hall 1: "The birth of railways in Russia". The stands tell about the first railways from the country and the world. You can see the models of the first rails with your own eyes, assess the severity of laying the first tracks. Rightthe model of the first steam locomotive is demonstrated.
- Hall 2: "Bridge building". At the stands of this hall, one can fully enjoy the diversity of human genius in the field of bridge building for Russian Railways. The museum offers models of suspension, single-track, reinforced concrete, beam and many other bridge structures for review.
- Hall 3: Rolling stock. The exposition of the hall contains photographs, models of the first steam locomotives and wagons. Authentic devices that provided communication on Russian Railways are presented. The museum keeps documentation relating to this period, which can be viewed in display cases.
- Hall 4: “Railways in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945”. The center of this hall is occupied by a diorama showing the restoration of the destroyed station. Models of armored trains operating during the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars are also presented.
- Hall 5: "Construction and road machines". The hall exhibits historical and modern models of equipment designed for road construction.
- Hall6. "Model of a mechanized sorting hill". The layout is valuable for its origins and stories. The Museum of Russian Railways has kept it since 1935, the prototype was the Krasny Liman station (Donetsk railway). There is also a working model of a shunting locomotive.
- Hall 7: Locomotive building. One of the exciting exhibits. Locomotives in full size are placed in the hall. it is possible to trace the path of the machine from the drawing to the operating machine. In addition, a large collection of historical photographs is on display.
- Hall number 8: Car building. Here is the evolutionwagons, from the most primitive to specialized specimens designed to transport oil, alcohol, live fish, etc. The latest developments of Russian engineers for high-speed movement are also in the hall.
- Hall 9: "Organization of train traffic". The Russian Railways Museum presents dispatching equipment from the very first stations to sophisticated modern computer systems. A large-scale model (43 meters long) is mounted here, allowing you to understand the specifics of the dispatch service, which includes four stations, operating electric trains.
Stock market
At the Lebyazhye station of the Oktyabrskaya Railway, the Russian Railways Museum has organized an exhibition area that will appeal to both adults and children. Here are collected 50 exhibits representing real locomotives. Some of them are unique and belong to different years of production, there are steam locomotives of 1913, diesel locomotives of 1944 and others. Part of the locomotives is stored at the exhibition site of the Riga railway station (MSK railway) and at the site of the Varshavsky railway station (Oct. railway).
Reviews
Reviews of visitors to the Museum of Russian Railways in St. Petersburg are mostly enthusiastic, especially if the tour was made by dads with children. Adults note a large number of real locomotives, locomotives, operating models. The guides, who gave meaningful information about each exhibit in the halls of the museum, got positive marks. Visitors noted that the treasury of knowledge was significantly replenished.
Negative feedback concerns smallthe number of exhibits that can be seen from the inside. Mothers with children of primary school and preschool age complain that it is difficult to climb large objects.
But the general impression of everyone is positive, almost everyone advises not to pass by, but to go in and see everything on your own, in the near future. Museum of Russian Railways, address: Sadovaya street, building No. 50 (metro station "Spasskaya", "Sadovaya", "Sennaya Square"). The cost of tickets on weekdays is 300 rubles, on weekends - 400 rubles. There are discounts for children, students and pensioners.
