The railway is an important transport for Russia, daily it transports millions of passengers from one region of the country to another, as well as millions of tons of various cargo, from liquids to metals.
Museum of the October Railway
There are several museums in Russia dedicated to railway transport, including such a museum in St. Petersburg, and it was opened not so long ago - in 1978.
The main goal of the museum is to tell visitors about the railway network in general, and in particular about the St. Petersburg railway junction.
The museum will introduce you to interesting historical sites, such as the Tsarskoye Selo railway, the St. Petersburg-Moscow railway, the railway window to Europe, etc.
Some exhibits tell about the revolution and the civil war. During that period, enormous damage was caused to railway transport, and its speedy restoration was the most important task of the Soviet Union.
The main fund of the museum is over 50 thousand exhibits. Apart fromtechnology, documents, photographs, albums, graphics, manuscripts, as well as instruments, rails with manufacturers' stamps, signal lights, bells and railway uniforms that have changed in different historical periods.
The railway is an integral part of the history of Russia, and the Central Museum of the October Railway considers it its mission to collect important historical facts, carefully store them, tell all visitors about it, trying to convey to them that this is a heritage to be proud of.
It is interesting that when the museum was opened, the first expositions were located at the Shushary station, but in 2001 the equipment was relocated to the Varshavsky railway station.
Museum exhibits
The exposition of the museum can be divided into several areas. The first is a historical exposition, which presents trains, wagons that appeared a long time ago and are now not operational.
The second direction is modern technology, where natural samples of technology are presented. Here you can see the most complete collection of steam locomotives, electric locomotives, freight cars that were built in Russia or abroad, but were also operated in Russia.
For example, the Museum of the October Railway in St. Petersburg presented such an exhibit as a tank steam locomotive built in 1897, which is one of the oldest steam locomotives in Russia, the S-68 steam locomotive, which was considered the best example of pre-revolutionary construction, and the first diesel locomotive Shchel- 1, built in Leningrad in 1924.
In addition to domestic equipment, you can see foreign-made equipment from Canada, the USA, France, Hungary, etc.
The third unique direction of the exposition is the Museum Wagon, created in 1984, which also carries out regular cultural and historical flights. In addition to the expositions presented in St. Petersburg, the Museum of the October Railway has several more branches. They are located in the Pskov and Tver regions.
Museum of the October Railway in St. Petersburg: ticket price
Before entering the museum, you must purchase a ticket at the entrance, the cost of which varies depending on the category of citizens. So, for schoolchildren, students and pensioners, the cost will be 50 rubles, the cost of a standard ticket is 100 rubles.
If you need a guided tour, then you should agree on this in advance, the price will be different.
For a certain category of citizens, admission to the museum is free, this includes honorary workers of the railway, large families, children under 7 years old, disabled people, participants in military battles.
Each visitor must know that photographing exhibits is only possible for a fee, and this must be specified at the checkout.
Entrance is free for everyone on May 18, International Museum Day.
In addition to the exhibits presented, the museum often hosts various events related to the railway. You can learn more about these events atwebsite or at the box office.
Address and opening hours
The Museum of the October Railway is located in St. Petersburg at the address: Obvodny Canal Embankment, 114, in the building of scientific and technical information.
Museum is open only on weekdays from 11:00 to 16:00.
New complex
The Museum of the October Railway is located on the tracks of the former Varshavsky railway station. Not so long ago, it was decided that the facility should be moved, but first to build it, or rather, to reconstruct the locomotive depot near the B altic Station.
The future museum will become more modern, interactive installations will be installed there, information will be available for different audiences (from children to pensioners), and various events will be organized for children, teenagers, those who work in the railway sphere.
Construction is planned to be completed in the 4th quarter of 2017.
