Journey on a real steam locomotive rzhd. Steam train ride on a retro train

At the end of February, RZD Tour opened the season of locomotive excursions in St. Petersburg. Correspondent TJ, on the instructions of the editors, went to unusual journey to find out if the company really has a real steam locomotive on the move and where you can get on it.

To bookmarks

The interior of the Vitebsk railway station

The road to the city of Pushkin began for tourists from the first station that appeared in Russia - Vitebsk. The tour group gathered at the entrance to the building at 10 am, but due to the fact that the tour took place on Sunday, there were very few people around.

Our guide Valery Borisovich Stolov began his story with the reasons for the emergence of railway communication in Russia. According to him, the first transport routes were exclusively of a military-strategic nature. Russia followed the example of Prussia and decided to replace the fortresses with stations and railways so that the army would become more mobile. The entire line to Vitebsk and the station of the same name were built in order to prepare for the future conflict with Austria-Hungary, which took place in 1914 and became part of the First World War.

In the "backyard" of the Vitebsk railway station there is the "Tsar's Pavilion" - a small building that served as an access point to a special railway track allocated for the emperor and his entourage. This path leads directly to the city of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo), where the permanent residence of the emperor was located. From there, the ruler could get to other parts of the country along dedicated routes.

Gathering at the entrance to the station

Monument to soldiers of the First World War

"Royal Pavilion"

Facade of the Royal Pavilion

Due to the desertedness of Sunday, it seemed that we visited a museum, and not a functioning railway station of one of largest cities countries.

Third-class hall ("economy") of the old Vitebsk railway station

Previously, the entire station was divided into several halls, the convenience of which depended on the class of service. By the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg in 2003, all the premises were restored almost to original form. I never left the Vitebsk railway station, so it turned out to be a great discovery for me that the entourage of the 19th century was preserved inside the building.

Windows with cash desks in the third class hall

The first hall, which served as a place for luggage and economy class passengers, was the most sparse in terms of interesting details: it contained only high benches. As we were explained, they placed not only the things of passengers, but often they themselves, because from time to time it took twenty hours to transfer to the next train.

The hall occupies two floors in height and almost all of its details hint at the fact that wealthy aristocrats got to the station through it. It has a marble staircase, very large windows with stained glass, a bust of Emperor Nicholas I and many artificial lamps, unlike the previous hall.

Stained glass window in the lobby for elite passengers

Hall for aristocrats

If you climb the marble stairs, then on the second floor of the station you can find the former waiting room for privileged passengers. At the same level are the platforms themselves with trains. They are located above city streets due to the proximity of the Obvodny Canal, through which a high railway bridge was once built.

The waiting room itself for first-class passengers was not as grandiose as the road to it. The main difference from the budget hall is that the seats are not so long and wide, but they look more cultured and sophisticated. In addition, paintings hang in the room, which depict some episodes from the history of the development of railways in Russia.

Next to the hall is a first-class restaurant where passengers could eat "on the way". When the railways appeared, passengers arrived at the stations several hours ahead of time because of the fear that the train would leave without them. Therefore, the idea of spending time waiting for the train in restaurants has gained wide popularity. It became a habit and remains relevant to this day.

First Class (Business) Lounge

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Railway stations became associated with the word "station" thanks to the engineer Franz von Gerstner, who built for Russian Empire the first railroad. He suggested that next to one of the first stations in Pavlovsk, an entertainment establishment "voksal" - a room or garden where festivities with dances, masquerades and fireworks usually took place. This type of establishment was extremely popular in Europe: the first such establishment opened in 1660 near London and was called Vauxhall Gardens.

Voksal was proposed to be opened next to the Pavlovsk station in order to increase passenger traffic along the Tsarskoye Selo railway. As a result, a fashion appeared among the inhabitants of St. Petersburg to travel to Pavlovsk for the sake of music and parties, and return the next day. Philologists are inclined to believe that after that the name “voksal” was assigned to the stations, and a little later, under the influence of the Russian word “hall”, it turned into the currently used “station”.

After getting acquainted with the waiting rooms, we went directly towards the train and ended up in the lobby in front of the exit to the tracks. This room made of metal contrasts sharply against the background of past halls. Due to the huge steel vaults, consisting of many metal rivets, an entourage in the steampunk style is created.

When you first look at this room, you get the feeling that you have literally moved to another era: it is spoiled only by modern kiosks with souvenirs and food.

The lobby of the Vitebsk railway station

View of the locomotive from the lobby door

Getting to know the locomotive

At the Vitebsk railway station there is a very exact copy of the old train with the Provorny steam locomotive, which made its first trip on Russian railways in 1837. Early trains were unable to move from car to car: in fact, passengers were locked with their fellow travelers in an enclosed space throughout the journey. As we were explained, in the case of the “economy class” carriages, this could be dangerous, since there were no security guards on the trains, and cases of rape, robbery and even murder were recorded very often during trips.

On the way to the layout, we saw a retro train that was supposed to take us to Pushkin. He had already been filed on a separate track, where he caught the surprised glances of passengers and the staff of the station itself.

When I heard the sounds of a working steam locomotive from afar, I caught myself thinking this: people who have not watched old films and have not delved into the history of steam locomotive construction will probably, like me, fall into some stupor from the very fact that this mechanism is on the railway and can work. I had to meet with steam locomotives in pictures and in some films, but this does not go to any comparison with what I saw. It took me about a minute to overcome the cognitive dissonance that had arisen: during it, I could only stand and consider whether this was really happening.

By our return, there were only more casual viewers. The locomotive has not yet gone anywhere - it just stood and “puffed”, but this was enough to attract the attention of both very young and very elderly residents and guests of the city. Even police officers and other machinists were distracted from their work: succumbing to the situation, they took out their phones and started filming the locomotive (unfortunately, they did not get into the frame).

The closer I got to the retro train, the more I felt like I was part of history. Images of passengers of the second half of the 19th century even began to emerge in my head, for whom steam locomotives were as commonplace as Sapsan is for us now. Unfortunately, the car we were traveling in was not authentic. But when the train started moving, it faded into the background.

Awesome trip

When you ride a steam locomotive, you feel like a close friend of some Hollywood star: everyone around is trying to take a good photo, stand with their mouths open, or want to make friends.

A trip on a steam locomotive is impossible to confuse with anything. During the start of the movement, it quickly accelerates due to the peculiarities of the operation of the steam engine, and at the moments when the coupling drawbar (the so-called metal bar connecting the wheels) is as high as possible above the railway track, the “slip” effect occurs, which is expressed in jerks during movement . At first, this is unusual and a little annoying, but after two minutes everything passes and you begin to enjoy the trip.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about such a trip is that in the window you constantly see small clouds of smoke emitted by a steam locomotive. I have not seen this effect in any film where a ride on a steam locomotive is shown from inside the car: for some reason it is stubbornly ignored. Even in the recently released TV series Westworld, whose setting is connected with the times of the use of steam locomotives, the trip on them was reproduced inaccurately.

From time to time, the drivers used a characteristic locomotive whistle, which, in combination with other features of the locomotives, created the effect of complete immersion in the days of Tsarist Russia.

We reached the Detskoselskaya station (popularly the 21st kilometer) in Pushkin in about 10 minutes. During the trip, Russian Railways employees politely invited tourists to drink tea from glasses with classic railway coasters. In addition, everyone could treat themselves to oatmeal cookies, sweet rolls or sweets.

The conductor of the retro train pours everyone a cup of tea and offers treats

Upon arrival at the station, tourists had the opportunity for the first time during the tour to photograph a moving steam locomotive. Especially for us, he was detained, and when everyone was ready to shoot, he went to the stage to turn around and clear the way for electric trains and other trains.

The locomotive pulls away from Pushkin

In Pushkin, the tour group stopped for about an hour to study the work of Malaya Oktyabrskaya railway, or as it is called by the people of the children's railway.

Behind the scenes of the children's railway

The small Oktyabrskaya railway differs from the “big” railways in narrow gauge tracks and in the fact that children under 15 work instead of adults. Unlike most other children's railways, MOZhD has not only an educational, but also a transport function. It combines three stations in the south of St. Petersburg and two stations in the North, and the total length of the tracks is almost 13 kilometers.

Depot MOZHD

Young railroad workers even have themed benches

Unfortunately, we were not able to see the road in action due to the fact that it operates only in the summer, but we got acquainted with the current "children's" trains, young railway workers and the peculiarities of work in the Moscow Railways.

The tour for us was conducted by guys who study and work for the Moscow Railway, each of them was no more than 16 years old. I have never been interested in the behind the scenes of working on the railroad, so for me appearance control panel was a discovery. It turned out that it displays the location of all trains on a specific section of the track in real time. I immediately had a question: where is the equipment that ensures the operation of the entire IOR and the control room. As we were explained, a certain analogue of the “server” is supported by adults because of its complexity, and when I saw the number of wires and various switches, I could no longer disagree with this.

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In the depot of the children's railway, for the duration of the winter, all the trains operating in the summer on the southern branch were located. All trains of the International Railways surprise with their simplicity and elegance of execution. Outwardly, they look like miniature trailers for attractions or midgets, but inside the trains it is very spacious and comfortable: two people can fit in the aisle without any problems.

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For the duration of our excursion, the work of the Detskoselskaya station was not stopped, therefore, in addition to tourists, there were also random passengers on the platform. Two young men with wine in packages did not miss the opportunity to ride on a steam locomotive "hares". They did not stop to get rid of uninvited fellow travelers, despite their uncultured behavior.

The way back did not differ in time from the way to Pushkin, but it seemed that we were driving for about an hour: deep down we wanted to prolong this atmosphere so much.

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In their hospitality, the employees of Russian Railways this time seem to have gone too far. I arrived on the tour with a delay of about five minutes due to the fact that I had been waiting for a taxi for a long time: I understood where I should go only from the large crowd of people at the entrance to the Vitebsk railway station. I expected that they would ask me for a passport or at least ask for a surname to confirm participation in the excursion, but, apparently, they took me for part of the group when I just started moving around with everyone and taking pictures. I thought that some kind of check would be arranged at the entrance to the retro train, but even there it was enough just to go in: they didn’t ask for a name or documents.

So impostors got into the composition of the participants of the excursion. After inspecting the "Tsar's Pavilion" of the Vitebsk railway station, a man approached me, who had already disguised himself as a participant in the tour, and began to ask: what does it consist of, where are we going. I calmly told him, but then he asked a question that betrayed him as a saboteur: he asked what we were driving. After answering “on a steam locomotive,” the man asked again and asked for an explanation of what exactly this means. When we were already boarding the retro train, to the question of an RZD Tour employee about whether he was a member of the tour, the saboteur confidently said “yes” and finally joined the tourist group.

"Elvis has left the building"

Even if you are not at all interested in how one of the most popular modes of transport of our time began, a steam locomotive tour can pleasantly surprise you at least with the level of its organization. Personally, my experience of interacting with Russian Railways is almost always negative: either the company’s website does not work when I need to issue tickets, or I overpay by taking the “branded” train, and there will be an uncomfortable compartment inside.

Therefore, this time I went with the expectation of some mistakes, shortcomings or negativity from the employees. But most of all, I expected that the engine would turn out to be fake, and in the end we would go on an ordinary train, which was only decorated in antique. Fortunately, all my fears were in vain: the event went on schedule to the nearest minute, and the staff were polite, kind and positive towards all tourists.

The good attitude of the staff could be attributed to the fact that this tour is held for the first time, but it turned out that such events are held with enviable regularity. You can ride a steam locomotive about once every three weeks: the next excursion is scheduled for March 26.

Apparently, the company has only recently begun to actively advertise steam locomotive excursions on the Internet: several people from the group, including myself, became aware of such an opportunity through ads in in social networks. Since I went to the event on the instructions of the editors, for me it was free, but in fact, a ticket for an adult is 2 thousand rubles. However, if there is an opportunity to go on such a trip again for a fee, I will gladly participate.

By this tour it is possible to change the time of collection and departure due to the peculiarities of the work of Russian Railways. Please clarify exact time collection day before departure.

Traveling along the Small Railway Ring of Moscow on a real old steam locomotive is a unique opportunity to plunge into the charming, ancient atmosphere of the railway. A train led by a real steam locomotive built in the late 19th century will be served at the Rizhsky railway station. You will comfortably sit in comfortable soft chairs of the car, our "retro train" will begin its journey along the small railway ring of Moscow, which celebrated its 100th anniversary. The line with a length of 54 kilometers dates back to 1908, when regular traffic was opened here. This highway is a very interesting structure, which has no analogues in the world.
Unusual views of the capital from the windows of the train: old stations of the early 20th century, fences, ancient and majestic Novodevichy Convent, a new bright landmark of Moscow City, Ostankino TV Tower, VDNKh, Botanical Garden, Izmailovsky Kremlin. On the route of the retro - the train crosses the Moscow River four times along the Dorogomilovsky, Luzhnetsky, Novoandreevsky and Danilovsky bridges. The steam locomotive will arrive at the Rizhsky railway station, where you will continue the tour with a tour of one of the most elegant and ancient railway stations in Moscow. The building of the Rizhsky railway station was built at the end of the 19th century, as part of the construction of the Vindava railway, according to the project, not without the famous St. Petersburg architect Brzhozovsky. There are many legends associated with this station. interesting stories that our guide will tell you. At the end of the tour, you will be able to visit unique museum steam locomotives (located at the right end of the station).

Tour duration: 4 hours.
Travel time by train: 2 hours 30 minutes

Excursion program:

Excursion around the Riga station;

- Sightseeing tour on a retro train along the Small Railway Ring of Moscow, with a fascinating guide's story.

ATTENTION! Due to enhanced security measures, photo and video shooting at railway stations is strictly prohibited!

At the Rizhsky railway station, you can visit the Museum of the History of Railway Engineering on your own for an additional fee. fee. (Tickets are purchased at the museum box office, price for adults/children - 40/25 rubles, self-examination of the exposition).
Attention! Our journey begins and ends at the Rizhsky railway station (metro station Rizhskaya).

The cost of adults / children - 1170 rubles.
Group meeting at 8:40 at the Rizhsky railway station, entrance No. 1,
Guide with a sign "On a retro train along the Moscow railway ring."
Start of the tour - 8:50

The price of the tour includes:
A trip on a retro train along the small railway ring of Moscow;
Travel information from a professional guide;
Excursion around the Riga station;

Helpful information:
- Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear shoes without heels.
- Attention! Our train runs in the grid of the general train schedule, so please do not be late for boarding, the train moves off minute by minute, latecomers are not expected.
- Attention! On the platform of stations, be extremely careful and attentive.

"steam train ride"- a great way to spend time in Moscow for those who are interested in steam locomotives and everything connected with them. Recommended not only for children, but also for adults!

A great locomotive adventure consists of several parts:

Part I - The Museum of Railway Engineering at the Rizhsky Station of the Moscow Railway

It all starts with an acquaintance with a stationary exposition. What is not here! The museum has a huge collection of historical examples of equipment of the last century - locomotives, wagons, special railway equipment. All of them are witnesses and participants in more than a century of history of the domestic railway industry.

There are also recognized monuments of science and technology. For example, the legendary steam locomotive of the Ov series, which received the affectionate nickname “Sheep” among the machinists. This is the most honorable exhibit and a real "pearl" of the railway collection. Its age is more than a century. This is the most massive pre-revolutionary locomotive. But only 4 copies have survived to this day.

Following the Ovechka, a tender wagon is the one that transports a supply of coal and the legendary wagon - a wagon in which people and horses were transported during the First World War, which got its name because of the stove-potbelly stove installed in the center.

Nearby is another steam locomotive of the already Soviet production FD - Felix Dzerzhinsky - one of the most powerful Soviet locomotives of the 30s.

The guide will tell you about all this and much more. In our case, the most colorful Evgeny Lushin, who in the past worked as a locomotive driver on a steam locomotive and knows everything about steam locomotives and their history. And a little more. (If you ever decide to take this tour - ask him, you won't regret it!!!)

And not only tell, but also show! For example, how wagon couplers worked.

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Facts, stories, references, explanations are pouring in an endless stream ... The tour seems to be designed for children, but adults also listen with their mouths open.
For example, do you know why some locomotives were painted green and others black? No?

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Green - carried passengers, and black - cargo!

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If excursions are not your format, then each exhibit has a sign with a description. You can read it ... Although this, of course, cannot be compared with the story of a real machinist who lives on this topic ...

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After all, he tells not just bare facts, but also shares his emotions, which are sometimes difficult to hide. For example, the annoyance that steam locomotives are no longer produced ...

They ceased to be produced literally on the same day, when figures were announced at the next meeting, indicating the inefficiency of locomotive traction. All 30%. The electric locomotives that appeared at that time were much more efficient in absolute terms. But the speakers did not explain that electric locomotives require a gigantic infrastructure. Hundreds of kilometers of wires, power plants, maintenance and much, much more - all this was left outside the report. So "inefficient" steam locomotives are a thing of the past.

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Since then, more than half a century has passed ... But in terms of the number of horsepower and average speed, the steam locomotives of those years almost do not differ from modern ones.
While we are walking around the museum, a real steam locomotive passes us! Everyday so ... But on this line, this is in the order of things!

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Most of the museum exhibits are also on the go. Although they almost never travel outside their museum, they have all the necessary equipment for this.

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You can touch the locomotives, you can even stand up on the steps to make the shot better.

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Some locomotives have driver's cabs open for access. You can not only go there, but also twist all sorts of handles, taps and so on.

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It is absolutely impossible to go around the museum at a time, especially with a tour, when you are not only shown the exhibits, but also tell a lot of interesting things about each of them…

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Therefore, we limit ourselves to the locomotive sector and move on ...

Part II - Retro Train

A natural continuation of stories about steam locomotives is a trip on one of them! This is quite an adventure in itself, although at first glance it seems that it is more interesting to watch from the side than from the inside.

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Traveling by steam locomotive is different from traveling by train. Not to mention the occasional puff of smoke flying past the window and passengers waiting on the platforms gawking and reaching for their gadgets to take pictures.

The very feeling of the trip differs ... The locomotive is more jerky, with constant small jerks. This is connected with the work of steam engines and is the first and surest sign that you are being driven by a steam locomotive.
During the trip, you can have a snack, drink tea / coffee ... Or buy souvenirs.

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And the guides continue to tell different Interesting Facts and in the meantime entertain the kids with games and contests.

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The trip takes just over 10 minutes. Our station is the Red Baltiets platform.

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Part III - Podmoskovnaya depot

Depot Podmoskovnaya is no longer a museum, but a real depot, operating. It has recently been carefully restored and tours are in full swing. Steam locomotives here are not just exhibited as exhibits, but really live, refuel, repair, service and drive, so you need to be very careful when walking, which the guide warns about.

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Here everything is as close as possible to how it was before. There is a water tower, which now, of course, no longer fulfills its direct duties, but serves as an architectural monument. And several residential buildings where employees used to live. It's funny that these houses did not belong to any streets, but in the postal address they wrote what kind of house it was from the water pump.

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Now steam locomotives are refueled aside from a special column.

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The main highlight on the cake is the turntable. Real, active! If you're lucky, you might even see him in action. We've been incredibly lucky. The crane went into a turn.

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There is no convenient tourist road in the depot, you have to go straight along the rails. But that only makes it more interesting!

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Strictly speaking, this is not exactly a depot. It is classified as a "museum and production complex". It is here that the educational and methodological base for the professional training of locomotive crews is based.
The steam locomotive management school is akin to folk crafts. They stopped teaching machinists back in the 70s, and there were no more professionals in this business at all. At first, they tried to invite electric train drivers, but they say they were reluctant. No one wanted to exchange the comfortable seats of a modern cabin for the heat and mud of a locomotive. But now, with the advent of the school, the situation has changed a bit. There are many enthusiastic young people in the depot who come purposefully to master this particular profession.

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Although all this, of course, is very difficult. Equipment in the depot is mainly from the beginning and middle of the last century. Spare parts for it have not been produced for a long time, and it must be handled with the utmost delicacy. For example, the boiler must be kept hot almost constantly if the locomotive is running. The more often it cools down and reheats at startup, the faster the boiler fails. A faulty boiler modern conditions This is a decommissioned locomotive. In total, eight cars are still running in the depot, each one is assigned to a driver, his assistant and a stoker.

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A sectional steam locomotive is presented in a separate room! This a real steam locomotive, out of order and beyond repair, which was converted into a visual aid to demonstrate how steam traction actually works. For clarity, the "hot" parts of the locomotive are tinted in red, and the cold ones, respectively, in blue.

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Particularly inquisitive can climb and look into the firebox from the side of the machinist.

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Part IV - Apotheosis

Getting to know steam locomotives is impossible without one, the smallest, but the brightest detail...

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The culmination of the locomotive day is the ascent into the driver's cab of a working locomotive! This attraction is available at the end of the tour. And, I must say, it is in demand both among children and adults ...

Here you can no longer twist or touch anything at all. But on the other hand, the driver will slightly open the firebox door so that you can feel the heat and see the flame and certainly stumble back ... Terrible!

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But how many impressions, emotions and memories remain after this! Both parents and children are delighted ... In general, do not miss one of the brightest entertainments in Moscow.

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All attendance passwords can be found on the website

We present to your attention unique retro train tours for students and adults. During the excursion tour it will be fun for both children and parents. At your request, we will organize a 2-hour or 3-hour a ride on a steam locomotive in Moscow and the outskirts, to Kolomna and Star City. In addition, you can choose a train tour around the Golden Ring, visiting Pereslavl-Zalessky, Kostroma, Vladimir and many other cities. You can choose the car or route that suits you and visit railway museum. We will also organize a real weekend adventure trip for you, during which you will be able to visit interesting places Moscow region and the Golden Ring. Our tour will be remembered for a long time!

Routes of walks on a retro train.

Excursion around the Small Railway Ring of Moscow. The duration of the route is about 3 hours. You will see the sights of Moscow, including the Novodevichy Convent, Moscow City, Ostankino TV Tower and many others. Several times we will pass over the famous bridges over the Moskva River. The cost of a walk along the Small Ring is from 1000 rubles. per person. The duration of the tour is about 3 hours.
Moscow-Kolomna-Moscow. The duration of the tour is about 10 hours. During the tour we will visit the Kolomna Kremlin, a sightseeing tour of Kolomna. In addition, we will visit the pastila museum and visit the theatrical performance of the Cossack camp.
Route to the Air Force Museum in Monino.
During the ride on the steam locomotive we will visit the Air Force Museum in Monino. We will see real samples of helicopters, airplanes and great amount aviation technology.

We organize for your group excursion tours by train in any direction and at any date convenient for you. We will be able to allocate the required number of seats or wagons that are suitable for your group and your event. However, in order to organize such corporate offsite events, it is necessary to think over the route in advance and determine the exact number of participants in the event.

For tour organization, please contact our managers.

For this tour, it is possible to change the time of collection and departure due to the peculiarities of the work of Russian Railways. Please specify the exact time of collection a day before departure.

Traveling along the Small Railway Ring of Moscow on a real old steam locomotive is a unique opportunity to plunge into the charming, ancient atmosphere of the railway. A train led by a real steam locomotive built in the late 19th century will be served at the Rizhsky railway station. You will comfortably sit in comfortable soft chairs of the car, our "retro train" will begin its journey along the small railway ring of Moscow, which celebrated its 100th anniversary. The line with a length of 54 kilometers dates back to 1908, when regular traffic was opened here. This highway is a very interesting structure, which has no analogues in the world.
Unusual views of the capital from the train windows: old stations of the early 20th century, fences, the ancient and majestic Novodevichy Convent, the new bright landmark of Moscow City, the Ostankino TV tower, VDNKh, the Botanical Garden, the Izmailovsky Kremlin. On the route of the retro - the train crosses the Moscow River four times along the Dorogomilovsky, Luzhnetsky, Novoandreevsky and Danilovsky bridges. The steam locomotive will arrive at the Rizhsky railway station, where you will continue the tour with a tour of one of the most elegant and ancient railway stations in Moscow. The building of the Rizhsky railway station was built at the end of the 19th century, as part of the construction of the Vindava railway, according to the project, not without the famous St. Petersburg architect Brzhozovsky. There are many legends and interesting stories associated with this station, which our guide will tell. At the end of the tour, you will be able to visit the unique museum of steam locomotives on your own (located on the right side of the station).

Tour duration: 4 hours.
Travel time by train: 2 hours 30 minutes

Excursion program:

Excursion around the Riga station;

- Sightseeing tour on a retro train along the Small Railway Ring of Moscow, with a fascinating guide's story.

ATTENTION! Due to enhanced security measures, photo and video shooting at railway stations is strictly prohibited!