To explore the exhibits of the Railway Museum requires more than four hours of free time. It is one of the largest railway museums not only in Europe but also in the world. The collections include rare and legendary steam locomotives, diesel locomotives and trains. Each locomotive is provided with an information plaque that shows the number or letter designation of the locomotive, the year of manufacture and distinguishing features of the model. For example, in Imperial Russia from 1912 it was customary to designate locomotives with letters. In Soviet Russia the practice of alphabetic locomotive designations was abandoned in favor of the names of political figures. Also, a locomotive's purpose could be determined by its color.
Service carriage of the Chinese Eastern Railway (1902–1904)
Interesting fact: both in Russia and worldwide there are many open-air railway museums. But the Russian Railway Museum is one of the few exhibition spaces built under a roof. This is due to climatic conditions: the museum is located in Saint Petersburg, a city with high humidity. Therefore, to preserve rare rolling stock from corrosion, it was decided to build an indoor museum.
Russian Railway Museum: aerial view
Trains of the past century stand alongside operational locomotives. In addition to steam locomotives, diesel locomotives and trains, the museum has small exhibits that showcase the painstaking work of historians and archivists — people who collect the history of Russia's railway transport bit by bit. Here you can study the evolution of rail tracks, try Heron's steam model, see models of the first railway that ran from Saint Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo and of Vladivostok station from the early 20th century, and admire recreated interiors of carriages and compartments from first to fourth class.
Recreated compartment interior
Moreover, the museum space is filled with installations and halls for temporary exhibitions. The museum also has a virtual video wall, on one screen of which the internal structure of the famous TEP70 diesel locomotive is demonstrated, and on the other an artistic portrayal of the travel life of the Soviet leadership in the 1950s. But perhaps the most sought-after attraction for both children and adults is the cab simulator of the TEP70BS diesel locomotive. The simulator reproduces various situations and weather conditions and offers different difficulty levels.
Authentic driver's cab of the TEP70BS diesel locomotive
The Russian Railway Museum is an interactive, modern space in which the key milestones of our country's railway history are carefully recreated. Some museum exhibits can be interacted with, which makes it interesting not only for adult visitors but also for children. The museum can be visited individually or as part of a group of up to twenty people.
