Ukrainian Railways

[Allegheny1600]

There are railway modellers in Ukraine too. Here is the story of one man from Vorzel, he only started describing his layout on this German forum earlier this year and look what happened in early March.

https://www.stummiforum.de/t201109f64-Meine-Anlage-auf-dem-Dachboden.html

German language but Google Translate does a decent job.

Not as heart wrenching as the poor young nurse who lost both legs but still upsetting.

Let’s hope it’s over soon.

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Allegheny1600 said:

There are railway modellers in Ukraine too. Here is the story of one man from Vorzel, he only started describing his layout on this German forum earlier this year and look what happened in early March.

https://www.stummiforum.de/t201109f64-Meine-Anlage-auf-dem-Dachboden.html

German language but Google Translate does a decent job.

Not as heart wrenching as the poor young nurse who lost both legs but still upsetting.

Let’s hope it’s over soon.

Thanks for posting that.  A sobering read.  I hope that Igor and his family get sorted.

 

Jamie

[apemberton]

On 08/05/2022 at 07:35, jamie92208 said:

Some good news on a BBC report this morning.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-61365365

 

I'm not sure how they've done it but there has been some good work and electrified as well.

 

Jamie

The broken bridge picture reminds me of the pictures of German sappers jacking up sabotaged rail bridges on the Eastern front and patching up destroyed piers with massive wooden baulks. At least it wasn't as seriously damaged as the bridge at Remagen across the Rhine!

 

Having tried Polish made pierogi from the local supermarket, I found the flavour a bit bland to my taste and it reminded me of DimSum parcels. A acquired taste perhaps? The menu above is Polish? That said, I did enjoy a meal at a Ukrainian restaurant when visiting Moscow on business two decades ago.

Tony

[apemberton]

On 08/05/2022 at 13:59, Allegheny1600 said:

There are railway modellers in Ukraine too. Here is the story of one man from Vorzel, he only started describing his layout on this German forum earlier this year and look what happened in early March.

https://www.stummiforum.de/t201109f64-Meine-Anlage-auf-dem-Dachboden.html

German language but Google Translate does a decent job.

Not as heart wrenching as the poor young nurse who lost both legs but still upsetting.

Let’s hope it’s over soon.

I wondered if the model railway store websites in .ua were still functioning. I found the site https://www.modeli.com.ua/ operating but http://mois-trains.com.ua/ is not. I was looking at the latter site as they sold Soviet era decals. Forums are online but I suspect the people don't have any time for normal activities. Before the invasion, there were contributors posting from .ua on .ru model forums seemingly without prejudice but that is the model rail fraternity worldwide I suppose.

 

There are shocking pictures being transmitted by UATV (on the satellites at 13 degrees East) which I cannot bear to look at. British channels are quite sanitised I'm afraid. There seems to be no humanity by the invaders.  As for it being over soon, the Russian backed separatists have been warring since 2014. In my opinion, the opposing forces will (at best) fight to a standstill.

 

As an aside, I found a Youtube Cab Video taken before the war which features a single track, mixed gauge route from Ukraine to Romania. Very rural and green. The 1520 track looked disused and the 1435 plainly did not have a lot of traffic. There is a modern EU sign at the border. This is not a video for exciting train travel!

 

 

[phil-b259]

1 hour ago, apemberton said:

 

 

There are shocking pictures being transmitted by UATV (on the satellites at 13 degrees East) which I cannot bear to look at. British channels are quite sanitised I'm afraid. There seems to be no humanity by the invaders.  As for it being over soon, the Russian backed separatists have been warring since 2014. In my opinion, the opposing forces will (at best) fight to a standstill.

 

 

 

UK broadcasters have to be careful in what they broadcast (in terms of graphic imagery) if they don't want to get huge fines from OffCom.

 

Equally British broadcasters have been careful not to push things which they cannot independently verify - which is a very important distinction between news and propaganda (incidentally something British Newspapers completely fail to understand).

 

However you don't need a continuous feed of shocking pictures to know that Russian forces are guilty of Rape, Torture, summary executions, looting, theft, extorsion etc. - or that the high command in Moscow and in particular that fascist / virtual dictator Putin approves* of such things as 'punishment' for resisting his war machine.

 

*Dedicated ex KGB agents who regard the fall of communism in Eastern Europe to be the worst thing that could ever be allowed to happen don't change their spots just because time marches on.

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by phil-b259

[Michael Hodgson]

43 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Equally British broadcasters have been careful not to push things which they cannot independently verify - which is a very important distinction between news and propaganda (incidentally something British Newspapers completely fail to understand).

 

Oh, newspaper editors understand it all right.  They just don't give a toss.  Print anything that will help sell papers.

I did enjoy the misleading headline the other day though ... "Boris to serve time" - when a Mr Becker was sentenced for concealing assets in his bankruptcy.

[RichardT]

A positive report but with some saddening aspects:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/14/the-520-from-kyiv-restored-suburban-rail-offers-hope-as-clean-up-intensifies

 

Richard T

[jamie92208]

There are some interesting reports in the current Todays Railways Europe.  Apparently  Ukraine has 'Acquired ' some 15,000 Russian Rsilways wagons that were in Ukraine when the invasion started. The Russians only have 482  There is a 3 page spread in the May issue no 315.  One pece possibly andwers the question about a special carriage for VIP's.  On 15th March 3 European prime ministers were taken to Kyiv in UZ 032-70311, one of a fleet of 12 luxury coaches owned ny UZ. The train ran from Przemyśl, Poland to Kyiv.

 

Jamie

Edited May 15, 2022 by jamie92208

[burgundy]

For anyone on Twitter, a thread has been started by "Ukraine's Grains-n-Trains".  It claims to be a group of volunteers exploring options for assisting the export of Ukrainian agricultural exports, now that Odesa is effectively blockaded. 

Whoever is writing it seems to have a fixation with transhipping goods (e.g. grain) from Russian gauge wagons to standard gauge and is looking for possible sites where there are parallel tracks to facilitate transhipment. 

I find that approach slightly surprising, as physically handling the cargo seems the slowest option for transhipment. Passenger vehicles have had swap-bogies for a long time and I can't see any reason why you could not do this on freight vehicles - given time and sufficient importance.  Alternatively, as a quick and dirty fix, cut hatches in the tops of 40ft ISO containers and tranship the whole container. 

Am I missing something?

Best wishes 

Eric   

[31A]

3 hours ago, burgundy said:

Passenger vehicles have had swap-bogies for a long time and I can't see any reason why you could not do this on freight vehicles - given time and sufficient importance.

 

That does (did?) happen at Mukran in Germany where the train ferry from Klaipeda in Lithuania brings Russian gauge wagons onto the German network.  The wagons leave the ship onto broad gauge track (for which the German railways have some broad gauge shunting locos) and the bogies are swapped for standard gauge ones before the wagons travel further into Germany.  Presumably the wagons have to be specially adapted to allow this to take place (they may have different couplings as well?) and the facilities probably couldn't be installed overnight, but it ought to be possible to do similar at the Ukranian borders.

[SamThomas]

Am I looking at this from a too simplistic angle ?

 

How about making the grain bodies demountable in the same way that ISO containers are with twistloks.

[31A]

14 hours ago, 31A said:

 

That does (did?) happen at Mukran in Germany where the train ferry from Klaipeda in Lithuania brings Russian gauge wagons onto the German network.  The wagons leave the ship onto broad gauge track (for which the German railways have some broad gauge shunting locos) and the bogies are swapped for standard gauge ones before the wagons travel further into Germany.  Presumably the wagons have to be specially adapted to allow this to take place (they may have different couplings as well?) and the facilities probably couldn't be installed overnight, but it ought to be possible to do similar at the Ukranian borders.

 

Just remembered, of course this also happens routinely at the French / Spanish border and has done for many years (Transfesa wagons etc., some of which came to the UK via the Train Ferries).

 

[Titan]

Grain hoppers are designed for fast discharge/loading.  I suspect at many transshipment locations the system of conveyors etc. required for the fast transfer between wagons already exists, just need to make sure they are working at capacity if they are not already.

[Nick C]

On 07/05/2022 at 16:49, adb968008 said:

Meat pierogi is known as “Russian pierogi”, at least it was until March and its no longer the right thing to ask for, and you will get looked down on for asking. However if you now ask for  “Ukrainian Pierogi” will get you the very same meaty pierogi… (I like mine fried).

 

On 08/05/2022 at 13:01, icn said:

Pierogie Ruskie Ukrainskie definitely don't have meat in them - although they can be served with bacon. But indeed I'm seeing the renaming: 

 

As @icn says, Pierogi Ruskie don't have meat in, they're filled with potato and cheese - and it literally translates to "Ruthenian Dumplings" - Ruthenia being an area roughly corresponding to today's western Ukraine - so Ukrainian is a better translation anyway. The meat versions are the bottom one on the pictured menu - Pierogi z mięsem (Dumplings with meat). 

 

On 12/05/2022 at 00:37, apemberton said:

Having tried Polish made pierogi from the local supermarket, I found the flavour a bit bland to my taste and it reminded me of DimSum parcels. A acquired taste perhaps? The menu above is Polish? That said, I did enjoy a meal at a Ukrainian restaurant when visiting Moscow on business two decades ago.

Tony

 

You probably had them boiled? Boil them until they start floating, then fry them in butter for a few minutes, much nicer! Placki Ziemnniczane (Potato pancakes also on the above menu) are also very tasty, especially with Gulasz. As with most cuisines, it's difficult to get proper Polish food here, and the best stuff is home-made anyway!

 

Mrs C was in Warsaw on business last week, and got chatting to a Ukrainian living there who had recently been interviewed on TV - they are incredibly grateful for the help Poland and the Poles have shown them, I think the two countries have never been closer. 

[DavidB-AU]

There is an excellent Ukrainian news site called RAIL.insider (https://www.railinsider.com.ua/). It's in Ukrainian but if you have a browser plugin the articles can be translated automatically.

 

An article from today. https://www.railinsider.com.ua/cheskyj-operator-vidpravyv-pershyj-potyag-z-ukrayinskoyu-kukurudzoyu-do-nimechchyny/

 

Quote

 

The Czech operator sent the first train with Ukrainian corn to Germany

Railway freight carrier ČD Cargo has joined the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU.

After delivering humanitarian aid and military equipment to Ukraine, the carrier, in cooperation with other partners, sent the first train with Ukrainian grain to the German port of Brake. From there, agricultural products will go by sea to Egypt.

The train carried about 1,800 tons of corn, which was loaded into wagons at Dobra station near Chierna nad Tisou.

Due to the blockade of Ukrainian ports in Russia, various options for transporting agricultural products from our country to the EU by rail are currently being considered.

"Representatives of ČD Cargo are intensively negotiating with the Ukrainian side on various transport alternatives. Options for such routes are being considered. Now it is mainly a question of transportation through Polish and German ports or southern routes through ports in the Adriatic Sea ", - explained the chairman of the board of ČD Cargo Tomasz Tot.

 

 

[jamie92208]

Quite an e tensive update in the latest Todays Railway Europe.  The lead utem is a lo g term plan to regauge the system to Standard Gauge over the next 10 years. Obviously no real details at the moment but what has been expected.

 

Jamie

[rogerzilla]

I would have thought grain could be transhipped with a large suction device (e.g. Walinga Grain-Vac).  Can do hundreds of tons an hour.  Or maybe they already do it that way.

[DavidB-AU]

For those on Twitter, Alexander Kamyshin, the CEO of Ukrzaliznytsia, regularly posts some interesting snippets plus infrastructure and rollingstock photos.

 

 

[Welly]

^^

The loco departing with the IC train looks like it was built in Luhansk - it looks very much like the BR232s that are still being used in Germany.

[TT-Pete]

 

[pete_mcfarlane]

On the subject of Ukranian diesels, some of these static resin kits look very nice. 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/rtm_kits/m.html?item=125553458811&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562

[DavidB-AU]

14 hours ago, Welly said:

^^

The loco departing with the IC train looks like it was built in Luhansk - it looks very much like the BR232s that are still being used in Germany.

 

I think it's a TEP70 which was built at Kolomna. Relevant to RMWeb, this class incorporates some features from HS4000.

[Johann Marsbar]

15 minutes ago, DavidB-AU said:

 

I think it's a TEP70 which was built at Kolomna. Relevant to RMWeb, this class incorporates some features from HS4000.

 

A Latvian one on shed in Riga.....

 

 

 

[apemberton]

With the power shortages inflicted on UA, I guess Diesel locomotives will be in great demand. Perhaps some could be spared from Baltic states systems but also reguaged Taigatromellen/Sergeii (BR232/ST44) and Ludmillas from DE/PL/HU could be spared too. Underutilised JT42 (66/77) from here and France too might help. Perhaps some stored SD70/AC44's regauged be made available? Recycle not scrap.

 

I see from November's issue of Today's Railways Europe that grain is being shipped direct to Romanian Danube port Galati on rehabilitated 1520 Gauge using hoppers. Judging by the length of US grain trains, quite a high volume could be shipped by rail though European train lengths do not compare - even the long freights on the trans-Siberian (which look like more than a kilometre long). With long stretches of single track on major routes in UA, capacity must be a problem restricting shipment volumes.

 

There is also the issue of damaged infrastructure that must mean significant delays and/or diversions. Odesa and other key cities en-route suffer targetting by the invaders despite the UN agreement for free passage of bulk carriers.

[adb968008]

 

 

for those hardy enough…

 

Quote

🚂The legendary Gaivoron steam locomotive Gr-280 - a real movie hero of our time - is calling for a retro tour for the Railwayman's Day!

 

We invite you to a festive retro tour on the Gaivoron narrow gauge railway on the route Gaivoron - Bershad, which will take place on November 5. A trip on a train carried by an ancient 70-year-old steam locomotive, picturesque landscapes of Ukrainian Podillia, delicious ears in a cauldron on the banks of the Southern Bug to the performance of a folk music group, and much more await you!

 

To participate in the retro tour, fill out a short registration form: https://forms.gle/cuuhb7xJNNG3uT1n6.

 

Now let's go buy tickets! A ticket for a retro train costs UAH 215 (there and back), you can buy it in the new application, the Ukrzaliznytsia chatbot in Viber and Telegram, on the website booking.uz.gov.ua (on request Hayvoron - Bershad, Bershad - Hayvoron, train No. 851/852, date - November 5) and at ticket offices of railway stations.

 

In addition, there is an additional opportunity to get to Hayvoron in an organized way by a separate train from Kyiv and Vinnytsia and return home on it! Departure from Kyiv on the evening of November 4 at 21:08, arrival in Hayvoron at 07:00. Tickets are already on sale! We will send you detailed information by e-mail after filling out the registration form.

 

Hayvoron Is kind of mid centre of the country.