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Children's Railways of the former USSR – Past and Present

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Donetsk

foto by V.Belina, 1999
The Donetsk Small Railway
Opened:
1936, reopened May 21, 1972
It is located in Lenin Komsomol park
Length: 2.1 kms (was 2.9 kms)
3 stations: Pionerskaya, Shakhterskaya, Pobeda (it's not operated)
Rolling stock: diesel locomotives TU2-023, TU3-038, TU2-040, PV51 coaches
Earlier there were: 7 Pafawag coaches
Major infrastructure: Locomotive depot
Signalling: Marshrutno-relay centralization at stations

 

The Donetsk ChRW was opened in 1936; it was given the name of the "S.M.Kirov children's railway". Unfortunately, it was fated to exist for only a relatively short time - during World War 2 it was completely destroyed. But, it was not forgotten and almost 30 years later the ChRW returned: on May 21, 1972, the new Donetsk ChRW was opened in the "Lenin Komsomol" park. Its route, 2.1 km in length, connects two stations - Pionerskaya and Shakhterskaya (Miner's).

Shakhterskaya station. 1981

Apparently the site of a broad-gauge track (1524 mm), leading to one of the closed mines in the city, was taken as the basis of the ChRW, and a track of 750 mm gauge was installed on this site.

Track plan

track plan - caption:
If you want to see how the track layout at a terminal station developed, click a mouse button under its name.
The closed site of ChRW is marked by a dashed line.
Shakhterskaya station Pionerskaya station Pobeda station (it's not operated)

At both ends of the line station buildings that are quite impressive for a ChRW have been provided. At the Pionerskaya station building accommodates the management of the line and educational class-rooms. Apart from that, there is a big, well equipped locomotive depot on the line at the Shakhterskaya station. At both stations "Marshrutno-relay centralization" signalling operates, and the points are equipped with electric drives.

1986

At the reopening of the line in 1972, the available rolling stock included diesel locomotives TU2-023, TU2-040 and TU3-038, and also 7 Pafawag all-metal carriages. But the TU3 loco did not work long on the Donetsk ChRW - by 1976 it no longer appeared in the inventory. In the period between 1982 and 1986, the main development was the replacement of the Pafawag coaches by type PV51 domestic coaches.

 

The following material was used in the preparation of this account:
  • Children's railways of Soviet Union, Ìoscow, TsNITEI, Ministry of Railways, 1986
  • Small Donetsk railway, Donetsk, Oblpoligraphizdat, 1982
  • Newspaper "Gorod", № 31-1999, August, 5 1999
  • materials of the Central museum of a railway transportation (St.Perersburg)
  • materials from N.A.Ermolaev's private archive
  • Yandex of quotation
    Rambler's Top100 Service

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