Collections

The Central Museum of Railway Transportation under the support of the Ministry of Russian Communications is the oldest museum reflecting the history of railway development, railway business and national railway technology.

In the present there are more than 50000 items in the museum funds.

Funds

The funds are divided into the following parts:

• Documental part
• Decorative and applying art
• The models.
• The photographs
• The photograph albums and the scheme albums
• Photonegatives
• Philately
• Numismatics
• The library

Every part of the funds has the well-organized collections.

The unique collection of the bridge models tells us about Russian bridge constructing. The models were made during the building of highway, city and railway bridges (19-20c.)

The collection of the mobile train (approximately 200 items) and the collection of the models of the very first Russian wagons and locomotive of senior and junior Cherepanovs (D-type,1845). This type was produced for the railway Petersburg -- Moscow. The collection has about 50 unique steam locomotives, electric and diesel locomotives. The original communication equipment of the inventors Yakoby, Juz and Whitstone claims: when Russian railways appeared they appeared with specific railway communication and with automatic equipment that helped to organize train running.

The museum exhibits that were presented in 1900 on the International Technical Exhibition, Paris, are definitely unique. The Ministry of Russian Communications demonstrated the materials of Trans-Siberian railway building, water transportation, development of some Russian regions. The collections of photographs, albums, schemes contains more than 10000 items. This is the true information about the famous scientists and constructors, engineers and workers at the moment of railway building, bridge and canals constructing the work in depots and in plants when locomotives and other railway technics were being produced or repaired. The documental museum fund has about 6000 items.

If you acquaint with 5-thousand numismatics fund or you see the memorable medals in honor of bridge and canal building or you see different badges dedicated to railway constructing or to the anniversaries of plants, depots and other organizations of the Ministry of Communications and of the Ministry of Transportation Constructing, you can know the detailed history of Russian railway transportation developing since 19 c. to the present time.

In the present time the following exhibitions are available:

n "The Developing of Means of Communications on Russian Railways"(1837-1940). The author -- L. V. Levandovskaya.

n "To a hundred ninetieth anniversary since the birthday of V. P. Sobolevskiy, the director of the Institute of engineers of communications." The author-I. A. Trunova.

n "S. U. Vitte's endowment in Russian railway developing". The author -- L. P. Pronovich.

"Historic railways of Great Britain". The authors -- G. P. Zakrevskaya, V. A. Morozov

It will present the arising of the first railways of Great Britain, the activities of British museum railways in the present time.

• The model of the locomotive made by mechanics Cherepanovs (1840). Its scale is 1:2 and it's made of the original material, which was used during the building of that locomotive.
• The model of the locomotive "Provorniy" ("Swift") with the tender. The model was made by the students of Technological Institute in 1839. The scale is 1:4. The original model wasn't saved. In 1987 the active model was rebuilt according to the schemes of Baltiyskoe depot. It's of original size. In honor of hundred fiftieth anniversary of Tsarskoselskay railway train-model "The locomotive and three wagons" made in its original size.
• The model of the locomotive 1-3-0 of D-type. This is the model of one of the serial locomotives that were built in 1846 for the railway Saint-Petersburg-Moscow in SPb Alexandrovskiy plant. The model was made in forties of 19c. The scale is 1:5. The original model has not been saved. In 1970 according to the scheme of Proletarskiy (mentioned as Alexandrovskiy) plant the model of the locomotive of D-type was made and it was installed as a memorial on the plant territory.
• The telegraph set of B. S. Yakoby. It was produced in 1840 under Yakoby's leading. It was used between Nicholas I's office in Winter Palace and the office of Count Kleinmihel, the executive director of communications and public building (Usupov palace, 115, Fontanka emb., SPb, Russia). There are two active sets of this type in the museum. They were repaired in 1998.
• P. L. Shylling's telegraph set (the electromagnetic type). It consists of the transmitter keyboard and two receivers. It was made under Shylling's leading in 1832. Its restoration was in 1998 and now it functions.
• The model of the span construction with two bridge piers across Vereb'e cliff on Saint-Petersburg-Moscow railway. The model was built in the period of the bridge constructing at the end of forties of 19 c. The outstanding engineer D. I. Juravskiy, who was the constructor of that bridge, admitted the model conformed to the original bridge. The scale is 1:30.
• The collection of the "live" locomotives (23 items). These are the locomotives of 19c. and of the beginning of 20c.