Museum of Steam Locomotives in Pereslavl - Divorce or Altruism?

Usually I don't really like excursions (I value my inner feelings more), and I write posts that are not historical, cultural, educational, but here I will make an exception, these are steam locomotives! Actually, therefore, when I found out that there is a Museum of Steam Locomotives in Pereslavl-Zalessky, I did not have to choose where to go first. I personally liked the museum, and it is much more interesting there than in other museums of irons, teapots, ingenuity, coins, and other small things. Compared to all of the above, it is the Museum of Steam Locomotives «Museum». The rest are drawn to infotainment stands, no more.

In addition to the excursion, we also talked with the museum staff and asked why everything is so ...

The content of the article

Tour of the Museum of Steam Locomotives in Pereslavl-Zalessky

First of all, it is worth knowing that the museum is connected with a narrow-gauge road, and not with «real» large. For me, narrow-gauge railways are also interesting, but for some reason Daria wanted large steam locomotives. The second thing to know is that there are not very many exhibits and some of them are in a deplorable state. Moreover, you cannot go inside and you will have to be content with the view from the outside. We booked an excursion, which I recommend to you. It won't be so interesting without her. Plus, you can ask various questions, and employees, seeing your genuine interest, will gladly tell you something. And the music of the old years, flowing from the horn on the facade of the depot, will create an authentic atmosphere.

Previously, the exhibits were open, and everyone could get inside. But when the number of people increased, it became difficult to track the adequacy of the behavior of each visitor (there were bad cases), because you will not stand above everyone's heart, for this you need personnel who do not yet exist. Almost all of the exhibits are on the move and working! However, again, their tests and kindling are carried out while no one is around, it is dangerous.

Museum of steam locomotives in Pereslavl-Zalessky

Museum of steam locomotives in Pereslavl-Zalessky

The museum was created on the basis of a locomotive depot. It was located exactly here, that is, it is real, not a remake. The railway has already been dismantled and only a couple of kilometers are left from it for testing, previously there was something about 150 km. Initially, the purpose of the narrow-gauge railway was to deliver peat across the region. Moreover, the deposits were quite rich, therefore, until the country switched to more efficient fuel, peat was transported almost half of Russia - first to the station of the large railway, and from there by ordinary non-narrow-gauge cars.

Before disassembling the piece of iron, they tried to launch a passenger service, but it did not work, and at the beginning of the two thousandth they decided to abolish it. All have replaced the highways, the narrow-gauge railway is no longer needed. Although the museum is a locomotive, there is a locomotive with a carriage on one of the tracks, the same one that carried out passenger transportation here. It was left as an exception, although they try not to keep exhibits newer than the 60s of production, that is, only motor and steam locomotives.

Excursion to the Museum of Steam Locomotives

Trolley for pokatushek

Diesel diesel locomotive MD54-2 with an internal combustion engine

German steam locomotive Gr-269 - an unsuccessful model due to a high center of gravity, swayed and destroyed the narrow-gauge railway

Snowplow wagon, these are still in use

Tank locomotive FT4-028 from Finland

Autocar

Description of the car

Automobile tires with an engine in the middle

ZIM car on a railway track (the letter N means the station master)

Steam locomotive KP4-469 is the most massive model for narrow gauge railway

The car is awaiting restoration, barely alive

Snowplow wagon, not refurbished

The remains of a steam locomotive VP4-2120, it was found in a swamp

Steam locomotive 157-567 - the most successful model, awaiting restoration

Inside the passenger carriage (now a souvenir shop)

Demonstration of the switch mechanism

Diesel locomotive TU4-1984, which carried out passenger transportation

The narrow gauge railway goes into the distance, for a couple of kilometers

I really hope that the museum will not die, and someday they will be able to start letting locomotives and carriages inside again, because it is terribly interesting. Or at least they will make stands with photos «viscera». By the way, if you ask, they will open to you «secret» the room where the baton apparatus stands. By default, it is closed.

The same room

There is a garage opposite the museum, but it has its own owner

On the history of the museum and the problems of private museums

Reviews of the Steam Locomotive Museum vary, ranging from puppy enthusiasm to reproaches for divorce for money. As always, the truth is somewhere in the middle, or even in a completely different plane. Now I will try to explain. On the one hand, steam locomotives are always great, and an inexperienced person should like, as a matter of fact, a simple one Iron Museum, consisting of only one room, the inspection of which takes no more than 10 minutes. On the other hand, if the traveler is experienced, then he may not appreciate that they take money from him and show only a few living steam locomotives (the rest are rotten), despite the fact that he was dragging along a bad road all the way to the suburb of Pereslavl. Some disappointment can come, depending on the experience of visiting other museums.

We talked with the museum staff and found out what the problem was. And it sounds like this - the museum is completely private and has no money to maintain and restore steam locomotives at the required speed. It was not even possible to make canopies for all the exhibits at once, so some of them are still standing in the open air. Although they opened in 1990, people began to come in large numbers only recently, previously only a few people came during the summer season, the not very close location from the city affects. Moreover, even 10 years ago, the entrance to the museum was generally free and everything was done with your own money (more on the site). However, I think the situation has not changed much. Currently, the museum employs about 8 people and they are jack of all trades at once. And you have to sit at the checkout, conduct an excursion, sell souvenirs, well, this is in addition to restoration and household work on the territory. By the way, the founder of the museum, with whom we talked, sells souvenirs in a trailer, and only in the remaining time with colleagues restores steam locomotives or mows the grass. As he told us, in the summer it is almost impossible to do restoration work at all, and they can hire cheap labor only for very simple things, and even then not always. The museum invites volunteers to help, if there is anyone interested, you can write to them.

So it turns out that the museum is not very developed, but they cannot reduce / remove the entrance fee, because then there will be nothing to develop, restore, and pay salaries to employees. Is this a divorce? Naturally, I don't know the museum's turnover and its overhead costs, but I didn't have such a question. More like an altruistic project from people who are head over heels in love with their locomotive business. I do not argue, maybe the founders simply do not have enough business acumen, but something tells me, put a businessman in charge, so the price of a ticket would generally skyrocket, and whoever would take up the museum is initially a loss-making business in our country. For reference, the entrance to the Museum of Steam Locomotives costs almost as much as in Iron Museum, it's only one thing to fix and maintain an iron, another thing is a steam locomotive, not to mention the lease of territory and the maintenance of the railway.

Cost and opening hours

Where to stay in Pereslavl-Zalessky
What to see in Pereslavl-Zalessky over the weekend

Ticket price 150 rubles for adults, 50 rubles for schoolchildren, preschoolers free of charge.
Trolley rides 150 rubles per adult, 50 rubles per student, free for preschoolers.
The tour costs 500 rubles for five and then 100 rubles per person. I highly recommend taking the tour.

Opening hours from Wednesday to Sunday from 10-00 to 18-00 (spring, summer and autumn).
In winter from 10 am to 5 pm.
Monday, Tuesday - days off.

How to get to the museum

The museum is not located in Pereslavl-Zalessky itself, but 15 km from it. You can only get there by your own transport, the travel time is about 30 minutes, because the road is broken. After entering Pereslavl from the side of Moscow, you need to turn left at the first major intersection that leads to Petra's boat. Then you drive past the boat, get to the village of Kupanskoye and in it, following the sign to the museum, you need to turn left onto a country road (sand). After 3 km it will lead you to Talitsy and there will be a parking lot at the entrance to them. Do not rush to leave your car here, because from here you will have to go to the entrance to the museum. There is a parking lot right near the entrance, and this far one is used as a reserve in case of an influx of visitors in summer.

The road from Pereslavl to Kupansky

Turn onto a dirt road according to the sign

Far parking in front of Talitsa

Nearby parking right next to the entrance

On the map

Steam Locomotive Museum

Steam Locomotive Museum
Small but interesting steam locomotive museum with a complicated history
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Small but interesting steam locomotive museum with a complicated history

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