In honor of Railway Workers' Day, an employee of Sputnik Uzbekistan visited the Tashkent Museum of Railway Transport to examine various locomotives and carriages from different eras.
The museum is located in the center of the capital, near the North Station, and is often called the 'Steam Locomotive Museum' by city residents. Here, the history of railways is presented not only through archival documents and photographs but also through real locomotives that served on the railway lines of Central Asia for decades.
The creation of the railway network in the region was one of the largest engineering projects of the late 19th century. The construction of the Zakaspiysk Military Railway began in 1880, passing through the Karakum Desert, arid areas, and nomadic sands. In 1885, the railway reached Ashkhabad, in 1886, Chorgi, and in 1888, Samarkand. Later, the network was expanded towards Tashkent, the Fergana Valley, and Andijan. The opening of the Orenburg–Tashkent main line in 1906 directly connected Central Asia with the central territories of the country.
The museum's history began in 1988 during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Central Asian Railway. A temporary exhibition of locomotives was organized at the Tashkent-Yulovchi station. Since it generated great interest among the residents and guests of the capital, the decision was made to preserve this exhibition. The museum was solemnly opened on August 4, 1989. According to the institution, today there are about 43 large exhibits stored outdoors, including steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, electric locomotives, passenger carriages, a locomotive car of an electric train, as well as samples of equipment for track construction and repair.
The museum's fund also includes over two thousand historical photographs, archival documents, railway uniforms, tools, and communication equipment. Vladimir Lankevich, the chief curator of the museum's fund, notes: 'Every exhibit is a monument to the people who worked day and night, in the heat and the cold during the era of creating this equipment.'
At the entrance to the museum, visitors are greeted by the narrow-gauge steam locomotive KCh-4-228, manufactured by the Škoda plant. Such steam locomotives were used in narrow-gauge enterprises and children's railways. Vladimir Lankevich emphasizes: 'This is the only such narrow-gauge steam locomotive preserved in Uzbekistan. Today it has become a symbol of our museum.'
One of the oldest exhibits is the passenger steam locomotive SU-250-94, built in 1924. Thanks to the large diameters of its driving wheels, it could reach a speed of up to 115 kilometers per hour. Also displayed is the TGK2-2245—a low-power, two-axle shunting diesel locomotive manufactured at the Kaluga Plant. It was used in industrial enterprises and major railway stations of the USSR, including in Uzbekistan. This diesel locomotive is equipped with a U1D6 diesel engine and a hydro-mechanical transmission, has a power of 250 horsepower, and can travel at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.
Nearby is an American freight steam locomotive delivered under the Lend-Lease program during World War II. Museum specialists note that painting freight steam locomotives black was practical: soot from coal and a dirty body attracted less attention. Exhibit Ea-2371 is a powerful freight steam locomotive created at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in the USA in 1944. The locomotive, with a power of almost 2200 horsepower, could reach a speed of up to 70 kilometers per hour and is currently displayed in the Tashkent Museum of Railway Transport.
Also significant is the American electric locomotive DA20-68. Machines of this series later formed the technical basis for the Soviet diesel locomotive TE1. The collection also houses a rare German trophy steam locomotive manufactured in 1943.
DA20-68 is a six-axle diesel locomotive delivered to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program and manufactured in the USA. Its power was 1000 horsepower, and its speed reached 96 kilometers per hour; it served as a prototype for the Soviet diesel locomotive TE1. One of the locomotives of this series managed the train traveling to the Potsdam Conference of Stalin.
One of the most magnificent exhibitions in the museum is the passenger steam locomotive P36-0250, known to railway workers as 'General'. It was built in 1956, had a power of three thousand horsepower, and reached a speed of 125 kilometers per hour. It is one of the last steam locomotives produced in the USSR.
Visitors are also attracted by a double-decker carriage with a panoramic dome, manufactured in Leningrad in 1965. Only 25 such carriages were made, and according to museum staff, the specimen in Tashkent is unique in the world. It was originally used on tourist and mainline routes. However, after the electrification of railways, the height of the carriage began to pose a danger when traveling under the overhead contact network. Many carriages were destroyed, but this copy was preserved because it was detached from the train due to a malfunction in Termiz. It was later brought to Tashkent and added to the museum's exhibition.
The German steam locomotive captured in 1943 as a trophy was transferred to the Soviet Union after the end of World War II and converted for operation on standard gauge. Due to difficulties in technical maintenance, most of them were subsequently dismantled for scrap metal. According to some data, about 30 such specimens are preserved worldwide today.
The transition from steam to diesel and electric drive continues with the TE1, TE2, TE3, TEM2 diesel locomotives, as well as the VL60K-157 electric locomotive. The control of this equipment is based on a simple relay system, which ensured reliable operation in the hot conditions of Central Asia. VL60K-157 is the first mass-produced Soviet mainline AC electric locomotive, manufactured at the Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant. It was used on electrified sections of railways in Siberia, the Urals, and Uzbekistan. The electric locomotive, with a power of up to 4800 kW, could reach a speed of up to 100 kilometers per hour.
TE3 is a freight diesel locomotive that became the basis for the creation of the more powerful 2TE10L model. The main difference between them lies in the engine: the TE3 diesel locomotive is equipped with a turbocharger-less diesel engine, while the 2TE10L is equipped with a power unit with a turbocharger. TEM2 is one of the most common shunting diesel locomotives in the former Soviet railways. In Uzbekistan, such locomotives perform daily work in assembling and separating trains at stations, and many young drivers undergo initial practical training specifically on TEM2 diesel locomotives.
2TE10L, manufactured at the Lugansk Plant, is known to railway workers as 'Luganka'. It is a two-section freight diesel locomotive that was used until the 1990s, after which it was replaced by more modern 2TE10M diesel locomotives. TU7-0544 is a diesel locomotive designed for narrow-gauge railways with a width of 750 millimeters. It was used in raw material extraction enterprises, logging, and children's railways. Equipped with a YMZ-238 diesel engine, this locomotive has a power of 300 horsepower and can travel at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour. Today, it transports visitors along a route in the park area of the Tashkent Museum of Railway Transport.
The homemade children's roller coaster has become one of the favorite spots for young visitors to the museum. Children can have fun here, riding endlessly.
The Tashkent Museum of Railway Transport is not just an exhibition to view. Guests can enter the cab of some locomotives to closely examine the driver's console, brake valves, measuring instruments, and other control elements. There is also a narrow-gauge railway with a width of 750 millimeters in the vicinity, on which an excursion train with open carriages runs. This ride is particularly popular among children.
Museum staff pay special attention to working with students. During tours, they talk about the construction of locomotives, railway safety rules, and professions: driver, assistant driver, carriage observer, dispatcher, and track worker.
For Vladimir Lankevich, his activity in the museum is connected to his personal life path. He says: 'I grew up in this museum and saw how it changed year by year. When I was still in school, I met diesel locomotives here, and then I became an assistant driver. Now my task is to preserve history, enrich the exhibition, and pass it on to the new generation.'
The chief curator emphasizes: 'The smiles and joy of visitors are a big incentive for improving tours and finding new information. Without knowing the past, it is impossible to build the future.'
