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History
The history of Tashkent Children’s Railroad began on the 3rd of April, 1936, when an article with the offer to build Children’s Railroad in Tashkent was published by young correspondents on the first page of “Pioneer of the East” newspaper. Everybody liked the idea, and the government of our Republic supported it.
“The best engineers of railroad transport should help children with their great and interesting venture,”- made an appeal the President of People’s Commissars UzSSR Fayzulla Hodjaev from the pages of the newspaper.
Party, trade-union and social organizations of Tashkent city responded to the call.
Commitments of the October Revolution plant to make cars for children’s railroad by the 30th of March, 1940 was published in the “Gudok Krasnovostochnika” newspaper on the 4th of March, 1940
People’s Commissar for Lines of Communication gave warm encouragement to the idea to build children’s railroad having allocated a narrow-gauge diesel locomotive and 100 thousands rubles for the organization of railroad building.
Viniamin Ilyasovich Ishinbaev, later associate professor of Tashkent Institute of Transportation Engineers and honored engineer, projected Tashkent Children’s Railroad and directly took part in its construction.
With active involvement of populace the basic construction of children’s railroad was finished by the 1st of May, 1940.
The collective body of October Revolution plant’s car shop assembled three carriages. The Foreman N.A. Skachkov with his first fixers’ brigade made car bodies, and foreman of millwrights V.A. Tarasov with I.V. Kulakov’s brigade did all the mechanical work on carriages assembly. It was through them that the carriages were ready by the 20th of March.
Finally, the grand opening of “Small Tashkent Railroad” began near “Solnechnaya” station at 9 a.m., on the 5th of August, 1940. The head of Tashkent Railroad Comrade Kazachenko welcomed the opening.
Orchestra played “International”. A festive and exciting moment arrived. “Solnechnaya” Station-master a pupil of the 3rd Tashkent School of the 8th form Manya Korduner gave the last directions. Having inquired on the telephone from neighbor station “ Pervomayskaya” permission to get away the train, station duty officer a pupil of the 8th form of the 149th school Misha Lyovin (later becoming the director of the Taxicab fleet of Tashkent) handed the tablet to the train master a pupil of the 5th form school number 7 Inessa Borisoglebskaya. The boss gave the tablet to the train driver. His name was Volodya Hancha, he was a pupil of the 6th form school number 74.
After hooting the first train of the Tashkent Children’s Railroad consisting of three carriages full of jolly kids smoothly leaves the platform.
1070 meters of railway track had been laid by the opening of the children’s railroad and it represented a sigmoid line. Two stations “Solnechnaya” and “Zaozyornaya” that represented two platforms with wooden buildings had been built by the opening of The Tashkent Children’s Railroad.
Young railwaymen were taught at schools after lessons. The stations without any changes existed till 1949 when the Station-house “Solnechnaya” was built. And on “Zaozyornaya” station the new station-house was built in three years, in 1952.
Since 1955 the new era of development began on the Small Tashkent Railroad. That year the prolongation of the Railroad began. The second piece of line, with the length of 650 meters, was railed. The prolongation began from “Zaozyornaya” to “Komsomolskaya” station. Railroad bridge across the water outlet of “Komsomolscoye” lake and station-house on “Komsomolskaya” station were built on the new piece of line. Upon the completion of construction the length of track of the Tashkent Children’s Railroad made 1700 meters, and “Zaozyornaya” station became a double-tracked passing place that made it possible to cross trains, but because of availability of only one locomotive (steam-engine Уз 15-16) in the engine yard of the Tashkent Children’s Railroad the second track wasn’t used according to its intended purpose for a long time. Later “Zaozyornaya” station was renamed to “Pionerskaya”.
Two regulating systems were used for train dispatching on the Small Tashkent Railroad: “Solnechnaya”- “Pionerskaya” station-to-station block was equipped with electric token system and on “Pionerskaya”-“Komsomolskaya” station-to-station block was installed ultimate for the time automatic block system. In 1957 all the Small railroad was automatized. That year engine yard of the Tashkent Children’s Railroad was changed from steam traction to diesel motive power and the old steam locomotive Uz 15-16 was replaced with new diesel locomotive TU1-002, which was on the Railroad till 1970. In 1964 another diesel locomotive ТU2-114 arrived to help ТU1-002, and in 1970 after writing-off, ТU1-002 was replaced with ТU2-064.
In 1960 carriage rolling stock was renewed, three new PAFAWAG carriages of polish assembly, that had done many kilometers on the Road of Youth till they had been written off, were brought to replace the old ones. And in 1983 the PAFAWAG carriages were changed for new PV - 40Т (the model 48-051) in amount of 4 pieces.
In 1988 two new diesel locomotives serial number ТU-7А №№ 3045 and 3048 were given out to Children’s Railroad, the locomotives were on the third locomotive holding track, that was meant for wagon and locomotive depot construction, for about a year. Unfortunately, the project was frozen.
In 1989 ТU2-114 was cut for metal scrap, and ТU2-064 handed over to the Museum of Railroad Engineering, that became the starting of TU-7A locomotives work on the Tashkent Children’s Railroad, and they are there up till now.
In 1990 first class carriage PV-40T built in 1989 was delivered to the Tashkent Children’s Railroad.
From the beginning of nineties the Small Tashkent Railroad started to go through unpleasant moments of its history.
“Pionerskaya” station was closed because of vandalism. Later it was removed, railway points planked, and trains went past along one railway track and never stopped anymore. “Komsomolskaya” station remained without electricity by unknown reason, and gradually went bad. Staff list was cut down.
The Tashkent Children’s Railroad was repaired fundamentally by the 60th anniversary in 2000. During the repairs the track was fixed; wooden window framings on the stations were replaced with plastic ones; wooden doors were taken off and aluminiс ones were mounted; gas heating was removed, asphalt was changed for stone paving, floodlight signals on “Komsomolskaya” station were changed for lens signals, the same was done earlier on “Solnechnaya” station.
In May, 2003,“Solnechnaya” station got a new name “Yoshlik” that means “childhood” in Uzbek, and “Komsomolskaya” station became “Navoi”. Siding track on former “Pionerskaya” station that long after its closing was planked and didn’t function, was taken apart.
In 2004 TU-7A 3045 locomotive was put aside to the third locomotive holding track by reason of diesel disrepair and TU-7A 3048 began its work.
In 2005 because of Alisher Navoi central park (Komsomolskoe Lake) reconstruction overall reconditioning of the Tashkent Children’s Railroad began. Utility rooms, joinery and maintenance control panel on the “Yoshlik” station were demolished. Owing to the construction of the additional water outlet from the lake that passed through the territory of the Tashkent Children’s Railroad pointsman's box number 2 was removed and the railroad signal wire was damaged. Diesel engine of TU-7A 3048 locomotive was changed and the one of TU-7A 3045 locomotive was taken out to the branch office of Tashkent Diesel Locomotive Repair Plant in Samarkand. The carriages underwent overhaul reconditioning on the Tashkent Railroad Car Repair Plant, where they were remodeled to two carriages of the first class and three carriages of the second class and also the height of the carriages increased by 20 sm. The carriages were repainted in imitation of Orient Express “REGISTON”. Old “Komsomolskaya” station was demolished and new building was built. According to the projects shunting and masted signals’ installation, restoration of the communication between stations, “Navoi” station feeding and also enclosure of the Tashkent Children’s Railroad with a fence of 1.5 meter height was planned. But unfortunately it all remained in project because of financial problems.
In 2008 because of savage robbery of “Navoi” station, governing body of the Tashkent Regional Railway Junction decided to close it; all the windows and doors were welded up.
In 2010 the Children’s Railroad veterans and young railwaymen decided to make their dream of creating the Tashkent Children’s Railroad official website with URL http://uzdzd.narod.ru come true, it was caused by 70th anniversary of the Small Tashkent’s Railroad.
As the years rolled by manner and matter of the Children’s railroad was changed. The Tashkent Children’s railroad turned into a training center, where pupils of 5th-11th form undergo practical training annually. There are two diesel locomotives with the serial numbers TU-7A 3048 and TU-7A 3045, five all-metal carriages, railway track 1 700 meters long and two stations at the disposal of young railwaymen now. One of the stations has classrooms, where theoretical lessons take place 4 months a year. The rest 8 months students have practical lessons where young railwaymen consolidate knowledge of theory under the guidance of the Tashkent Children’s Railroad instructors.
Tashkent Children’s Railroad is an out-of-school educational and technical circle. For the time being it is the only institution of this kind in the Republic of Uzbekistan and is under the direction of the Tashkent Regional Railway Junction. Children’s railroad cultivates the sense of responsibility for a task entrusted in young railwaymen, rains them to be hard-working and independent and helps to cope with knowledge acquired at physics, mathematics, geography and other lessons, helps to choose profession.
Tashkent Children’s Railroad is a gift to Tashkent children from State Joint Stock Railway Company “O’zbekiston temir yo’llari”, training is completely free of charge, Tashkent Regional Railway Junction bears all the costs and expenses.
Working hours of the Tashkent Children's Railroad:
Since March, 21 till November, 1 working hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday and Tuesday are days off, train operation is carried out on Weekends and Holidays from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Since November, 1 till March,21 Weekends are days off. Theoretical lessons take place.
Pressing request: Using information from the website, please make reference to the source.
Composition and adjustment of the text was made by the head of Tashkent Children�s railroad, translation by Elena Gubanova.
