[Helmut Uttenthaler]

К сожаленю мой репортаж написан по-англиски, ведь я не так хорошо знаю русский язык.


This pics are not from my Eurasia-trip last year, but from a trip to Siberia in july 2006. I was travelling with the Russian sleeping car Vienna - Moscow, the regauging took place at Brest in Belarus (border to Poland).
The sleeping car runs with the overnight train Vienna - Warsaw up to the Czech/Polish border, there it is detached form that train and attached to the "Vltava" train, which connects Prague with Moscow.

Usually passengers have two possibilities to spend the time during the regauging procedure: Getting off at the station after the arrived from Poland and before it is shunted to the regauging hall and have a little walk near the station or even a small sightseeing trip (there is a castle in Brest). Or sit in the compartment during the regauging procedure.

I have choosen the third possibility: I asked the conductor to get off during the regauging procedure to make photos. I could walk around and take photos in the whole regauging hall without any problems:


The regauging hall from outside:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/by/station/20060702_022.jpg[/img]

Inside - special devices for lifting the cars:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/by/station/20060702_025.jpg[/img]

The cars are positionated on special places with such devices.

This car (Russian car from Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic to Moscow) has already been lifted:
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_026.jpg[/img]

[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_027.jpg[/img]

Sleeping car of Czech railways:
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/cz/car/night/WLAB52/20060702_028.jpg[/img]

The Vienna - Moscow car is being prepared for lifting:
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_029.jpg[/img]

Russian SA3-couplers waiting to be used:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/by/station/20060702_031.jpg[/img]

Detail of the car Karlovy Vary - Moscow:
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/by/station/20060702_033.jpg[/img]

Again, the Vienna - Moscow car:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_032.jpg[/img]

New broad gauge boogies (pulled by a motor powered rope system) are moved under the cars, pushing the standard gauge boogies away:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/cz/car/night/WLAB52/20060702_035.jpg[/img]

Check out also the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od_4bpT4jfk
See how the booges are stopped by manpower, once at the right position: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTlnVzxoiTc

The cars on the first track have their new boogies under them. Lowering starts:
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_038.jpg[/img]

Meanwhile the Vienna - Moscow car gets its SA3 coupler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr9EpczeiLo

Some last work to fix the coupler:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_039.jpg[/img]

And up we go! Lifting starts!
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_040.jpg[/img]

[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_041.jpg[/img]

[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_042.jpg[/img]

Detail of the coupler:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_043.jpg[/img]

[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_044.jpg[/img]

Detail of the standard gauge boogie:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_046.jpg[/img]
Here it can bee seen that in the regauiging hall both standard and broag gauge boogies run on the SAME tracks. The difference is only 9 cm. However, the distance between the wheel flange (of the standard gauge wheels) and the rail is quite big here (which can also be seen at the picture). No problem for some meters at low speed, but of course not possible for normal operation.

[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_047.jpg[/img]

Also the conductor is watching the spectacle:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_049.jpg[/img]

Finally the broad gauge boogies arrive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7pMXcEmEqU

It is quite a task to ensure that every car always gets its correct boogies. All boogies (normal and broad gauge) are numbered and belong to a specific car.
A flexible usage of boogies is not allowed.

Finally the car is lowered:
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_051.jpg[/img]

The cars are pulled out of the regauging hall with this diesel shunter (class ChME3):
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/by/diesel/ChME3/20060702_052.jpg[/img]

BTW, to hear the typical sound of this locomotive click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOTvCBqRh5A

The train is now standing at the platform, waiting for its departure to Moscow:
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_056.jpg[/img]

Our conductor:
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/Brest/20060702_061.jpg[/img]

Inside the Vienna - Moscow sleeping car:
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/interior/20060702_003.jpg[/img]

Inside my compartment - sorry for the mess...
[img width=360 height=480]http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/RIC_WLABmee/interior/20060702_024.jpg[/img]


Надеюсь что вам понравилось!

Хельмут

[Ляксеич]

Спасибо, Хельмут! Danke schon!
Не знал, что колёсные пары и европейского, и русского стандартов, могут передвигаться по одной и той же колее, хоть бы и с малой скоростью. Но разница там, кажется, не 9, а 7 сантиметров (от 1450 мм до 1520 мм, если не ошибаюсь).
Сам проходил эту процедуру, проезжая в 1994 году на поезде "Москва - Белосток", ныне не существующем, на пограничном пункте "Брузги/Кузница", по пути от Гродно до Белостока, и затем обратно. Но происходило это по пути в Польшу ранним утром, когда я дремал и в полусне только чувствовал, как вагон дёргают туда-сюда. На обратном пути дело происходило вечером и помню, как я через открытую дверь выглядывал наружу из поддомкраченного вагона, но выходить из вагонов было то ли запрещено, то ли я просто не решился попытаться это сделать. Надеюсь в будущем совершить железнодорожное путешествие из Западной Европы в Россию и тогда рассмотреть процесс подробнее.