Train types/compositions

[Marc87dk]

People here seem very friendly to help, so I hope you could answer this question. Considering how large Russia is, I am not even sure if this can be answered easily

Does the russian network have any specific categories that they sort the trains by?
Like in most european countries, they have InterCity, regional, etc.

I have noticed many overnight express trains have their own invidual names. How about the normal fast trains?
As an activity builder for MSTS, I would like to get the consists as accurate as possible. and there are so many cars and locomotives to download on this site, but I am not sure where they belong.

So what is the most normal composition for a normal fast train in Russia? (locomotive and cars)

All local and slow trains seems to be operated by EMU/DMU's as far as I have understood. Are there any "kupeiny" cars for local use?

I am sorry if this might be a bit of a tricky question

[E69]

As I could understand your question, you're more interested in passenger trains.
On main lines trains could be divided into following groups:

suburban which follow on distance in 50-200 km - usually EMU's consisting of 8-12 wagons (excepting small branches);

interurban trains can also be EMU's (but whith separate seats in II and I class wagons). Their trip length could reach 6-8 hours (about 500 km). But sometimes a loco with some passenger wagons with places for sitting could be used too. These trains are usually running in the daytime;

There are also 'distant' (that's difficult sometimes to find the correct english word) passenger trains (короче, ПДС :-). They look almost similar one to other, but are subdivided into categories depending on length and speed of the trip.
These trains consist of one, seldom two passenger locos and up to 17-20 wagons, the number of wagons depends on number of passengers; in winter, when the number of passengers decreases, trains of the same type and route could be coupled in one train of the normal length.

They are usually divided into categories:
'fast' (скорые) - they cover the long distance and have the smallest number of intermediate stops (up to every 200-400 km only to change the locomotive, mainly in large cities; it depends on length of the whole trip);
'distant' (дальние) - (subdivided into summer and all season) which could cover the same distance, but are a bit slower and make more intermediate stops.
The smallest length of the trip in these trains is the same as in the interurban and takes one night. The maximum length is unlimited and could reach about a week.

There are also special trains, consisting of mail and luggage wagons only; they are pulled by passenger locos too, but have long stops, which are needed to load/unload them.

The typical consist of such train includes a restaurant car in the middle of the train, a luggage car (or two) in the end and the sleeping cars of three classes; usually the 1,2 class cars are coupled close to restaurant.
The cars of 1 class ('SV' ?) and 2 class ('kupeiny') have 9 separate compartments with 2 or 4 sleeping shelfs in each. The 3 class cars ('platzkartny') have 54 sleeping places in common volume.

Most of distant trains have their own usual days of week and time when they run. Some of them have their own names; in such trains interior of the wagons is specially designed (with special curtains, carpets etc), some additional services could be offered to passengers, but in the each train there are its own features.
Trains of each category have the numbers from special interval. For example, suburban trains have numbers 6000-6999, 'interurban' - 800-899, fast - 1-170 etc.; numbers are used in pairs (even - odd), the number specifies a direction of the train - coming back, it changes.

[art-trans]

Hi!

1. All Russian, Ukrainian and near-by countries has express trains, usual passenger trains, fast local trains, suburban (local) trains [EMU, DMU, sometimes "kupeiny" cars].
2. All the "express" trains usualy have their own name in honour of some people who has done smth very important for country. But they are usual speed-up trains with usual cars.

You're welcome!

[Marc87dk]

Thank you very much for your detailed answer.

So frankly all kupeiny are designed to function as sleeping cars if needed?
Very interesting. I have been travelling a lot in Belarus and the baltic states, and I always wondered why all the cars had beds, even in day-trains.

While we are on the subject. While travelling from Klaipeda to Vilnius in Lithuania, I noticed they had 1st class kupeiny-type cars with open interior and seats, instead of 6-8 seat compartments.
I wonder if only LG have those?

[E69]

For short distance (less than 8 hour usually) trips some cars are built with open interior in other countries too.

why all the cars had beds, even in day-trains.

Just because cars are universal, they had no special cars for the day-trains. Today, there are some, but somewhere sleeping cars are still un use in day-trains

Some words about classes of sleeping cars.
"3 class" (in Russia don't use the numbers of classes, but may be it is easier to explain).


Compartments aren't closed, there are 6 beds in each.
There're 2 ways of usage of such wagons: first, one man could sleep on each bed, to travel for a long distance.
The second way is to rise up the upper beds, and 3 men could seat on the each of three bottom beds (9 in the each compartment), this is used in day-trains.

"2 class" cars have closed compartments with 4 beds.


Wagons of this class are usually named "kupeiny"

"1 class" are almost similar to 2 class cars, but there no top beds in compartments, so only 2 men are travelling in each one.



(pictures from http://tvz.ru )

[Сибиряк]

ТVZ a unique resource in a passenger carload structure in Russia

[Combine]

So what is the most normal composition for a normal fast train in Russia? (locomotive and cars)

In most cases a special passenger locomotive is used for this trains. All electric locomotives of series ChS (ЧС) are passenger. Also there are series of diesel locomotives for passenger work. For example, series TEP (ТЭП).

[Сибиряк]

CHS7 carries cargo structure, that the big rarity in Russia

[Otto fon Shtirlits]

Good afternoon, gentlemen.
Let me put in a little bit of info related to the russian train names. Usually the most of express overnight trains have own names but those names are not usuable like in other countries such like US what I am informed. The best used form of train's name is composition of starting and ending points of service. Such like Rostov-Shakhty or Vladivistok-Pogranichnoe.
Regards.

[noname]

It's rather difficult to say that "Rostov-Shakhty" is the train's name. As you've mentioned, it shows only starting and ending point, but we should remember that there can be a great number of trains with the same service like Saint-Petersburg - Moscow. So every passenger train has two unique numbers. For example: №229\230 Saint-Petersburg - Anapa.
Also there are some trains which have their own names like famous "Red Streak" or "Sochi".

[Otto fon Shtirlits]

"Red Arrow" you wona say, right?
OK, I must confess that the train called by its point s of start and destination could be confused when it isn't accompanied with its unique number. Mentioning my childhood I see my Grand-fa calling his train exactly in the following form - Rostov-Moskva #20. By the way he never called it as "Tikhiy Don". There is another one situation relating trains working on service Moscow-Peterburg. All of then are called "Arrows" by residents of both capitals. In this case residents use only train number meaning one of them.
Regards.

[awaken]

Сообщение от Сибиряк

CHS7 carries cargo structure, that the big rarity in Russia
/45/ChS7-139_20060503_053big.jpg[/img]

This is a special case. This photo was shot on Scherbinka circular test route, which is used for testing various rolling stock (including new or experimental types of locomotives and wagons).
On this picture there is a new type of open-top cars (gondolas) on the test run. I guess that for test run they use any locomotive which is available at the moment. Or, maybe CHS7 was chosen becouse it's ability to reach 160km/h. Most our cargo locos have top speed 100km/h, but for particular test there can be need to measure dynamics of wagon behaviour at higher speeds.

[awaken]

[QUOTE=Marc87dk;15157]People here seem very friendly to help, so I hope you could answer this question. Considering how large Russia is, I am not even sure if this can be answered easily

Does the russian network have any specific categories that they sort the trains by?
Like in most european countries, they have InterCity, regional, etc.

There is gradation of passenger trains, which is encoded into train/route number.

1)express trains. (numbers 001-099)
2)seasonal express trains (100-139)
3)"normal" long distance trains (140-299)
4)"seasonal" long distance trains (300-499)
5)regional trains (numbers 600-699)
6)regional "express" trains served by EMU/DMU (numbers 800-899)
7)mail/luggage trains (numbers 900-999)
8)commuter trains (numbers 6000-6999)

seasonal means trains running only in summer months or on non-regular schedule.
"normal" trains run all year around

"firmennyi poezd" ("branded" or "named" train) is a commercial brand, assigned to particular train/route.
it usually have special attributes: individual painting scheme of cars, better service, better inner equipment, and price is higher.
they can be express trains or regular long-distance trains, or even regional.

trains of categories 1-4 consist mostly (or only) from sleeping cars.
trains of type 5 usually have coach cars (with seats),but sometimes also included sleepers
trains of type 6 are usually operated by permanently coupled consist (EMU, DMU) with coach cars , there is often also snack bar included
any type of train from 1-5 category, but not 6, can optionally have mail or luggage car.
mail/luggage trains consist only from luggage or light cargo cars, but they considered as "passenger trains" , as they carry people too, and sometimes have regular sleeping cars included. they are not recommended for long-distance travel, becouse these trains are painfully slow and do as many stops as possible for loading/unloading cargo or mail.


long-distance trains (all cats of 1-5) can have 10 to 20 cars, 14-15 can be considered as standard length. In the summer time, trains can be longer , up to 20-22 cars (especially on the routes to Southern resorts).
regional and commuter trains on some branch lines with low traffic can be shorter, in extreme case even 1 car pulled by 1 locomotive. Sometimes such train is called "bichevoz" (hobo train)

[awaken]

Сообщение от Otto fon Shtirlits

Good afternoon, gentlemen.
Let me put in a little bit of info related to the russian train names. Usually the most of express overnight trains have own names but those names are not usuable like in other countries such like US what I am informed. The best used form of train's name is composition of starting and ending points of service. Such like Rostov-Shakhty or Vladivistok-Pogranichnoe.
Regards.

afaik long-distance trains in USA also have personalized names:
like "Empire Builder" or "Coast Starlight"

same for Russia: "Ural", "South Ural", "Belyue Nochi" (White nights), etc.
name of the train usually is a place or memorable word related to train origin or destination city.

[Railion 1600]

I have also a question. I don't know or anyone here knows something about the EuroNight Jan Kiepura to Amsterdam Central Station (In Dutch Amsterdam Centraal, that's the official name) at the Russian part of the route. It goes and in the Netherlands it has the train number 447 (Amsterdam Centraal-Moskva Belorusskaja) and 446 (Moskva Belorusskaja-Amsterdam Centraal). This number is in any case between the border station Emmerich (Germany, just behind the border near Arnhem, the Netherlands) and Amsterdam Centraal. In the Netherlands are the trains hauled by electric locomotives of Railion of the type 1600. That's also my name and my avater is a picture of a Railion 1600-locomotive, with train 446 at Deurne, the Netherlands. Normal doesn't this train come in Deurne, but by work in Germany it was redirected through the border station Venlo, the Netherlands on 27-04-2009 and hauled by locomotive 1612. Maybe I can place some more pictures here of the trains 446/447