Trans - Siberian Part 6 - Setting the scene

The Trans Siberian

The Train

So. The semi mythical Trans Siberian Express.

For it was the Trans Siberian.  Not the Trans Mongolian I had thought.  Slightly after boarding I learned I wouldn't be needing my Mongolian visa.  The train wouldn't be passing through Mongolia at all, I'd somehow booked the wrong ticket.  It didn't matter.

It was good enough.

The Train itself.  My home for the next 6 days.

This ain't no cruise liner.  This is a big tough working train.  Metal, burnt umber, about 16 carriages or so.  Heat is provided by coal, stacks of which are found at each end of the carriage.  As such the inside temperature fluctuates depending on whether or not someone is awake to stoke the furnace. But for me it was mostly very warm indeed.

Samovar

free glass

Also heated by coal was the samovar.  It sat at the rear end of the carraige.  A stainless steel collection of pipes and gauges.  It provided a continual supply of piping hot water which I used mainly in tea and noodles.  Only once during my 6 day stay was it unavailable, right before this the water tasted slightly sooty.  One got over it.  Across the way from the samovar are doors to each of the two attendant's compartments.  On the door of one was a list of prices for the tea bags and stuff they provided.  A swanky glass mug was provided for the duration of the journey.

The attendents, or provodnitsa, a man and woman also had their own toilet, located nearby.  The female provodnitsa spent most of her time knitting.

At the far end of the carriage from the samovar, the front, as it were, was located our toilet facilities.  This was a rather old fashioned metal toilet that flushed directly onto the track, as such for 10 minutes before every arrival, and for 10 minutes following each departure, this door was locked.  This was almost always inopportune.

If you were looking down towards the back end of the carriage from the toilet, the rooms would be on your right with a series of windows on your left, each with their own beige curtains, that we never closed, though some other carriages had them shut permanently.   Above where the carriage re widened at each end (by the samovar and the toilets) was a little digital display screen displaying the current inside temperature and the current time in Moscow.

That deserves a note.

In Russia all trains operate on Moscow time, it doesn't matter if you're all the way over in Vladivostok, you still have to set your train clock to Moscow clocks.  This madness extends to Russian railway stations too, it may be 1700 wherever you live, but down in the train station its 1300, so all trains that leave at 1300 will leave at 1300 according to Moscow time.  Confusing.

Time itself was a tricky old thing in Russia, every day we'd gain another hour or two.  Constant slow jet lag as we crossed back over the globe towards Greenwich and its GMT.

On the right then, looking down the carriages, were the compartments.  My carriage was full of Kupe class compartments, indeed so did all the carriages I saw on the train, this meant it could sleep 4 passengers.

This is me and Wolf, my cabin mate in our Kupe cabin.  We chose to sleep in the top beds, in case anyone joined us during the night at an overnight stop - no one did, but it still meant we didn't have to fold down our beds every morning.

Under us are the benches that become beds, the backrest folds down while the head rest folds up to reveal two cabinets and a coat rail.  We also have a rather natty carpet, as you can see.  There were no plugs in the compartments, there was one (broken) on the wall directly across from our door, and a working one in the bathroom.  The door the photographer is standing in slides closed revealing a door length mirror on its inner side. The window has a pull down metal shutter.  Thats my bag stored under my seat.

A television sat above the door.  It didn't work.

The frozen umbilical. Early on.

About 4 or 5 carriages down towards the end of the train was located the dining car. Going from one carriage to the next one had to pass through 4 heavy metal doors, most of them were fairly difficult to shut and require slamming.  Where each carriage met the other you had to pass through a flexible umbilical connecting the two.  A finger wide crack here meant you were exposed to the elements.  Wind, ice and noise.  It ran all around the rubbery surface, so the track whizzed by below.  There was a door at either end of this short umbilical, then a small compartment where they kept the coal/brooms etc, then another door to the carriage proper.  This area became more and more encrusted with ice and snow as the journey went on.  To get to the dining car one had to slip and slide across a number of miniature arctics,  gripping hold of at least 24 frozen metal door handles, yet for some reason I never bothered to bring my gloves on these excursions.

The dining car changed once we reached Russia, and not for the better.  In China it was a rather neat affair, with silky drapes, red seats, and a friendly staff.  The food was very cheap too, and surprisingly good. I'll get onto that in more detail once I encounter it in the narrative.

Well.  Thats the scene set.  Next time I'll actually say what happens in it!