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Chop - a town at the junction of three states
Chop - Ukrainian border is a town situated at the junction of three states - Ukraine, Slovakia and Hungary. This customs post. It is the westernmost city in Ukraine. This is the place where the cars change the wheel. This station, where there is no waiting room, but passengers have to wait for 6 hours while the cars will change the wheel. It's 800 years of history, traces of which the city could not be found. This elegant central square and a handful of ramshackle rickety lodges. It is 7 square kilometers, "city", which can be bypassed for a half hour. This is a unique and totally incomprehensible surzhik of the three languages. It bored border guards, customs officers and rubbed his hands agitated smugglers Guides ...
23 photos via heck-aitomix
Four times I was in Chop. Two of them were at night when I was sleeping, so they do not believe. It remains twice to 6 hours. Why 6 hours? Because this is where the car of international importance Kyiv-Vienna waits for his fellow Slovak, to which he was chained so he could get to the Austrian capital, crossing the whole Slovakia passing from east to west. Upon arrival at the Chop wagon is disconnected from the composition, driven on special tracks and changing wheel pairs ...
So it has historically, that our Soviet railway tracks are not so little compared to our not - they are wider. There are many versions of why it happened. For example, Western European (in principle, we can say and the world) standard was born a few years after the introduction of the world's first long-distance railway traffic Liverpool - Manchester in 1830 in the track width of 1435 mm is often explained by historical furrows left by the Roman Empire still chariots . A beautiful legend is hardly credible, since common standards for wagons and chariots of any long-standing or in relatively close times are not observed.
03.
George Stephenson - the engineer who built the road from Liverpool to Manchester, hardly amounted to some archaeological artifacts. Working previously in the production routes for coal mines (shipping coal from the mine to the warehouses was carried out with the help of horses harnessed to wagons running on rails), he held the optimal alternative gauge that provides sufficient stability of existing trolleys and thus allow them to pass between columns (piles) coal mines. Also, knowing that for rail transport has a great future, engineers sought to choose the optimal width that result in minimal costs for the conversion of existing roads and bridges in the w / e of the message.
The success of the first long-distance railroad Stevenson brought fame and new orders. And after some 15 years, the Royal Commission chose Stevenson track as a national standard by requiring all transport companies to build broader and not narrower.
As for Mother Russia, while at the same time, then built roads both from Stevenson width and broadband. The first railway public - Tsarskoye Selo - had a track width of almost two meters (1829 mm). Wider track - wider than cars. Shire cars - more people and cargo. But in the construction of roads Nikolaev 15 years later it was decided to reduce the distance between the rails to 1524 mm, which was still wider than the English track. It is this breadth, and became a national standard *.
* Vickie tells: From May 1970 to the beginning of the 1990s, the railways were transferred to the Soviet Union gauge of 1520 mm. This was done in order to increase the stability of the way the operation of freight trains, to increase their speed of movement without the modernization of the rolling stock. The difference of 4 mm did not require retrofitting of rolling stock, but the transition has caused serious problems to dramatically increase the wear of wheel sets of rolling stock.
Why is our standard is not the same as their standard? Perhaps one of the reasons was the military prudence of Nicholas I, created difficulties for the prevention of a potential enemy threw technology across borders, with the possible invasion. It seems more likely version on the impact of the authoritative American engineer who participated in the construction of roads Nikolaev, as well as Russian engineers visited America, where the track had a width of 5 feet (flat number), which is the most 1524 mm. Or maybe it's just a mysterious Russian soul and the desire to make his own way ... However, ever since all the rail services of the Russian Empire and later the USSR, Finland and Mongolia were built according to Russian standards.
Chop Returning to reality, it is worth noting that the procedure for replacement wheelsets from our on not ours, takes on the force for 30 minutes. And these 30 minutes - perhaps the most interesting of all the time that we have to spend in anticipation of the continuation of the journey. Cheerful grimy men, talking to each other in rapid-gibberish that combines the familiar words of Ukrainian (very not Ukrainian accent), Polish sizzling pace and inhuman Hungarian sounds surround the car from all sides. And it starts ... Guys that somehow disconnected, spun, spit through his teeth, mother, laugh, suggest something to each other.
Soon they come to the aid of a rail crane. Crane affably waving through the "not the first freshness" glass cockpit controls. Casually playing with levers, pedals, buttons and controls, it provides all possible assistance to land locksmith technicians. Honestly, I have grown indifferent to the tower (or indeed any) cranes - I'm still with bated breath like to watch them work. And by the way, the crane operator - quite popular profession in Canada, included in the list of 29 professions, which opened an independent immigration program. Alas, crane Chop about it, probably do not know ...
Meanwhile, terrestrial truzhenniki already disconnected everything had to disconnect, and set a special jacks put in place under the car. 4 specially trained massive jack to lift the carriages slowly lift the car, disconnect it from wheeled carts. Passengers can thus quietly situated inside the car, although I prefer to watch the process from the outside ...
Forgot to mention that "pereobuvochnom" section two pairs of rails laid - wide and narrow Russian English. This allows the wheel and drove off unwanted dates could be pushed until the car hanging two meters above the ground. "Use" wheel truck crane Valiant then drag it to a separate path, where the wheels will have a rest and wait for the car ...
Meanwhile, the car is lowered to the correct truck. All that is necessary is connected, the brakes checked. All! The car is ready to travel in Western Europe.
Like any train station, Chop has its own school to train beggars. The proximity of the border, the presence of representatives of the customs and border agencies, as well as the wealthy passengers imply higher competition and it seemed to me, cruel selection. Anyway, for 12 total hours in Chop I had seen only one person who is engaged in begging for something. This person acted quite professionally, not leaving long, trying to apply in different local dialects, appealing to all sorts of gods ...
11.
But we resisted ...
The cars, in principle, good, quality, and I can even say is almost fashionable. Each compartment floor is covered with soft carpet. For the entertainment of passengers in the aisles and in the compartments themselves leisurely stroll not so overseas and not so exotic animals ...
When we asked about the origin of the animals and unwillingness to go with them in the same compartment of the car wires down international good-natured laugh. Turns out last night in Kiev train was scheduled disinfection, that animals and povylazili from the holds. But the worry for them is not necessary, since the action of insecticides has passed, and the animals with a hangover still slightly sluggish and drunken ...
For the sake of completeness I should add that during the 6-hour parking the car is de-energized, airing premises occurs naturally through open windows. I do not know whether the winter heating of the car, they say no. Toilets are closed due to structural features of the drain device. The nearest public toilets - on the station, which is 15 minutes walk from the car idle zone ...
In general, the conductors of the car - Serge and Dmitri - for many years of work in this area were able to establish a strong enough postal and transport line, working with the most modern, and I can assure, with international tariffs. Delivered in a big way transmission system, according to them, does not crash more than a dozen years. At the same guys with friendly faces for an hour before the customs post politely asked us to shelter themselves in a kind of coupe sports bag, they say, they have no place (despite the fact that the car was half empty). With no less than polite and kindly smile, we were forced to abandon. Perhaps nothing, because the ensuing interesting events - the analysis of the coupe to cogs with the opening of the walls, floor and ceiling - there were, alas, is not with us ...
In fact, Chop - a lovely and pretty town, if you do not go beyond the forecourt.
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Source:
23 photos via heck-aitomix
Four times I was in Chop. Two of them were at night when I was sleeping, so they do not believe. It remains twice to 6 hours. Why 6 hours? Because this is where the car of international importance Kyiv-Vienna waits for his fellow Slovak, to which he was chained so he could get to the Austrian capital, crossing the whole Slovakia passing from east to west. Upon arrival at the Chop wagon is disconnected from the composition, driven on special tracks and changing wheel pairs ...
So it has historically, that our Soviet railway tracks are not so little compared to our not - they are wider. There are many versions of why it happened. For example, Western European (in principle, we can say and the world) standard was born a few years after the introduction of the world's first long-distance railway traffic Liverpool - Manchester in 1830 in the track width of 1435 mm is often explained by historical furrows left by the Roman Empire still chariots . A beautiful legend is hardly credible, since common standards for wagons and chariots of any long-standing or in relatively close times are not observed.
03.
George Stephenson - the engineer who built the road from Liverpool to Manchester, hardly amounted to some archaeological artifacts. Working previously in the production routes for coal mines (shipping coal from the mine to the warehouses was carried out with the help of horses harnessed to wagons running on rails), he held the optimal alternative gauge that provides sufficient stability of existing trolleys and thus allow them to pass between columns (piles) coal mines. Also, knowing that for rail transport has a great future, engineers sought to choose the optimal width that result in minimal costs for the conversion of existing roads and bridges in the w / e of the message.
The success of the first long-distance railroad Stevenson brought fame and new orders. And after some 15 years, the Royal Commission chose Stevenson track as a national standard by requiring all transport companies to build broader and not narrower.
As for Mother Russia, while at the same time, then built roads both from Stevenson width and broadband. The first railway public - Tsarskoye Selo - had a track width of almost two meters (1829 mm). Wider track - wider than cars. Shire cars - more people and cargo. But in the construction of roads Nikolaev 15 years later it was decided to reduce the distance between the rails to 1524 mm, which was still wider than the English track. It is this breadth, and became a national standard *.
* Vickie tells: From May 1970 to the beginning of the 1990s, the railways were transferred to the Soviet Union gauge of 1520 mm. This was done in order to increase the stability of the way the operation of freight trains, to increase their speed of movement without the modernization of the rolling stock. The difference of 4 mm did not require retrofitting of rolling stock, but the transition has caused serious problems to dramatically increase the wear of wheel sets of rolling stock.
Why is our standard is not the same as their standard? Perhaps one of the reasons was the military prudence of Nicholas I, created difficulties for the prevention of a potential enemy threw technology across borders, with the possible invasion. It seems more likely version on the impact of the authoritative American engineer who participated in the construction of roads Nikolaev, as well as Russian engineers visited America, where the track had a width of 5 feet (flat number), which is the most 1524 mm. Or maybe it's just a mysterious Russian soul and the desire to make his own way ... However, ever since all the rail services of the Russian Empire and later the USSR, Finland and Mongolia were built according to Russian standards.
Chop Returning to reality, it is worth noting that the procedure for replacement wheelsets from our on not ours, takes on the force for 30 minutes. And these 30 minutes - perhaps the most interesting of all the time that we have to spend in anticipation of the continuation of the journey. Cheerful grimy men, talking to each other in rapid-gibberish that combines the familiar words of Ukrainian (very not Ukrainian accent), Polish sizzling pace and inhuman Hungarian sounds surround the car from all sides. And it starts ... Guys that somehow disconnected, spun, spit through his teeth, mother, laugh, suggest something to each other.
Soon they come to the aid of a rail crane. Crane affably waving through the "not the first freshness" glass cockpit controls. Casually playing with levers, pedals, buttons and controls, it provides all possible assistance to land locksmith technicians. Honestly, I have grown indifferent to the tower (or indeed any) cranes - I'm still with bated breath like to watch them work. And by the way, the crane operator - quite popular profession in Canada, included in the list of 29 professions, which opened an independent immigration program. Alas, crane Chop about it, probably do not know ...
Meanwhile, terrestrial truzhenniki already disconnected everything had to disconnect, and set a special jacks put in place under the car. 4 specially trained massive jack to lift the carriages slowly lift the car, disconnect it from wheeled carts. Passengers can thus quietly situated inside the car, although I prefer to watch the process from the outside ...
Forgot to mention that "pereobuvochnom" section two pairs of rails laid - wide and narrow Russian English. This allows the wheel and drove off unwanted dates could be pushed until the car hanging two meters above the ground. "Use" wheel truck crane Valiant then drag it to a separate path, where the wheels will have a rest and wait for the car ...
Meanwhile, the car is lowered to the correct truck. All that is necessary is connected, the brakes checked. All! The car is ready to travel in Western Europe.
Like any train station, Chop has its own school to train beggars. The proximity of the border, the presence of representatives of the customs and border agencies, as well as the wealthy passengers imply higher competition and it seemed to me, cruel selection. Anyway, for 12 total hours in Chop I had seen only one person who is engaged in begging for something. This person acted quite professionally, not leaving long, trying to apply in different local dialects, appealing to all sorts of gods ...
11.
But we resisted ...
The cars, in principle, good, quality, and I can even say is almost fashionable. Each compartment floor is covered with soft carpet. For the entertainment of passengers in the aisles and in the compartments themselves leisurely stroll not so overseas and not so exotic animals ...
When we asked about the origin of the animals and unwillingness to go with them in the same compartment of the car wires down international good-natured laugh. Turns out last night in Kiev train was scheduled disinfection, that animals and povylazili from the holds. But the worry for them is not necessary, since the action of insecticides has passed, and the animals with a hangover still slightly sluggish and drunken ...
For the sake of completeness I should add that during the 6-hour parking the car is de-energized, airing premises occurs naturally through open windows. I do not know whether the winter heating of the car, they say no. Toilets are closed due to structural features of the drain device. The nearest public toilets - on the station, which is 15 minutes walk from the car idle zone ...
In general, the conductors of the car - Serge and Dmitri - for many years of work in this area were able to establish a strong enough postal and transport line, working with the most modern, and I can assure, with international tariffs. Delivered in a big way transmission system, according to them, does not crash more than a dozen years. At the same guys with friendly faces for an hour before the customs post politely asked us to shelter themselves in a kind of coupe sports bag, they say, they have no place (despite the fact that the car was half empty). With no less than polite and kindly smile, we were forced to abandon. Perhaps nothing, because the ensuing interesting events - the analysis of the coupe to cogs with the opening of the walls, floor and ceiling - there were, alas, is not with us ...
In fact, Chop - a lovely and pretty town, if you do not go beyond the forecourt.
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Source:
