Circum-Baikal Railway - Russia

Classic Trains General Discussion
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Construction Photos 1900-1904

http://englishrussia.com/2012/04/04/the-circum-baikal-railway-construction/

History -Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circum-Baikal_Railway

Ice-breaker ferry Baikel

http://englishrussia.com/2012/06/18/great-ice-breaker-of-a-sad-destiny/

“placed an order in Newcastle, England, for a ferry/ice-breaker Baikal, which could hold 24 cars and one locomotive on its middle deck. It took the ice-breaker 4 hours to carry the train from one shore to the other. Up to 1916 the icebreaker served on the railway as a reserve variant because trains used to come off the rails frequently. The icebreaker was destroyed by burning during the Civil War.” (Quote from http://www.irkutsk.org/baikal/railway.htm )

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It has been noted that her general size & design was similar to the car ferry Chief Wawatam which ran between Michigan’s upper & lower peninsulas until 1984. Not surprising, perhaps, since both were built in the same era for the same service.