Architectural environment of the Khabarovsk Children's Railway

Glatolenkova Ekaterina Senior Lecturer, Department of Design of Architectural Environment, Pacific National University 680035, Russia, Khabarovskii krai, g. Khabarovsk, ul. Tikhookeanskaya, 136 008703@pnu.edu.ru Other publications by this author

Il'in Konstantin Sergeevich Senior Lecturer, Department of Design of Architectural Environment, Pacific National University 680035, Russia, Khabarovsk Krai, Khabarovsk, ul. Pacific, 136 006376@pnu.edu.ru

Introduction

The Children's Railway is an institution of additional education that gives children and young people the opportunity to master professions related to railways. An important element of any children's railway (JD) is the operating lines of narrow-gauge railways with rolling stock, which allows students to practice the skills acquired during training in real traffic and transportation conditions. Roads serve passengers, and children are the direct executors of this process – working as conductors, machinists, dispatchers, switchmen. Children's railways were built into existing city park complexes or were built on newly developed suburban territories. Only a few of the existing children's railways are part of urban transport. In most cases, it is a kind of experimental training ground for students, an attraction for visitors. 

The oldest railway discussed by children is the road to the Downs Malvern, a private school in the English county of Herefordshire.  It was built in 1925 and is a miniature copy of a real road with a track width of only 241 mm. ^[1]. Children studying at school get practical skills on the line. The most widespread railways were received in the Soviet Union, but they were also common in Eastern European countries, where in addition to the term "children's railways" and "small railways", adopted in Russian, another one was used – pioneer railways. The first children's railway with educational functionality and allowing to transport passengers started operating in 1935 in Tbilisi (then – Tiflis) and, according to available information, was born out of a desire to build a working model of the railway, the scale of which was brought to real in the course of work; for the road, it was decided to use a standard narrow gauge of 750 mm ^[2]. By the time of the collapse of the USSR, 52 children's railways were operating. In the Warsaw Pact countries, railways were built in the GDR – Berlin, Dresden, in Poland – in Krakow, Poznan, Hungary. In Budapest, the Gyermekvas?t (children's railway) with a length of 11 km was built on the Soviet model, it is still functioning and is part of the state company MAV (Hungarian State Railways). Just like in Russia, children undergo preliminary training and take part in the maintenance of wagons and train stations. A number of scientific and journalistic publications are devoted to this road; in particular, in the online edition of the National Hungarian Archive, which tells about important events of the XX century in the life of Hungary, a study with a loud title is published - ""A n?pi demokr?cia legszebb aj?nd?ka az ?tt?r?vas?t" – A gyermekvas?t ?p?t?se?s a propaganda" ""The most wonderful gift of people's democracy — pioneer railway" – Construction of a children's railway and propaganda"^[3].

The source base of the study. Probably the main work and the most exhaustive source about all existing children's railways in Russia and the former Soviet republics is the encyclopedia of D. V. Sutyagin ^[4]. The book is an expanded edition of the website about Children's Railways ^[5]; the publication was planned as a three–volume book, but to date only two volumes have been published – the first tells about children's roads in Russia, the second about the roads of Georgia, Latvia and Ukraine. A chapter in the publication "Architectural Journey by Rail" is devoted to the architectural features of the railway in the middle of the XX century ^[6]. By the 80th anniversary of the East Siberian Children's Railway, the famous railway historian A.V. Hobta published a series of publications about the birth and development of the road in Irkutsk ^[7],[8]. Young researchers I. V. Blagorazumov, P. A. Bagoiko wrote about the current state of the railway in an article about the need for reconstruction of the road in Chita ^[9], A. A. Belkina, P. V. Ponomarev, E. A. Mazanova – about the road in Nizhny Novgorod ^[10] and A. A. Gordin – about the activities of Nizhny Novgorod architect B. M. Anisimov, the author of a number of famous public and residential buildings, including the station "Happy" of the children's railway ^[11]. Publications about children's railways are published in specialized railway publications – about the North Caucasian Children's Railway - in the work of N. A. Belokobylenko, A. G. Ketkina ^[12], about the Volga – I. V. Semenenko ^[13], about Ufa – G. S. Sadykov ^[14], about Penza – N. A. Nekhorosheva ^[15].

There are very few publications devoted to children's railways in the Far East. We note only the work of V. V. Burkova, published in honor of the 60th anniversary of the DVJ in Khabarovsk ^[16].  In the search for information, the authors relied on materials obtained while working with the funds of the Khabarovsk Children's Railway Museum – Samizdat booklets in honor of landmark dates and anniversaries, photographs and documents, as well as periodicals covering city events – newspapers Pacific Star, Khabarovsk Week and specialized publications of railway workers – "Gudok. The Far Eastern Highway", "The way and the track economy".  

The relevance of the study is dictated by the intensification of project work in the Khabarovsk Children's railway area and the need to rethink its existence in the changed conditions of the urban environment. The authors consider the history of road construction, analyze unrealized and promising reconstruction projects.

The object of the study is the children's railway in Khabarovsk, the subject of the study is the peculiarities of the formation of its architectural environment.

The purpose and objectives of the study. The purpose of the study is the need to systematize the few and scattered information about the children's railway for its further use in design work. The tasks are to analyze the historical features of the children's railway, to consider the current state of the children's railway park in Khabarovsk and project proposals for the renovation of the A. M. Lukashov nursery.

The main research method is a comprehensive analysis, including the study of changes in the development and architectural environment along the children's railway, the analysis of historical evidence and film and photo documents, as well as private memories of road workers and students. 

The novelty lies in the systematization of knowledge about the Khabarovsk branch of the children's railway and the drawing up of a scheme of planning organization, performed for the first time. Application of the obtained results is possible in the process of designing a new direction of the road in the park territory of the nursery named after Lukashov. 

The authors express their gratitude to all employees of the training center at the Children's Railway in Khabarovsk and personally to the head Konstantin Nikolaevich Sarakhin for their assistance in finding information.

Stages of construction of a children's railway in Khabarovsk

The children's railway was built in a picturesque place – on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by two large green formations – the Lukashov Nursery and the territory of the Khabarovsk Vegetable Farm.

There are four stages in the formation of its architectural and spatial solution.

Stage 1, 1958-1959. The first line of the road was a ring about 600 m long and belonged to the enterprises of the Khabarovsk Vegetable Farm (storages, weighing): the so-called narrow-gauge railway used for production purposes, with a motor carrier and gondola cars. To celebrate the centenary of the city, it was decided to convert the line and the park adjacent to it into a territory for a children's railway. The academic year 1957-1958 was the training of pupils, future road workers, construction work was carried out. The opening took place in May 1958. The only station was called Jubilee. A wooden pavilion with a small waiting room and terraces under a canopy, a wooden platform was built for passengers. Deciduous trees – birch and poplar - were already growing on the territory by the opening. In the background of the photo (Fig. 1), the passenger pavilion at the Yubileynaya station is clearly visible.

Fig. 1. Festive events on the opening day of the Khabarovsk children's railway: the red ribbon in honor of the beginning of the season is cut by the head of the Khabarovsk branch of the road L. N. Kuvshinov. Photos of the same event, taken from a different angle, are attributed to 1959. However, we assume that it is in this picture that the opening of the road in 1958 is captured, since the fact of the presence of the head of the road was written in the press. Photo by E. V., the fund of the museum at the Khabarovsk Children's Railway, 2023

Stage 2, 1959-1967. A year later, in 1959, the first reconstruction was carried out: a line was built along Krasnodarskaya Street to its intersection with Karl Marx Street (the main street of the city connecting the terminal and the embankment of the Amur River), the terminal, which became the main one, Pionerskaya station and two intermediate stations were equipped. During this period , the road had a maximum length of 3.3 km . The photo (Fig. 2) shows the square in front of Pionerskaya station, facing Karl Marx Street. In the background is the turning ring of the children's railway. The passenger pavilion was also wooden, with a central through passage and two rooms on the left and right. The sculptural composition on the square, which came to the foreground of photography to our times, has not been preserved. The pavilion at the Jubilee station remained in the same place. Intermediate stations – stopping platforms – did not have pavilions and served rather as technical stops needed for educational purposes to train train control skills. They received the names Ozernaya and Sovkhoznaya in honor of the terrain features: Ozernaya was located on an open area overlooking the lake, and Sovkhoznaya was in a residential area of Vegetable farm workers.

Fig. 2. Pionerskaya station, view from Karl Marx Street. Presumably 1962 Photo by E. V., the fund of the museum at the Khabarovsk Children's Railway, 2023

Stage 3. 1967-1979. In 1967, a radical reconstruction of the road was carried out: the location of the stations changed, a locomotive depot appeared, the technical equipment of the track and the fleet were updated (the locomotive was replaced by a diesel locomotive, the four-car Orlyonok train was launched for the first time) ^[17]. The length of the road after the transformations was 2.2 km, taking into account the depot tracks.

Initially, it was planned to increase the length to 13 km and lay tracks along the Krasnoflotsky district to the embankment of the Amur River in the area of children's health camps of the 4th Voronezh district ^[18]. However, these plans turned out to be difficult to implement, since such a route would have passed over rough terrain, and laying the path would have required serious survey and design work.

Pionerskaya station was moved deep into the district to Krasnodarskaya Street. The stated reason for the transfer is active housing construction in the area of the road (although capital buildings on the territory of the former station and station square appeared only in 2020), Nevertheless, the new territory was much better adapted for landscaping and quickly began to be built up for the needs of the developing school of young railway workers. In the photographs of the late 1960s, you can see a modest wooden pavilion, probably during the transfer of the station, the old building was rebuilt in a new place, while the orientation of the main entrance changed: now it was facing a wide platform along the tracks. A bandstand and gazebos appeared on the territory.

In 1972, the old railway station was replaced by a new two-storey building made of silicate brick, which housed both the station and the administrative and educational building. In 1974, a summer dormitory for 50 people and a dining room were built (Fig. 3) ^[19]. A significant contribution to the improvement was made by the head of the children's railway A. A. Grigoriev (since 1976): the territory of the station was landscaped with him, a sports ground appeared, trees were planted.

Fig. 3. Summer hostel for students from other cities of the Far East. Photo by E. V. from the album of 1984, the fund of the museum at the Khabarovsk Children's Railway, 2023.

The Jubilee station was also rebuilt: the ring in the old park was dismantled, the construction of a secondary school began on the site of the former passenger pavilion, a silicate brick locomotive depot with an observation room for one locomotive was built.

Along with the location of the stations, the entrances and approaches to the station and the road have changed.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the residential area of Vegetable Farm workers began to be built up with four-storey residential buildings and the territories adjacent to the tracks changed: alleys were planted along the houses, playgrounds were built, there was a need for relocation arrangements.

4. 1979 - present. The beginning of a new stage in the life of the road is associated with the construction of large facilities that significantly affected both the movement of trains and the appearance of the territories adjacent to the tracks. In the late 1970s, construction of a new building for the First Regional Hospital named after him began on a vacant site. Sergeyev. With the completion of construction, the organization of relocations was required for the needs of the hospital. In the same years, tuberculosis dispensaries were introduced – an adult department on Krasnodarskaya Street, on the opposite side of the street from the road, and – separately – a children's department directly adjacent to the border of the railway park on the north side – a pedestrian crossing was needed for the sidewalk near the Pionerskaya station. In the 1980s, work began on the replacement of small buildings along the entire road, which made the children's railway recognizable for many years. In the park at the Pionerskaya station, a ticket office pavilion appeared, stylized as a carved hut – with carved platbands; wooden posts of switchmen were placed with shutters at crossings (four–walled log cabin, pitched roof, carved skates, contrasting painting - Fig. 4); stations were equipped with signs, platforms with benches, and a bandstand was reconstructed in the park.

Fig. 4. Renovated buildings along the road: on the left – the ticket offices at the Pionerskaya station, 1979; on the right – the switchman's post at the crossing to the First Regional Hospital, 1984. Photo fragments of photographs from the albums of the museum fund at the Khabarovsk Children's Railway, 2023.

In the 1990s, the road was going through a crisis. In 1999, the reconstruction of the structure of the upper canvas and the communication system began. The length of the tracks was increased to 2.5 km .

In 2007, the old summer dormitory was dismantled and in 2008 a new educational and household building with a 40-seat hotel block, a dining room, classrooms and workshops was opened in its place. The building was combined with the station building, which was also modernized.

In the 2010s, the construction of medical institutions continued in the area of the First Regional Hospital: a Cardiovascular Surgery Center was built opposite, a Dialysis center was built on the west side. At the same time, the direction of the railway track, which was formed in the early 1970s, did not change. The need to rebuild two crossings with barriers to medical institutions (providing for the relocation of ambulances) and one – inside a residential neighborhood – significantly complicates the work of the children's railway and increasingly sharpens attention to the need for its reconstruction. Residents of residential areas of the Vegetable garden are also not satisfied with the proximity to the railway – because of the noise. 

Fig. 5. The project of the sleeping building, the facade on the west side of the station. Architects of the Dalzheldorproject S. N. Gubin and T. L. Kurdyakov. The area of about 4.5 thousand square meters, includes a dining room with workshops and storerooms, a game room and workshops, a laundry room and study rooms ^[19]

The development of the railway at each stage is shown in the following diagrams (Fig. 6). The part of the city in the area of the current streets of Karl Marx, Demyan Bedny and Krasnodarskaya are considered. Details not directly related to the formation of the railway are omitted. To construct the scheme, data from satellite images from open sources were used ¹.

Fig. 6. Stages of development of the Children's railway in Khabarovsk

Current state

Today, the children's railway is a park with an area of about 4 hectares (taking into account all the territories of stations and platforms). The main station is Pionerskaya, where the park continues to be landscaped. In the park there is a museum of rolling stock with rare exhibits, a pavilion with a miniature train and a laboratory block with a children's railway museum. On the territory there are gazebos, children's playgrounds and sports grounds, small architectural forms.

In recent years, the track system has been updated, and in 2023, the alley of the history of the children's road appeared. The entire navigation system – signs, symbols – is made in the design standards and colors of the brand of LLC "Russian Railways" (RZD), in the department of which the children's railway is located. The switchman's posts along the line have been replaced with standard reinforced concrete pavilions common on the "adult" railways of Russia. The main exhibit of the museum is a steam locomotive built in 1932, which was used on the railway until 1967. It changed its position several times. So in the 2010s it was restored and decided to move closer to Krasnodarskaya Street. The monument was opened and stood on rails continued along the pavement. Later, the territory of the park was fenced off, and the monument was installed on a pedestal, which made it difficult to access for close inspection. In 2018, the entire exposition was covered with a canopy. Now the historic locomotive rises above the fence and is clearly visible from the intersection, but from the park, unfortunately, it is almost invisible.

One of the important assets of the park is its tree plantations – tall pines, fruit trees. It's nice to be in the park, to walk. It is a popular holiday destination for residents of neighboring districts. The territory of the park is recognized as specially protected: conifers predominate among the trees, there are also fruit trees. The trees were planted in 1970 (1500 seedlings, 300 – fruit)².

The second Jubilee station is more modestly equipped – only a small waiting room remains from the buildings. On the territory there is an apron, a covered canopy and a switchman's post. The territory is fenced. Due to the short stop of the train (the route is circular - guests travel from Pionerskaya station, the train passes with short stops on two intermediate platforms, at the final station the train turns around (a difficult maneuver for drivers) and returns to Pionerskaya station).

Intermediate platforms are used for technical stops.

Fig. 7. Improvement of the Khabarovsk railway at the Pionerskaya station: from above – the train before departure, in the background – the station building and the educational and household building from the side of the tracks; on the left – the updated ticket offices; on the right – a view of the museum of rolling stock from the train window. Photo E. V., 2023

Fig. 8. Improvement of the Khabarovsk railway: on the left – the passenger pavilion at the Yubileynaya station; on the right – a view of a rare steam locomotive at the Pionerskaya station from the side of Krasnodarskaya Street. Photo E. V., 2023

The nursery named after Lukashov and the prospects of the children's railway

The nursery named after A.M. Lukashov (the famous Khabarovsk breeder) was founded in 1930, in the 1970s it was one of the largest farms supplying the southern regions of the Far East with seedlings of fruit and berry crops; after the decline in the 1990s, it is in disrepair. The area of the modern territory of the nursery is about 164 hectares, in the southeast it borders with the children's railway. In the middle of the XX century, these lands were considered a marginal zone, but now the situation has changed significantly: new areas of multi-storey residential buildings, individual residential buildings, townhouses have appeared; the number of people living in the area and the need for accessible recreational areas has increased. In August 2020, the Lukashov Nursery acquired the status of a Nature Park of Regional Significance, which includes three functional zones with three modes of protection: 1) nature protection zone; 2) recreational zone; 3) economic use zone. And if the nature protection zone is designed to preserve existing plants and prohibits any construction, then there are no such restrictions in the recreational zone. Moreover, the tasks of the renovation project being developed include the organization of an environment for launching scientific, educational and cultural scenarios and the development of a modern district with social and cultural functions around the nursery. 

In order to find out possible options for the use of territories in 2021-2022, a series of open events with the participation of residents of adjacent areas and questionnaires were held.  Specialists of the Far Eastern Architectural Company, curators and media activists took part in the development of the terms of reference and the master plan ^[20].

A proposal to expand the line of the children's railway to the territory of the Natural Park was made by the Russian Railways company. The schematic location of the road line is shown in Fig. 9. According to the project, a ring railway is proposed to be located on the territory available for construction and a breakdown in the internal space of the amusement park and attractions. Pupils of the school of young railway workers joined the design process – sketches were made and a three-dimensional model of the park layout was developed, presented at the opening of the 65th anniversary season in May 2023.   

Fig. 9. The zone of the nursery named after Lukashov with the marked extension line of the Children's Railway

Meanwhile, the organizers of the project sessions noted the absence of the respondents' request for complex infrastructure projects, and a greater focus on contemplative recreation. The nursery is perceived as a landscape park and any interference with the environment is perceived critically. However, in our opinion, the format of the railway does not contradict this understanding.

A good example of the use of railways in parks can be the narrow–gauge Kleinbahn (literally - small railway) in Cologne and Amsteltrein (Amstel Train) in Amsterdam. Both lines are equipped in landscape parks and are used by both adults and children to move around the territory (note that these roads are maintained by adults). Another good example is already in Russia – the children's railway in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, which is part of the Far Eastern Children's railway also runs through the park territory – in the city park of culture and recreation named after Yuri Gagarin.

Conclusions

The study made it possible to identify four stages of the development of the children's railway in Khabarovsk. It is established that for more than half a century of history, the landscape surrounding the road has changed significantly. Previously, the passengers of the train had views of lakes, blooming meadows and gardens. Now, most of the road line runs along medical institutions, to which unhindered access is necessary, and residents of an overgrown residential area in the summer are inconvenienced by the neighborhood of noisy locomotives and constant children's excursions at terminal stations. The intensification of project activities in the nearby Lukashov Nursery and the openness of the organizers to new experience allows us to use the possibility of expanding or transferring the children's railway line to a picturesque area and combining transport functions with the educational process and entertainment.

Notes

1. Satellite map of Khabarovsk in 1965. [electronic resource]. URL: http://www.etomesto.ru/map-habarovsk_sputnik-1965 / (accessed: 30.07.2023).

2. Reference from the commemorative album of the Council of young railway workers, presented to the head of the Far Eastern Railway Ya. N. Galitsky in 1970. Archive of the Museum of the Children's Railway in Khabarvosk.