Uzbekistan

Tashkent railway (2)

Back in the USSR…

 

It’s not difficult to spot the train museum in Uzbekistan.  It’s practically outside the main train station and being another open air museum, with numerous trains visible from the outside it really shouldn’t be too difficult to spot.

As is the case with most railway museums I’ve encountered, the entrance price is so low as to make you question the point of it.  In this case it was 4,500 Uzbek Soms which is about the equivalent of $1.50 on the black market.

The museum did though differ from the ones I have been used to in a number of respects.

First the trains themselves were a little different.  There was a large number of diesel and even a few electric locos.  Most museums so far have only shown off old steam trains so this was a change.

Diesel train, Uzbekistan Railway Museum

Diesel train, Uzbekistan Railway Museum

Diesel train, Uzbekistan Railway Museum

Diesel train, Uzbekistan Railway Museum

Also different were the sheer number of people seemingly working there.  Given its just a patch of land with a lot of static displays you wouldn’t have thought staffing levels would have been that high, but there were at least 10 people milling around, tending to the grass or touching up the exhibits.

The other weird thing about the museum was the absence of any glass.  Perhaps being outside and by a busy road had made it too inviting for bored people looking to get rid of a collection of rocks, but in either case, all the glass had been removed and replaced with sheets of black plastic.  Which was odd.  The exhibits had also seemingly been painted recently.  And not necessarily too neatly, which was a bit of a shame, especially as to be honest I prefer it when they look like they are falling to bits.

Uzbek steam train

Uzbek steam train

Uzbek steam train

Steam crane

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Some of the exhibits were particularly odd-looking.  I have no idea what the big yellow thing is.  Some sort of tamper?  And that snowplough looks fearsome…

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Diesel train, Uzbekistan Railway Museum

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Finally, unlikely as it sounds, it seems the place is popular with photographers, which is normal enough, only these were photographers taking romantic pictures of couples walking amongst the engines… Even I think that’s weird.

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