Description of the attraction
The Svobodnenskaya children's railway, or, as it is also called, the Small Transbaikal (Amur) railway, was built in the city of Svobodny in the Amur Region. It is considered the longest children's railway: its length is 11.5 kilometers.
The construction of the first children's railway in the Far East began in 1939. According to the preliminary plan, the narrow-gauge railway was supposed to connect the city of Svobodny with a pioneer camp for children of railway workers. The route was planned to be laid through uninhabited marshy terrain. The construction was carried out by the forces of the GULAG prisoners. Simultaneously with the beginning of the construction of the narrow-gauge railway, circles were organized for schoolchildren with the aim of teaching and training future young railway workers.
On August 4, 1940, the first stage (four kilometers) of the children's road was put into operation. The first two locomotives began to run. By the summer of 1941, another two kilometers of the road were completed. But the war began, construction had to be interrupted, but the young railroad workers carried out transportation on an ongoing basis - they delivered timber, coal, firewood, food.
Construction was resumed only in the summer of 1950, and within a year the length of the road increased to 10.5 km. A railway station building was built at the Pionerskaya terminal station. In the 70s, a partial reconstruction was carried out. The rolling stock was renewed - diesel locomotives were received, and in the early 90s - new passenger cars.
