The Circum-Baikal Railway is rightfully considered a unique place in Russia (the photo will be presented below). Such an unusual name was formed in view of the fact that when looking at the map, the impression is that the road really makes a circle.
A few facts about the Circum-Baikal Railway
The above name was applied to the railway section of the Transbaikal road from Baikal Station to the Mysovaya platform. Its length was 260 kilometers. It should be noted that at present this section is an integral part of the East Siberian Railway. In addition, at the moment, such a term (Circum-Baikal Railway) is usually used only in relation to dead-end hauls from the Slyudyanka ΙΙ stop to the Baikal point. Until 1949, the main route of the Trans-Siberian Railway passed through the territory of the Circum-Baikal Railway. By the way, the above section (up to the Mysovaya platform) is still a component of the Siberian direction. And a segment of the Olkhinsky plateau (its southern part), passing from the settlementSlyudyanka to Baikal station, recognized as a monument of engineering art.
However, after the duplicating railway segment was put into operation, the need to use the segment from Irkutsk to Slyudyanka disappeared. And in 1956 it was dismantled. And by the end of the 50s, during the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, it was completely drowned (as a result of the flooding of the reservoir). That is why a dead end was formed. For your information, officially the Circum-Baikal Railway never existed (it was an integral part of the Trans-Baikal section). Only the management for the construction of the railway track operated. Today this distance is an element of the East Siberian communication.
Research work on the territory
The first surveys were carried out between 1836 and 1840. These works were carried out by A. I. Stukenberg. However, the final steps to reveal the plan, according to which the Circum-Baikal Railway was to be built, were completed in 1894. The first route went from Irkutsk to the deepest lake on the planet. Initially, it was decided to conduct railway communication along the right bank of the Angara. For this purpose, it was planned to build a pontoon bridge. But later this idea was rejected, because the water level in the river was subject to frequent fluctuations. And during the period of ice drift, the use of this site was not at all possible. Therefore, it was decided that the Kurgo-Baikal railway would go along the left bank, although it was considered too complex to develop. Simultaneously with these surveys, research work was carried out to study the possibility of laying a railway connection to connect the "gap" on the Siberian Railway. And there were no problems with the eastern section. Here, a section of the road passed through the flat terrain and the southern shore of Lake Baikal, which is characterized by a sloping slope. But the gap between Irkutsk and Kultuk caused significant difficulties.
Creating a railway track
As a result of the work carried out (which was conducted under the supervision of Professor I. V. Mushketov), four possible options for stretching this railway lane were developed. Namely:
- 1. From Irkutsk to the settlement of Kultuk across the left bank of the river through the Zyrkuzun Range.
- Along the valleys of the Krutaya Guba and Bolshaya Olkha rivers with further laying of the road along the shore of Lake Baikal.
- From the village of Belektuy to Kultuk through the Tunkinsky Range.
- From the Baikal platform to the end point along the shore of the lake.
Final decision
As a result of the studies (which were carried out by mining engineering parties), only two of the proposed versions were selected. And in 1899, the committee for the construction of the Siberian railway communication approved the first and third options for connecting the "gap" of the main line. Throughout the year, under the control of B. U. Samrimovich on the selected routes were the final detailed survey. This made it possibleirrevocably give preference to communication along the shore of Lake Baikal. Doubts about the appropriateness of using this option were due to the fact that the coast was a rocky area with steep slopes. However, according to the calculations, it was found that this particular plan has economic efficiency. The final approval of the chosen route was taken in 1901. B. U. was instructed to manage the construction work. Savrimovich, who at that time held the position of a railway engineer. For your information, the estimate of this railway construction was more than 52 million rubles.
Circum-Baikal Railway. History
When designing, the Siberian section (which eventually became known as the Trans-Siberian Railway) consisted of 7 segments. Among them was the Korugobaykalskaya railway, the construction of which was carried out along the eastern shore of the lake from Irkutsk to the city of Babushkino (formerly the Mysovaya pier). In the period from 1896 to 1900, the construction of the railway track was carried out from the starting point of departure to Cape Ustyansky (which had the original name Maly Baranchik). In addition, by 1900, construction work was completed on the Circum-Baikal Railway on the eastern coast, and initially all efforts were directed to the construction of a stage between the Mysovaya station and Tankhoya. In subsequent works (up to the Slyudyanka platform), the labor of convicts and prisoners was mainly used.
Final works
Laying the most difficult section (to the Baikal stop)began only in the spring of 1902. Moreover, it is worth noting that the deadline was set for the end of the summer of 1905. The shore of the lake at that time was a rocky cliff with a height of up to 400 m. Initially, it was assumed that this section would include 33 tunnels. In addition, due to the negative impact of the waters of Lake Baikal, the height of the railway base had to be at least 533 cm. Also, during the construction of sidings, the moment of throughput was taken into account. It was at least 14 pairs of trains during the day.
Circum-Baikal Railway. Schedule and price
In the 80s, they began to work out the tourism sector little by little. It should be noted that even from the moment of commissioning, the Circum-Baikal Road has already been used as a recreation area, albeit in an extremely limited range. What is the Circum-Baikal Railway today? 2014 is rich in various excursions. Trips are carried out weekly. In June - on Saturday and Sunday, in July - from Wednesday to Sunday. The "Circum-Baikal Express" was launched throughout the section. The train departs in the morning. The cost of excursions is a little more than 2000 rubles. The duration of the tour is one day.
Attractions
Today, there are several recreation centers, and an unusual type of tourism - "wild" is also in demand. The Russian Railways company is currently intensively engaged in the development of tourism opportunities that the Circum-BaikalRailway. Reviews of tourists who have already visited these places are very positive. First of all, many go there to look at the "engineering" sights. In addition to them, along the route of the Circum-Baikal Railway there are many natural monuments that are of no less interest. These are rocky outcrops, a number of wooden structures made in the Art Nouveau style (built in the early twentieth century), stone remnants, and so on.
