To mark the 175th anniversary of the St. Petersburg–Moscow railway, the Russian Railway Museum announces the “Main Line” competition to collect objects of museum significance.
Everyone is invited to propose objects for the Russian Railway Museum’s collection and become part of the movement to preserve our country’s historical heritage. The competition accepts authentic objects connected with the history of the railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow.
The competition has the following categories:
Material sources (devices, tools, uniforms, layouts, models); numismatics (medals, badges, tokens, coins, and so on); documents (timetables, certificates, coupons, cards, school records, and official certificates); and visual sources (including maps, diagrams, graphic works, paintings, and photographs).
Each category is divided into four chronological periods. A total of 16 winners will be announced. Objects will be evaluated for authenticity, historical and scholarly value, condition, supporting documentation, and exhibition quality.
If you are unsure whether your object fits the competition’s theme, our researchers will examine it and inform you of their decision.
Participation requirements and competition stages:
To enter, submit an application in the prescribed form to info@rzd-museum.ru. The application form can be downloaded from the museum’s official website. The objects themselves do not need to be brought to the museum at the first stage; it is enough to attach photographs and a description to the email.
Applications and objects will be accepted through December 30, 2026, inclusive. The expert committee will work and the results will be finalized from January 11 to 29, 2027. The winners will be announced on February 1, 2027.
Donors whose objects are selected by the experts for inclusion in the collection will receive branded souvenirs and the right to unlimited free admission to the Russian Railway Museum throughout 2027. A temporary exhibition of the new acquisitions will be organized at the Russian Railway Museum following the competition.
“In 2027, we will celebrate the 190th anniversary of Russian railways and the 10th anniversary of our museum. The ‘Main Line’ competition will give everyone an opportunity to touch great history. By donating family heirlooms and historical evidence to the collection, our visitors will become co-authors of the exhibition,” said Vladimir Odintsov, Director of the Russian Railway Museum.
Photo:
A fragment of the printed publication “The Calendar for 1858 with a Portrait of His Imperial Highness, the Sovereign Heir Tsesarevich and Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich” (pages 21–64, 307–312, 315–316, and 321–382), containing the “schedule of arrival and departure times for mail and passenger trains of the Nikolaev Railway” in effect in 1858. St. Petersburg, published by the printing house of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1857.
Donated to the museum by Pavel Vladimirovich Dunaev, head of the Research and Education Department of the Russian Railway Museum.
Description: the original has 382 pages, one of them illustrated with a portrait; the publication is hardcover. According to the table of contents, it includes church information, astronomical information, information about natural events, statistical information, historical information, postal information, and miscellaneous information, including data on the Nikolaev Railway.
Download No. OKT MRZhD-49 dated 05/04/2026_2.docx
