Exhibit description

Third-Class Suburban Passenger Car R.O. No. 3249

The Emergence of Dachniks

In the early 20th century, dachas — second homes in the countryside — became very popular in Russia. Anton Chekhov wrote: “In the past, there were only the fine and the common folk in the countryside; now, there are also dachniks [an emerging new class of people wealthy enough to own a dacha]. All cities, even the smallest, are now surrounded by dachas. In twenty years’ time, the dachniks will have multiplied to an extraordinary extent.”

In early 20th-century Russia, dachas became extremely popular. This created demand for a new type of passenger transport — suburban traffic.

The increasing popularity of dachas created demand for a new type of passenger transport — suburban traffic. New cars were required, with seats only and providing a level of comfort no lower than third class. The “Specifications for a two-axle third-class car (69 seats) for suburban traffic, 14 metres long” were approved by the head of the Railway Administration of the Ministry of Railways in the Technical Meeting Journal of 24th September 1912.

These cars were built in the Russo-Baltic, the Fēnikss (both in Riga) and the Petrograd wagon works from 1914 to 1918. In the mid-1920s, they became a model for the development of Soviet two-axle passenger cars, which used more modern Noltein suspension. These cars were produced in both suburban and long-distance versions.

Museum Exhibit

Oak Replaced by Pine

The car exhibited by the museum was built no earlier than 1915, during WW I, when it was permitted to use pine instead of oak when building the body frame. In 1951, it was assigned to Leningrad-Finlyandskiy Railway Car Station of the Oktyabrskaya Railway under number 2998, and by 1973, it had been removed from the passenger car fleet.