哈尔科夫儿童铁路（小南铁路）8 张照片

#### Харьkovskая Детская железная д#### Ка #### рода железная дорога (Малая Южная ЖД) This children’s railway was built in 1940, before the war, at the initiative of the Communist Youth League members of the Southern Railway and the Institute of Railway Transport Engineers (HIIT). The main station, named Park, was designed by architect E. A. Lymary. For passenger transport, a single train consisting of a steam locomotive of the 159 series and several passenger cars was used. However, this system did not operate for long. During the war, the railway was completely destroyed… However, it was decided to restore the railway and put it back into use. After the city was liberated on August 23, 1943, the children’s railway presented a very sad sight: the station building in Park was half-destroyed; almost all the interior partitions were missing, and the roof had collapsed. The locomotive depot and the signal posts had been completely burned down, and the White Stone Bridge had been destroyed. Of the rolling stock, only the frame of a single car, completely burned inside, remained. Harbor City also suffered greatly under the occupation. Naturally, priority was given to restoring the city. It wasn’t until April 1945 that the authorities decided to restore the children’s railway and extend it by another two kilometers. By July 1945, the work was completed: the station building was fully repaired, new sidings were laid in Park station, and a temporary wooden locomotive depot was constructed. The children’s railway was equipped with one four-car and several two-car passenger cars. Due to a severe shortage of rails, the new section of the track was laid with a reduced rail spacing. However, this was expected not to affect train operations, although speed limits would be necessary. The most serious problem was the lack of a locomotive. After extensive searches, a locomotive that had previously operated on this railway was found in Kolomak station, on a narrow-gauge track belonging to a sugar factory. The locomotive was severely damaged in the explosion; only the tender remained intact. It was practically impossible to restore this locomotive, so another alternative had to be found. No narrow-gauge locomotives could be found in the vicinity of Kharkov. Fortunately, the Kishiniov Road agreed to donate a Yugoslav locomotive of the Yu83 type from the Izmail depot. This was the only locomotive of this model (83-040, built by Budapest Plant in 1929) that had ended up in the Soviet Union during the war as a trophy. Due to differences in parts between this locomotive and Soviet narrow-gauge locomotives, its operation was extremely difficult. Nevertheless, there was no other choice for the Kharkov Children’s Railway. The locomotive was transported to Kharkov, thoroughly repaired, and given the name LC-83-01 in honor of Transport Commissioner Lazary Kaganovich. In 1948, the railway received six new four-car passenger cars and a trolley car. In the late 1940s, another locomotive of the 159 series was added, designated LC-159-02. (Unfortunately, we do not know the details of this locomotive’s subsequent history.) Starting in 1950, all locomotives on the children’s railway were equipped with two-way radio communication and the Tancur system for automatic train control. In 1951, the LC-83-01 locomotive was retired from service, and it was replaced by a new Hungarian locomotive, the Kv4-039 (model P24), which operated on this railway until 1990. This new locomotive was only equipped with radio communication; the Tancur system was not installed. The transition of domestic railways from steam power to diesel and electric traction that began in the mid-1950s inevitably had an impact on the equipment of the Kharkov Children’s Railway. In 1957, the railway received a new diesel locomotive, the TU2-125, donated by the Kharkiv Machine-Building Plant named after Malyshev. In 1986, another diesel locomotive, the TU2-054, was acquired, and it was promptly modified to resemble the TEU3 model. This locomotive is still in use today. #### #Kharkov #History #Childrens_Railway