QUIZ ABOUT SAINT PETERSBURG

What anniversary was widely celebrated by St. Petersburg in 2003?
(His tercentenary.)

What day is considered the founding date of the city?

The beginning of the construction of which fortress is considered the day of the founding of St. Petersburg?
(Peter and Paul Fortress.)

St. Petersburg is located on numerous islands in the Neva Delta. And how many of them are there?

(About a hundred.)

Which of the islands is the largest?

(Vasilievsky. Its area is 10.9 sq. km.)

On the coast of which island do the waters of five rivers and canals mix?

(Off the coast of New Holland, the waters of the Fontanka, Moika and the Griboyedov, Kryukov, and Admiralteisky canals mix.)

What is the longest canal in the city?

(Bypass.)

Transferred through the Obvodny Canal the largest number bridges. How much?

(26.)

How many bridges are there in North Palmyra?

(342.)

What is the name of train number 1, running between Moscow and St. Petersburg?
("Red Arrow".)

Which emperor demoted Moscow from the capitals?
(Peter I.)

Name the ancient Syrian city with which they used to compare St. Petersburg.
(Palmyra. St. Petersburg – North Palmyra.)

The symbol of which Russian city is a column 47.5 m high and weighing 600 tons?
(Cities of St. Petersburg, Alexander column.)

What is the figure on top of the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg?
(It's an angel.)

On which island in St. Petersburg is the Peter and Paul Fortress located?
(On Hare Island.)

On what square in St. Petersburg was hay once briskly traded?
(Sennaya Square. Now you don’t even guess!)

What are the largest squares in the city?

(Palace and Decembrists.)

What cathedral of St. Petersburg did Montferrand (Avgust Avgustovich) build for 40 years?
(Isaakievsky.)

In what cathedral of St. Petersburg was the Foucault pendulum installed, demonstrating the daily rotation of the Earth?
(In Isaac's.)

Once, a gypsy woman predicted to a young architect Auguste Montferrand: “If you build a temple, your life will end ...” Did the gypsy woman's prediction come true?
(Yes. St. Isaac's Cathedral was solemnly consecrated on May 30, 1858, the birthday of Peter I. A month after that, Montferrand died.)

Why was St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg named that way?
(When on the banks of the Neva rose new town- St. Petersburg, Peter I decided to celebrate his birthday by laying the foundation stone for the church. And he called it St. Isaac's, because the feast of St. Isaac of Dalmatia coincided with the date of birth of the king - May 30. Peter I could not even imagine that the modest wooden church over time, it will become the main cathedral not only of the capital, but of all Orthodox Russia.)

Is there any other building in the world that would be decorated112 monolithic columnslike St. Isaac's Cathedral?
(No. For the fact that no accidents occurred during their installation, the architect Montferrand, who was an equally talented engineer and inventor, was awarded the Order of St. Anne.)

How many times since the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral has its dome been gilded again?
(Since then, the dome of Isaac has never been gilded, and even today it sparkles like new. Indeed, for the gilding of the dome, it was carried out in a unique “fire” way. Copper sheets were covered with a molten mixture of gold and mercury. And then they were slowly heated, holding them over braziers, to evaporate the mercury (this was done three times with each leaf.)

How many bells were cast for St. Isaac's Cathedral (under the direction of the Valdai master Ivan Stukolkin)?
(There are eleven in total. The main bell of the cathedral weighs 30 tons. Their special “crimson ringing” is explained by the fact that silver has been added to the alloy, in addition to traditional copper and tin.)

At what time in St. Petersburg every day does a gun shoot from the wall of the Peter and Paul Fortress?
(At 12 a.m.)

What is the name of the island in St. Petersburg, where the Kunstkamera, the Menshikov Palace and the rostral columns are located?
(Vasilyevsky Island.)

What do the four sculptures at the foot of the rostral columns on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg?
(Four great Russian rivers: Volga, Dnieper, Neva, Volkhov.)

Each of the rostral columns in St. Petersburg, according to its purpose, is ... What?
(Lighthouse.)

How many sculptures "The Taming of the Horse" are installed on the Anichkov Bridge in St. Petersburg?
(Four.)

What is depicted on the coat of arms of St. Petersburg?

(Two crossed silver anchors, sea and river, and a golden scepter placed on them, crowned with a double-headed eagle.)

How many images of the coat of arms of St. Petersburg can be counted while admiring the decorative decoration of the Liteiny Bridge?
(546. Try to check.)

Who was the first prisoner of the Peter and Paul Fortress?
(Tsarevich Alexei.)

A monument to A.V. Suvorov, where he is depicted as a Roman soldier. Where exactly?
(On the Field of Mars.)

Many doctors argue that it is in St. Petersburg on Millionnaya Street, near the New Hermitage, and not in the anatomical theater, that it is best to study the human muscular system. Name the textbook from Millionnaya Street.
(Atlantes at the New Hermitage.)

What is the name of the main palace of the Hermitage complex in St. Petersburg?
(Winter Palace.)

What buildings, besides the Winter Palace, are included in the Hermitage complex?

(Small Hermitage with a winter garden. Old Hermitage, Hermitage Theatre, New Hermitage. All buildings are connected by covered passages and form a single complex.)

At the Admiralty shipyards of which city more than 2 thousand ships of various classes were built: from galleys to the powerful nuclear cruiser Peter the Great?
(St. Petersburg.)

What is the name of the pointed end of the Admiralty building in St. Petersburg?
(Needle.)

The gates of the Florentine Baptistery Michelangelo called the "Gates of Paradise". And a copy of the famous gate by the foundry worker Ekimov adorns this St. Petersburg cathedral. Which?
(Kazan Cathedral.)

Name the architect, author of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg?
(The Kazan Cathedral was built by the architect A.N. Voronikhin in 1801-1811.)

When the biggest flood, described by A.S. Pushkin in the poem "The Bronze Horseman"?
(November 7, 1824, when the water level rose 410 cm.)

On which triumphal gates of St. Petersburg were the names of the guards regiments that distinguished themselves in the battles of 1812 inscribed in gold?
(On the Narva Gates of the architect Stasov V.P.)

Which Russian architect decorated St. Petersburg with the Narva and Moscow Triumphal Gates?
(Vasily Stasov.)

Bazhov or Bazhenov was a Russian architect, the author of the project of the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg?
(Bazhenov Vasily Ivanovich. And Bazhov Pavel Petrovich – Russian writer, author of Ural tales.)

In which Petrograd Palace did the Provisional Government meet in 1917?
(In the Winter Palace.)

For a very long time, the city on the Neva was decorated simply with "Ballerina". But recently the sculpture was recreated on Rossi Street as a monument to her. To whom?
(Galina Ulanova.)

Looking at which monument in the Alexander Garden, guests of St. Petersburg often ask guides: “Why is a camel lying at Stalin’s feet?”
(On the monument to Przhevalsky.)

Under which bridge in Leningrad did Valery Chkalov fly, which has remained a unique trick in the history of aviation?
(Under the Trinity Bridge.)

Are streets or river channels in St. Petersburg called lines?
(Streets.)

Name the longest bridge in St. Petersburg.
(Alexander Nevsky Bridge. Its length is 909 m, opened in 1965.)

What is the widest bridge in St. Petersburg, almost 100 meters wide?
(Blue bridge.)

What is the name of the fixed bridge in St. Petersburg opened at the end of 2004?
(Big Obukhovsky.)

What is the name of the Great Perspective Road in St. Petersburg now?
(Nevsky Prospect.)

Which avenue did the Neva give its name to?
(Zanevsky. And Nevsky Prospekt owes its name to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.)

Alexandre Dumas in his book "Journey through Russia" called Nevsky Prospekt "a street of religious tolerance." Why?
(St. Petersburg – multicultural city. On Nevsky Prospekt there is the Orthodox Kazan Cathedral, the Dutch Church, the Lutheran Church of Saints Peter and Paul, the Catholic Church of St. Catherine, Armenian church. The largest mosque in Europe is located in St. Petersburg – Cathedral.)

What is the smallest monument in St. Petersburg?
(Monument to Chizhik-Pyzhik on the Fontanka, near the First Engineering bridge, opposite house number 6. Its height is 11 cm, weight is about 5 kg.)

What fence of St. Petersburg did A.A. write these lines about? Akhmatova?

I want roses, in that only garden,
Where the best in the world stands from the fences.

(About the famous fence summer garden.)

Craftsmen of what profession in the 18th century forged the fence of the Summer Garden in St. Petersburg?
(Blacksmiths.)

The exposition of which museum occupies the building of the Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg?
(Russian Museum.)

In St. Petersburg, "nine-thousanders" are named after Moscow, Lenin and Obukhov Defense. What are we talking about?
(About the longest avenues, more than 9000 meters.)

Why is the zoo in St. Petersburg called Leningradsky?
(The Leningrad zoo also worked during the blockade. Animals suffered from hunger and cold just like people. The elephant Bessie died from a bomb. Zoo workers did everything to save the animals. For tigers and lion cubs who refused the “grass” diet, they came up with a special "dish": sawdust flavored with fish oil was sewn into rabbit skins. In memory of the war, the zoo was not renamed. It remained Leningrad.)

What do Russian St. Petersburg and Japanese Tokyo have in common?
(These two world cities are 6 meters above sea level.)

Is it true that the inhabitants of St. Petersburg call the curb a curb?
(Yes.)

How many years was Saint Petersburg the capital of Russia?
(206 years old. From 1712 to 1918.)

When was Saint Petersburg renamed Petrograd?
(August 18, 1914, after Russia's entry into World War I.)

When did Saint Petersburg (Petrograd) become Leningrad?
(January 26, 1924, after the death of V.I. Lenin.)

When was the historical name of St. Petersburg returned?
(September 6, 1991.)

Where in St. Petersburg can one read Pushkin's lines in a stone book?
(On Vasilyevsky Island, on the Neva embankment near the university, opposite the entrance to the old building of the Faculty of Philology. A huge open book made of granite measuring 365 by 240 cm, a symbol of enlightenment and knowledge, teaching and apprenticeship. On its spread are Pushkin's lines, starting with the confession: " I love you, Peter's creation ... "and ending with a solemn wish-spell:" Show off, city of Petrov, and stand steadfastly, like Russia!" The monument is called "Message through the centuries", its author – Petersburg sculptor and graphic artist Evelina Solovyova. The grand opening and consecration of the monument on University Embankment took place in 2002.)

The exhibition dedicated to the 300th anniversary of our northern capital consisted of 69 portraits of the city's governors. Who was the first portrait?
(Menshikov Alexander Danilovich – the first governor of St. Petersburg.)

What, according to the Decree of Peter I of 1714, were people supposed to bring when they came to St. Petersburg?
a) Gold;

b) Nails;
c) Grain;

d) stones.
(For the construction of the city.)

Name the most high point Petersburg of the Petrine era?
a) The roof of the Winter Palace;
b) Admiralty needle;
c) the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral;
d) The spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
(It is over 100 meters high.)

On which island is the Peter and Paul Fortress of St. Petersburg located?
a) Hare;

b) Krestovsky;
c) Elagin;

d) Vasilevsky.
(Peter-Pavel's Fortress – the first stone building in St. Petersburg.)

Nevsky Prospekt starts from the Admiralty. And where does it lead and what does it connect the Admiralty to?
a) with the Neva;
b) With the Winter Palace;
c) With the monastery of Alexander Nevsky;
d) With Tsarskoye Selo.
(The avenue is named after the name of the monastery. Previously it was the Big Perspective Road.)

Name the architect of the Admiralty building in St. Petersburg?
a) Bazhenov;

b) Rossi;
c) Rastrelli;

d) Zakharov.
(Zakharov Andrey Dmitrievich.)

What adorns the spire of the St. Petersburg Admiralty?
a) the cross;
b) Star;
c) a boat
d) double-headed eagle.

What is the ship placed on the spire of the Admiralty in St. Petersburg?
a) a compass;

b) weather vane;
c) a lighthouse;

d) an antenna.

Which of these architectural monuments is NOT the brainchild of V.V. Rastrelli?
a) Smolny Monastery;
b) the Winter Palace;
in) Grand Palace in Peterhof;
d) Admiralty building.

(Built according to the drawings of Peter I with subsequent restructuring.)

A shot from the cannon of the Peter and Paul Fortress now means that noon has come. And during the time of Catherine II, he announced the coming of trouble. Which?
a) fire;

b) Invasion of enemies;
c) flood;

d) an epidemic.
(Over 7 feet. This is the most dangerous disaster for St. Petersburg.)

Who is the monument to the St. Petersburg "Bronze Horseman"?
a) Peter the Great

b) Yuri Dolgoruky;
c) Alexander Suvorov;

d) Semyon Budyonny.

What is the figure of the Bronze Horseman cast from?
a) Bronze;
b) cast iron;
c) Brass;
d) Copper.

There are two names on the pedestal of the Bronze Horseman. First – "Peter I". What middle name is written on the pedestal?
a) Elizabeth I;

b) Catherine I;
c) Catherine II;

d) Architect Falcone.
(The monument was created by order of Catherine II, it says: "To Peter I Catherine II".)

In honor of the victory in which war was the Alexander Column built in St. Petersburg?
a) in the North;
b) In the Crimean;
c) in the Patriotic War of 1812;
d) In the Russian-Turkish 1787-91.

What area is located in the center of St. Petersburg?
a) Senate;
b) Red;
c) Ivanovskaya;
d) Manezhnaya Square.

What river does the Palace Bridge cross in St. Petersburg?
a) Neva;

b) Ladoga;
c) Volga;

d) Yauza.

What St. Petersburg bridge is not bred?

a) Palace;

b) Trinity;

c) Foundry;

d) Anichkov.

(This permanent stone bridge was thrown not across the Neva, but across the Fontanka.)

Whose name or surname does the Anichkov bridge owe its name to?

a) Bridge architect;

b) Sculptor of equestrian figures of the bridge;

c) The girl who threw herself off this bridge;

d) Engineer-lieutenant colonel who built the bridge.

(The bridge was built by the forces of the engineering battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Anichkov. The Anichkov battalion was located on the banks of the Fontanka in the old Finnish village, nicknamed since then "Anichkova Sloboda".)

What river does not flow in St. Petersburg?
a) washing;
b) Neva;
c) Fontanka;
d) Yauza.

Above which building did Nicholas I forbid building houses in St. Petersburg?
a) St. Isaac's Cathedral;

b) Smolny Institute;
c) the Winter Palace;

d) Admiralty.

Which St. Petersburg architectural ensemble does the Hermitage include?
a) the Winter Palace;

b) Pavlovsk;
c) Tsarskoye Selo;

d) Petrodvorets.

Which of these buildings in St. Petersburg was designed by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi?
a) Smolny Institute;

b) Russian Museum;
c) Admiralty;

d) St. Isaac's Cathedral.

In which architectural style the Kazan Cathedral was erected in St. Petersburg?

a) Classicism;

b) Baroque;

c) Romanesque;

d) Rococo.

How many columns are there in the grandiose colonnade in front of the northern facade of the Kazan Cathedral?

a) 36;

b) 56;

c) 76;

d) 96.

Which of these museums is located in St. Petersburg?
And russian;

b) the peoples of the East;
c) the Tretyakov Gallery;

d) named after A.S. Pushkin.

On what Petersburg square did the Decembrist uprising take place?
a) Kazanskaya;

b) on Isaakievskaya;
c) on the Senate;

d) On the Champ de Mars.

What has become a landmark of St. Petersburg?
a) Bank bridge;
b) Managerial bastion;
c) Brokerage fortress;
D) tax pyramid.

Sculptures of what creatures, brought from Egypt in 1832, adorn the University Embankment in St. Petersburg?
a) Sphinxes
b) Griffins;
c) Sirens;
d) centaurs.

What building in St. Petersburg was demolished under the tsar?
a) Kazan Cathedral;
b) Alexander column;
c) Alekseevsky ravelin;
d) Mariinsky Theatre.
(In its place is now the building of the military archive, from 1895.)

In what month do residents of St. Petersburg observe white nights?
a) March

b) June;
in May;

d) April.

Which of these characters has a monument on the Fontanka in St. Petersburg?
a) Chizhik-Pyzhik;
b) The Little Humpbacked Horse;
c) Norushka Mouse;
d) Fly-Tsokotuha.

What literary dog ​​was recently unveiled a monument in St. Petersburg? The cast-iron dog trustingly cuddles at the feet of its master.
a) chestnut;
b) Mumu;
c) Artemon;
d) White Bim Black Ear.

What literary monument was installed in St. Petersburg?
a) Major Kovalev's nose;

b) Taras Bulba's pipe;
c) Bashmachkin's overcoat;

d) Brichke Chichikov.

Which palace is the residence of the President of the Russian Federation in St. Petersburg?
a) winter;
b) Mikhailovsky;
c) Tauride;
d) Konstantinovsky.

1. Annapurna (8091 meters, translated from Sanskrit "Goddess of fertility")

One of the 14 eight-thousanders of the planet (the tenth in height), is located in the central part of the Nepalese Himalayas. Despite the fact that Annapurna became the first eight-thousander conquered by man (1950), this mountain is also the most dangerous for climbing. For every 130 successful ascents, there are 53 dead climber. This number includes our famous compatriot Anatoly Bukreev. Surviving the horrific tragedy on Everest in 1996, he died a year later while climbing Annapurna. This mountain could become his 12 conquered eight-thousander.

2. K2 (8611 meters, she is Chogori, Dapsang or Godwin Austin)

The second highest peak in the world after Everest is located on the territory of the Pakistani part of Kashmir and belongs to mountain range Karokorum. The first ascent was made in 1954 by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio, the first to reach the summit were climbers Lino Lacetelli and Aquile Companioni. K2 is technically one of the most challenging mountains world, 249 people climbed to the top, 60 died during the ascent.

K2

3. Nanga Parbat (8126 meters, Sanskrit "Naked Mountain", also Diamir "King of Mountains")

Nanga Parbat - the ninth highest mountain in the world, located in the northwestern Himalayas in the Pakistani part of the state of Kashmir, closes the top three most dangerous mountains for climbing. The first successful ascent was made in 1953 by Hermann Buhl, a member of the German-Austrian expedition. Nanga Parbat is quite comparable to K2 in terms of technical complexity, its southeastern side (Rupal wall) is the highest sheer wall in the world (4.5 kilometers) and is called “people eater” among climbers. In the entire history of ascents on the mountain, 64 climbers have died.

4. Kanchenjunga (8586 meters, the third highest mountain in the world)

Its name means "five treasures of the great snows". This easternmost of the eight-thousanders is located on the border of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim. By local legend Kanchenjunga is the incarnation of a female deity and tries to kill any woman who tries to climb to the top. Indeed, until 1998, only one woman managed to climb the summit safely, it was a climber from Britain, Janet Harrison, who, however, died four years later while climbing Dhaulagiri. AT recent times, despite the general tendency to reduce the risk of ascents, this rule does not work in the case of Kanchenjunga, and, if we take the statistics of recent years, then it is Kanchenjunga that is by far the most dangerous mountain in the world. According to the statistics of ascents to Kangchenjunga, 22 percent of climbers die.

5. Eiger (Eiger) 3970 meters

Located in the Bernese Alps, the Eiger peak is not too high by Himalayan standards, however, it ranks fifth in the sad ascent statistics. Its northern wall, 1650 meters high, has earned the name "killer wall". The first successful ascent of the north face took place in 1966 and took a whole month!

6. Matterhorn (4478 meters)

The mountain in the Alps on the border of Switzerland and Italy, one of the most beautiful and impressive peaks in the world, ranks sixth in the sad climbing statistics. This is due to a number of different factors, including frequent avalanches and rockfalls, as well as the exceptional popularity of the route during the peak season.

Matterhorn

7. Mount Vinson (4892 meters)

The mountain is located in Antarctica, and its extreme degree of isolation from any civilization can make any mistake when climbing fatal.

8. Bayta Brakk (Ogre (Man-eater, English) 7285 meters)

Located in the north of the Biafo Glacier in Karokorum, the mountain lives up to its name and is one of the most technically difficult mountains to climb in the world. The first ascent took place in 1977, the next time people climbed to its top only in 2001, that is, 24 years later!

9. Everest (Chomolungma, 8848 meters)

The highest peak in the world is located on the border of Nepal and Tibet. The first successful ascent was made in 1953 by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary. Since the first ascent, about 1,500 people have climbed to the summit and about 200 have not returned. Everest climbs have become safer and climbing stats have improved in recent times, despite the mountain's serious technical difficulty due to its unprecedented height. This is due to the excellent infrastructure and the best guides Sherpas, who sometimes reach the summit several times a season, throwing the necessary equipment.

Everest from Tibet (Rongbuk Valley)

17:00 3.05.2001

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Saab cars are known and loved in Russia, but they are afraid to buy them. These cars have their own character, for which you sometimes have to pay a lot of money. But if you love Saab, then he will love you back. We will talk about the Saab 9000 model, which was produced from 1984 to 1997

In December 1949, the Swedish aircraft factory Saab (Svenska Aeroplan AB) began serial production of its first car called the Saab-92, which took 4 years to develop. Only 20 aircraft engineers worked on the car, who had no experience in the automotive industry, so the car they created was not like the others. That model didn't even have a tailgate... It was the first Saab.

Fans of this brand consider the Saab 900 to be the last "real" Saab. The last, because then the Saab 9000 appeared (produced from 1984 to 1997), which was made on the same base as the Fiat Croma and Alfa Romeo 164. Of course, the designers tried so that the 9000 model carries the image of a real Saab, but all the same - a “different” car, in essence, is the same as the massive Italian Fiat. On the "nine-thousander" even the ignition switch was not on the floor tunnel, but like everyone else, under the steering wheel. Nothing more nightmarish for Saab fans could be imagined. But, despite this, the Saab 9000 is not a bad car with its own characteristics.
And the first feature of Saab is its engines. Firstly, the Saab 9000 was almost the only model in the world of a large class, which for a long time was offered exclusively with four-cylinder engines. And only in 1994, a 3-liter V-shaped "six" appeared, which was taken from Opel Omega (since 1991, 50% of Saab's shares have been owned by the American concern General Motors). Despite the fact that this engine is good, it is not very popular among fans of the Saab brand. Still, this car should be with an in-line four (volume of 2.0 or 2.3 liters), and certainly with a turbine (there are also without it, with power from 128 to 146 hp). Moreover, turbochargers are different. Both high and low pressure turbines can be installed on the same engine, but if the car is older than 1994, then there will be no choice - only high pressure. The peculiarity of such an engine is that it produces more power at high speeds. In the "lower classes" the 2.3-liter "high-turbine" engine is rather sluggish, but as soon as the tachometer needle is raised to 3000 rpm, the driver immediately realizes that a little 195 hp is hidden under the hood. This engine shows its character only if it is strongly untwisted, therefore its resource is smaller than that of conventional atmospheric engines.
The 2.3-liter "low-boost" engines have 170 hp. Such a motor has a smooth characteristic starting from the very bottom. Therefore, such motors run longer - a mileage of 250-350 thousand is completely normal. The only thing that all “Saab” engines without exception need is high-quality and timely service, because all “four-cylinders” have a rather complicated technical stuffing: double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. In addition, in no case should we forget about the rules for operating turbo engines. They require only fresh, high-quality synthetic oil (you can’t save on this in any case) and clean air filter which needs to be changed more often. Also, a turbocharged engine should not be turned off immediately after stopping. It should work for at least a minute at idle, cooling the turbine. You should not neglect these tips, because a brand new turbine costs more than a thousand dollars.
In general, Saab is not the cheapest car brand in terms of maintenance, especially if you buy branded parts. They also know this at Saab, so almost all spare parts for the engine and suspension can be bought for the “nine-thousander” separately, and not as an assembly. In addition, there is an option when old parts are not replaced with new ones, but sent to the factory. From there, the restored nodes are sent. Naturally, this option is possible with the main units, such as an engine or gearbox. And yet, for discontinued models (Saab 9000 is one of them), the cost of spare parts decreases over time.

As for the suspension, it is not bad. Ride at a height and, at the same time, the car holds the road perfectly. Only words about smoothness do not apply to the Saab 9000 Aero version. These fastest "nine-thousanders" differ from the usual ones in other spoilers and low-profile 16-inch wheels. On the Aero, the suspension is more like a sports car than a business sedan. So know that the Aero is only worth buying if speed is your top priority and you have enough money for more frequent repairs and expensive parts (the Saab 9000 Aero has a lot of its original parts). If you do not take this extreme, then everyone will like the “normal” Saab 9000. You can ride comfortably in it, rush along the highway at a speed of under 200 km / h or “grab” along winding mountain paths.

Before buying a Saab 9000, it is best to go to a special service where you need to check the compression in the engine, the condition of the turbine, suspension and other things. From the "little things" pay attention to the air conditioner, steering play, brake discs, the condition of the hydraulic booster. Rust, as a rule, even on old Saabs, is rare, because cars are designed in northern Sweden, where they know very well what sea air and cold winters are.
In the secondary market, you can find quite a few offers for Saab 9000. Cars of 1984-86 are sold for 1800-3000 dollars, 87-90 for 2000-3500. However, if you take a Saab of this year, then it must be carefully checked, because the resuscitation of a “dead” car can be too expensive. The price for a more or less decent "nine-thousander" of 93-97 is 5000-15000 dollars. Expensive, but good Saabs are not cheap.

On the nominal watch of the head of the West Siberian Railway, which is awarded to the most distinguished workers, instead of a second hand, a small engine runs around the dial. In the minute it takes him to make a full circle, an average of seven wagons are loaded on the highway.

No other highway has known such rates yet. If in the most prosperous year of 1988 the railway sent 153 million tons of coal to consumers, then in 2004 - 157 million tons.

Kuzbass, and with it the West Siberian Railway, as Gennady Fadeev, President of Russian Railways, repeatedly said, is our pride and hope! Of course, they were not always at the peak of their fame. It happens that for various reasons there is no loading, the indicators of the road are reduced. But everyone knows that this phenomenon is temporary. If not today, then tomorrow, wagons with coal will again be pulled one after another, more than compensating for the underload.

Kuzbass accounts for almost half of coal in Russia, two-thirds of coking coal, and for a whole group of especially valuable coking coal brands - all 100 percent. The demand for them is extremely high. And here it is important that the railway is able to take out the mined coal.

This problem has always worried the head of the highway Alexander Tselko and his assistants. Therefore, they thought and think about how to ensure the growth of traffic volumes with the help of new technologies. One solution was heavyweights. They have rescued more than once.

In 2002, 876 trains weighing 7 thousand tons or more were formed and sent at the Vkhodnaya and Altai stations. Even then, with the installed weight norm for the direction Inskaya - Mariinsk 5800 tons, the technology of passing trains weighing 6300 tons was worked out. They also went to the section Novokuznetsk-Vostochny - Mezhdurechensk.

The formation and passage of trains of increased weight ensured an increase in the average weight of a train by 94 tons over three years. Last year it was brought up to 4170 tons. What did it give? The volume of fuel dispatch increased by 15.4 million tons. But in the future, the road had to take on even more cargo traffic. The Management Board of Russian Railways set the task for the staff of Zapadno-Sibirskaya to achieve in 2005 a loading volume of 261.3 million tons, including the removal of 185 million tons of hard coal. For this, 7,500 wagons must be loaded daily.

Time dictates to increase the weight of trains up to 9 thousand tons. It would seem that everything is simple: he took three trains of 70 wagons and formed two 100-carriages out of them. But only a fairy tale is easy to tell. There are so many problems that there are not enough fingers to count them. Someone, but Alexander Tselko knows this very well. Even when he worked at the Ministry of Railways as the first deputy minister and was responsible for cargo and Passenger Transportation, then every day I woke up with the thought: how are things in Kuzbass - how much empty stock has been submitted and how much coal has been sent? As you know, empty goods came to Kuzbass in trains of 100 wagons. Here they were disbanded, sorted and served for loading, forming freight trains weighing 6 thousand tons. At the same time, the cars had to be “shuffled” at the stations, like cards in a deck. In addition, due to the uneven movement of trains from Kuzbass, the road suffered losses. That's when the idea was born to make the 100-car inseparable. Came - loaded - left. Of course, the infrastructure had to be prepared accordingly. But this is a separate conversation. It is important that three years ago, the "first-born" weighing 9 thousand tons appeared here.

“Then, from the Altaiskaya station, where the track profile was, as they say, zero,” says Valery Shachnev, First Deputy Head of the Zapadno-Sibirskaya Locomotive Service, “we formed the first train weighing 9,000 tons and drove a three-section locomotive to the Irtyshskoye station. And then they handed it over to the South Ural Road.

Then there were others. The experiment was successful thanks to the help of VNIIZhT scientists. They did the necessary calculations. After all, each flight was like a journey into the unknown.

Especially big problems arose during braking. Couldn't get it in sync. Sometimes, when the radio announced the beginning of braking, many lay down on the floor. No one wanted to experience the blow of the oncoming tail.

“A train weighing 9,000 thousand tons is like a living thing,” says Valery Shachnev. - It needs to be felt. Only then can you confidently manage it.

For example, everyone is well aware of the manual on autobrakes, which describes how to apply two-stage braking when driving long trains in order to achieve a smooth ride. But not every machinist was given this science easily. The most dangerous was emergency braking. Especially if the track is rather weak or there is a rotten sleeper somewhere... There were also cases in West Siberian when wagons were squeezed out during emergency braking. How to tame the braking wave? Is it possible to simultaneously control the brakes of a heavy train?

These questions did not give rest. And then the idea came up to create a braking control system in trains of increased weight and length via a radio channel - SUTP, which would provide synchronous control of the train brakes. It was created by specialists from the Izhevsk Radio Plant and the scientific and technical center "Vagon-brake". Algorithms for controlling the processes of braking and transmitting commands from the locomotive to the tail car and back were developed and programmed. From March 27 to April 12, 2005, five experimental trips were carried out, 118 braking, including 27 emergency ones, at speeds from 18 to 80 kilometers at one o'clock.

At the same time, it turned out that the least effort on the automatic coupler of gondola cars occurred when applying emergency braking in one stage with the discharge of the brake line from the head and tail of the train and the opening of the block valve 5-7 millimeters. But a new problem arose. Radio interference had a great influence on radio communications. And only when the workers of the Izhevsk Radio Plant created a radio modem that guaranteed the passage of commands over the radio without distortion, it was possible to say that the problem was solved. The results of interpretation of the obtained measurements of strain gauges showed that the real longitudinal-dynamic forces in the train are reduced by 2 times.

May 4 really happened historical event. The first train weighing nine thousand tons was delivered to Isilkul from Altaiskaya station. Then he proceeded along Yuzhno-Uralskaya to Sverdlovskaya.

On the West Siberian he was driven by the 1st class machinist Sergei Kovalevsky. Next to him in the cab was the head of the road, Alexander Tselko. Here is what he says:

- I was driving from Entrance to Isilkul, where the path is on a reinforced concrete base, “velvet”. The impressions are truly unforgettable. The train was going so smoothly and evenly that we did not feel the speed of 80 kilometers per hour. Then I caught myself thinking that this is what we should strive for in freight traffic.

Such technology, Alexander Vitalyevich is sure, allows to make a real breakthrough in the management of track, wagon, locomotive facilities. It helps to take a fresh look at the possibilities of the signaling and energy sector. It raises all services to a completely new technical level, because the requirements for a nine-thousander are much higher than for a six-thousander. Especially to the brake system, to the operation of air distributors.

It is important that with the launch of nine-thousanders, the number of freight trains can be reduced by a third. This creates a reserve of throughput and carrying capacity of the road. In addition, it will optimize the number locomotive crews, increase the performance of the locomotive. All this will result in a significant reduction in operating costs.

Here are the numbers: the technology developed only at the Altaiskaya-Vodnaya test site will allow 10 heavy haul trains save more than 112 million rubles a year. At the same time, 14 locomotive brigades are released.

Alexander Tselko is sure that the technology of driving nine-thousanders should be extended to all railways. And expand the range of their use to Murmansk.

The Siberians themselves are not going to stop there. The control system for a train weighing up to 10,000 tons has already been tested on the Karasuk-Irtyshskoye section. Here they are preparing to take new heights.