[FPSPACE] Marvelous collection of new photos from Baykonur

[Igor Lissov]

Jim,

That's a rare photo indeed because before ASTP rails at the Pad 1 were
replaced so that U.S. visitors would not see these old markings. As of this
markings, I think it means Russian-Belgian Metallurgy Society (Русско-
Бельгийское Металлургическое Общество) in Yenakiyevo (Donbass,
Ukraine). To the right one can also see letters M.-Kaz. which means
[the society of]  Moscow -- Kazan railway.

I do not believe in English stocks. Rails were replaced many times
at Russian railways, the older ones being sent to a less used lines
and spur tracks. So in 1955-1957 they indeed used pre-Bolshevik
rails taken from regular service in the inner Baikonur railroad.

Igor Lissov


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Oberg" <jameseoberg at comcast.net>
To: <fpspace at friends-partners.org>
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 19:23
Subject: [FPSPACE] Marvelous collection of new photos from Baykonur


Marvelous photographs of a recent visit to Baykonur (text in Russian):

May 7, 2009 – Roman Prodanov (was there as a child) attended a Progress 
launch

http://www.prodanov.ru/stories/baikonur-1/   Driving there

http://www.prodanov.ru/stories/baikonur-2/   City

http://www.prodanov.ru/stories/baikonur-3/    Cosmodrome (including museum)



Intriguing photo he took (section 3) at the Gagarin Start of a cast iron 
ingot

used in the underpinning of the rail tracks. It is dated August 1910!! The

ingot is stamped with the abbreviation R.B.M.O., whatever that meant.



Don't forget that the German 1939 map of Tyuratam already showed a rail line

extending north to where the pad area later was located. It was associated 
with a

British rail project early in the 1900's. Is it possible that there were 
stocks of

construction materials left at that location that were later used in pad 
construction?





Рельсы, по которым движется транспортер тоже необычные, высокопрофильные. 
Попадаются рельсы сделанные ещё до революции, есть изготовленные в США и 
Англии.   Р.Б.М.О. V!! 1910



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


> _______________________________________________
> FPSPACE mailing list
> FPSPACE at friends-partners.org
> http://www.friends-partners.org/mailman/listinfo/fpspace
>