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A railroad fan photographed Putin's armored train. Now he lives in exile.
DU doesn't have a railfanning group. If anybody wants to start one, let me know.
In case you're wondering, I just got the hardware for Roku last week, and I've got the Railstream channel running on the TV in the kitchen one room away right now. I'm watching CSX and NS operations at the Howell wye in Atlanta.
EUROPE
A railroad fan photographed Putin’s armored train. Now he lives in exile.
By Robyn Dixon
March 15, 2023 at 1:00 a.m. EDT
Trainspotter Mikhail Korotkov poses for a portrait in an undisclosed location. (Vladislav Fomenko)
RIGA, Latvia — For Mikhail Korotkov, a lifelong “trainspotter,” one unusual train on Russia’s railways became an obsession — like stalking a rare, shy beast. ... Korotkov, 31, spent years tracking and photographing President Vladimir Putin’s special hush-hush, deluxe armored train. He was the first enthusiast to post an image of the train — sleek sliver with red-and-gray detailing, often pulled by multiple boxy locomotives — online in 2018. “Mere mortals do not travel on such a train,” Korotkov wrote.
Finding and photographing the train was both terrifying and exhilarating. To Korotkov, it was like a creepy “ghost train,” with a secret timetable, no identifying locomotive numbers and its windows always screened. At least, one of the rail cars has an unusual dome on top — believed to house special communications equipment.
{snip}
Trainspotters in Russia, like elsewhere, form a small but passionate community. Fellow hobbyists would tip off Korotkov whenever Putin’s special train was headed out of Moscow, so he could rush to the tracks with his camera.
He took many photos of Putin’s train, but posted just a few online. “I was trying not to attract attention to the fact that I was so very interested in the topic,” he said, adding that it was the peak of his hobby. After that, there was no other big target to hunt. ... Korotkov’s passion, however, was apparently not appreciated by the special services tasked with protecting Putin and his secrets.
{snip}
A selection of train photos taken by trainspotter Mikhail Korotkov. (Mikhail Korotkov)
{snip}
By Robyn Dixon
Robyn Dixon is a foreign correspondent on her third stint in Russia, after almost a decade reporting there beginning in the early 1990s. In November 2019 she joined The Washington Post as Moscow bureau chief. Twitter https://twitter.com/RobynDixon__
A railroad fan photographed Putin’s armored train. Now he lives in exile.
By Robyn Dixon
March 15, 2023 at 1:00 a.m. EDT
Trainspotter Mikhail Korotkov poses for a portrait in an undisclosed location. (Vladislav Fomenko)
RIGA, Latvia — For Mikhail Korotkov, a lifelong “trainspotter,” one unusual train on Russia’s railways became an obsession — like stalking a rare, shy beast. ... Korotkov, 31, spent years tracking and photographing President Vladimir Putin’s special hush-hush, deluxe armored train. He was the first enthusiast to post an image of the train — sleek sliver with red-and-gray detailing, often pulled by multiple boxy locomotives — online in 2018. “Mere mortals do not travel on such a train,” Korotkov wrote.
Finding and photographing the train was both terrifying and exhilarating. To Korotkov, it was like a creepy “ghost train,” with a secret timetable, no identifying locomotive numbers and its windows always screened. At least, one of the rail cars has an unusual dome on top — believed to house special communications equipment.
{snip}
Trainspotters in Russia, like elsewhere, form a small but passionate community. Fellow hobbyists would tip off Korotkov whenever Putin’s special train was headed out of Moscow, so he could rush to the tracks with his camera.
He took many photos of Putin’s train, but posted just a few online. “I was trying not to attract attention to the fact that I was so very interested in the topic,” he said, adding that it was the peak of his hobby. After that, there was no other big target to hunt. ... Korotkov’s passion, however, was apparently not appreciated by the special services tasked with protecting Putin and his secrets.
{snip}
A selection of train photos taken by trainspotter Mikhail Korotkov. (Mikhail Korotkov)
{snip}
By Robyn Dixon
Robyn Dixon is a foreign correspondent on her third stint in Russia, after almost a decade reporting there beginning in the early 1990s. In November 2019 she joined The Washington Post as Moscow bureau chief. Twitter https://twitter.com/RobynDixon__
7 replies
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