The imperial Romanov family was always first to test the railroads. Back in 1837, Emperor Nicholas I eagerly took a ride on Russia’s first-ever railway that ran from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo. Since that time, the imperial family would always travel on trains with great pleasure, and they always had their own train car or even several of them.
The Romanovs often traveled from St. Petersburg to Moscow and back, as well as abroad. In the 1880s, Russia’s rail system became very extensive across the empire and the imperial family frequently traveled, especially to Crimea and other regions of the empire.
In 1888, the train carrying Alexander III and the imperial family crashed in a horrible accident. Fortunately, the members of the imperial family were unharmed. The mighty Emperor, just like Atlas, held the carriage ceiling on his shoulders, just long enough for his wife and kids to get out of the wrecked train.
In the late 1890s, a brand new train was built for the imperial family. It was a 10-car train that included a bedroom for the Emperor and Empress, a reception room, office, kitchen, dining room, the children's room, rooms for family members, servants, railroad workers, luggage room, and a specially equipped prayer room.
Emperor Nicholas II was the first and the last tsar to use the train. Here are some extraordinary photos of this ‘palace on wheels’.
Fragment of the reception room
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