20 travel tips from a train conductor

Rules to know

Animals can be transported in compartment cars. And all would be fine, but I once saw how the RACCO was carried on a leash and walked at the stations.

Dmitry Sofyannikov

1. Nobody wants to remember that the maximum luggage weight is 36 kg for one ticket in a reserved seat, and the sum of three dimensions should not exceed 180 cm. No, you must come in with 19 bags, because "yes, I'll put them out somehow."

2. If you think that no one will know about smoking in the toilet, you are mistaken. The ventilation of the carriage is arranged in such a way that from the vestibule, the toilet and the slanting corridor, all the air is drawn into the conductor's compartment.

An information sheet is put up for the caught smokers. The first such sheet is a fine of 1,500 rubles, and the ticket will indicate that you are a smoker; the second - you simply will not be sold a train ticket.

Vapers are a different story. Vaping in the car is not allowed, as well as smoking, but there are clever people who “this is steam, not smoke, I don’t smoke”.

3. No matter how many warnings they write, people still throw paper into the dry closet. You spoil your own life: such a toilet is not repaired on the road. And so, because of one passenger, the whole carriage suffers.

By the way, you can use the toilet during the sanitary zones, but only if you need to wash, brush your teeth or shave. The handler must stand nearby and watch that the toilet is not used. However, if the child has an urge to refuse, they have no right to refuse, but in this case, you cannot press the flush pedal.

4. If you decide to save money and not buy bed linen, your destiny is to lie on a shelf or walk around the carriage, because you cannot use a mattress without linen.

5. And here is the terrible secret of all "Russian Railways": you do not have to hand over bed linen to the conductor when you leave at your station. And the conductor cannot force you to take him a set of underwear, at most - be ready to go out in half an hour.

6. The conductor is prohibited from letting people out at train stops less than five minutes long. Be understanding. There is no need for this "yes, I have a quick smoke." This is a security issue, so bear with it.

7. You can drink vodka on the trains! But don't overdo it. A passenger who seems too drunk to the conductor may be dropped off. He also has the right, in principle, not to let a passenger into the carriage if, in the opinion of the conductor, he is too drunk or behaves inappropriately. Even if he had the most expensive ticket to the coolest place.

Safety precautions to be followed

Parcels cannot be transferred. Not at all. Even envelopes. For my comrade, a FSB officer planted a dummy bomb in the vestibule disguised as a package of pills. It almost came to dismissal.

Dmitry Sofyannikov

8. For heaven's sake, do not charge your gadgets from the sockets in the carriages! Most often, the wiring on trains is so-so, and if the iPhone does not fail all the electrics in the carriage, then you will definitely ruin the battery for yourself. An external battery is our everything!

Although, in fairness, it should be said that the iPhone is not so scary yet. That's when they insert an extension cord into an extension cord, and several laptops into it - this is already dangerous. Conductors usually stop this.

9. If a car catches fire at speed, it will burn up in five minutes. Observe fire safety.

10. There is always a first aid kit in the train carriage. It contains bandages, gauze, plaster, gloves, iodine, but no medicine. Therefore, always before the trip, check that you have taken all the pills you need, and do not spare money on it.

11. The conductor is obliged to provide first aid to a passenger who has become ill. They are taught this on purpose, so feel free to ask. At the nearest large station, doctors will already come to the carriage and conduct a professional examination.

12. The conductor should only pull down the stop valve if there is a threat to the lives of passengers. In all other cases, a fine of about 5,000 rubles will be imposed. And even a minute idle train on the tracks costs a pretty penny.

13. It's safe to sleep on the top bunk. To fall from it, one must really want to. For children, ask the handler for a safety harness and raise the special iron stopper at the edge of the shelf.

14. Safety is not an empty phrase. Although this is being monitored, accidents occur every year with both passengers and conductors. Therefore, be careful and listen to the guide. All instructions on the railroad are written in blood.

The comfort we deserve

In the summer, you can travel very cheaply long distances in good wagons. Discounts on the top bunk in a compartment - up to 50%, you can save money and save yourself from reserved seats, grannies and constant walking around the carriage.

Dmitry Sofyannikov

15. The third and fifth compartments are emergency exits, the windows there do not open. Therefore, in summer it is unbearably hot there, and nothing can be done if there is no air conditioning. Consider this if you are going to travel far.

16. The air conditioner in the carriage is connected to the generator, which starts working only when the train picks up a speed of more than 30 km / h. That is why a trip along the Black Sea coast (four hours at a speed of 30–35 km / h and stops) turned into hell.

In general, on the issue of air conditioning, the conductor is always on the side of the passengers. They are the same people who travel in the same conditions as you. If the conductor says that the air conditioner is not working, then he is not lying.

17. In the new cars, the conductor has a small refrigerator. He is obliged to carry baby food in it if asked, but you can agree to put something else there.

But in old cars in two vestibules there are pockets for storing coal. The temperature there is lower than throughout the entire composition. If you are carrying, for example, fish, you can also negotiate with the guide.

18. The side of the toilet has an advantage that overcomes all the disadvantages - you are always the first to go to the toilet in the morning.

19. Some trains have a service - a shower in the staff car. It costs 100-250 rubles.

20. And most importantly, the conductors are people just like the passengers. If you treat them humanly, then your trip will become more comfortable.