A fascinating story:

http://www.radioactiverailroad.com/index.html

Wow, interesting! Thanks for sharing. I never heard of this aspect of the Chernobyl disaster before.

And here's the other kind of Radioactive Railroading, proposed for use in the United States. It would have been a C-C+C-C+B articulated monster.

http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2014/ ... re-trains/

My father was a first generation American with both of his parents coming here the last year of the Revolution. As near as we can tell, my Grandmother was pregnant with him. To say the least I want to thank you for sharing the online article... for my daughter and I have always been interested in Ukraine... this article is definitely one that matters to us!!!

Notice how the control panels of the locomotives are stripped, coach ceilings busted in, and some locomotives toppled to the side. That is evidence of very intensive copper theft, or preemptory "theft" done by the authorities. The government abides locals, tourists and thrill seekers, partly I'm sure out of an inability to stop them if they wanted to.

One of the misconceptions about Chernobyl is that it's abandoned. Not at all. The other three units continued in service, because the USSR and Ukraine needed the power. In fact an entire new city to replace Pripyat was built on the same railroad well east of the plant (crossing into Belarus and back into Ukraine) called Slavutych. After the Soviet Union fell, the EEC/EU made a deal with Ukraine to shut the other units down. But even a normal nuclear plant has many post-shutdown caretaking tasks. So a commuter railroad runs actively between Slavutych and the plant proper. Electric, natch.

I'd expect the atoms of the cars themselves were not activated (made radioactive isotopes) but rather the isotopes are stuck to the outside of the car. For a determined preservationist, encapsulation would not be an option, but some combination of washing, blasting or simply letting rust pop the paint off could get the job done. It would be painstaking, sorta like a D-check on an airliner. Done at the site there, in a workspace you bring, with tools you bring, etc.

The more I learn about Ukraine the more I am astounded by what a lush environment for preservation it is. It's sophisticated, industrial, and the government "gets" preservation and actively helps. Just check out the timber railways in the very destitute east, almost reminds me of the West Virginia state-supported operations.

It is fascinating to see how people once had unbridled faith in the ability to deploy nuclear power, without the slightest concern for the containment risks.

What amazes me is their casual attitude towards sailors who serve on Russian nuke ships. They serve three months on and three months off because of the amount of radiation that they are exposed too. But then they have been indoctrinated since birth to trust the State... they just do not know any other way to look at their government.

And people are still willing to depend upon every imaginable alternative, without the slightest concern for contaminant risks or environmental costs (coal mining and dangers, oil spills, greenhouse gases, fracking, "bird Cuisinart" wind turbines..... even the environmental costs of mining the components of the high-tech batteries that make hybrid cars/locomotives feasible).

Just something to read:

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a- ... d-tourists

It is interesting how some people get outdone about the unconcern others have for (choose baby toys, atomic power, coal mining, railroad accidents, etc) whenthey deaths count in the 10s or per year. Meanwhile the number of deaths per year per state of deaths (not injuries) by automobiles total in the 2 per DAY or about 700-odd per year.

Never figured out why incompetent or poor driving habbits is less important than say TMI or Chernobile.

I'd much rather be on a good tourist train. They are fun also.