Hi Andy
We were a bunch of students at Southall College of Technology doing a sandwich course. That meant that during the other 6
months of the year we were apprentices at local companies. Many worked for BOAC and BEA. I worked on guided weapons for
EMI. Basically kit for shooting other aircraft out of the sky from TSR2. Not my greatest claim to fame, however the labour
government at the time squashed it. The Brits were world leaders in those days.
Anyway during our social studies period (one time in a week when we could do something non technical) some of us enrolled
on a brief Russian language course that included a trip to Russia. In those days Moscow was probably both the cheapest and
least visited capital city in the world. These days it is the most expensive city in the world.
The trip was arranged with Intourist which was the only and official Russian travel agency. We went by train !. That was
quite an experience for someone in their late teens. The transition through East and West Berlin being particularly
memorable (Russian solders with machine guns on the train). Also the change of track gauge at the Polish border where
cranes lifted the carriages onto different rolling stock. Hope I am not boring you.
In Russia, I have to say, everyone was very friendly and helpful and during our spare time we were able to wander around
Moscow on our own with no restrictions and unaccompanied (as far as we knew). We had an number of arranged visits that had
been set up by Intourist and these included a trip to the airport where we scrambled over various aircraft. No doubt it
meant much more to my airline colleagues, but I still found it interesting. If only I could do it again.
Not an aircraft, but the scene from the viewing platform at the rear of the train
Long and straight track 1964 by
peewitpics, on Flickr
Phil
