Kazakhstan: the Galactic Railway
Posted: 11 Apr 2012, 08:36
The Railway Magazine, April 2012, pp22-25, has an interesting article on the extensive railway system at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, with some impressive photos of huge space rockets being transported by rail.
Built more than five decades ago by the USSR in the desert of Kazakhstan, Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world's first and largest space launch facility. A key feature of the huge site is its internal railway system, which ferries spacecraft from the assembly buildings to the launch pads...
The complex is vast, stretching over an area of 2,500 square miles and, to service it, the Soviets built an extensive internal railway system. Built to the standard Russian gauge of 1520 mm (4ft 11 5/6in)...