|
When asked by Soviet Union ( MPS ) to celebrate the nearing 50-years
anniversary of
" The Great October Revolution " in 1957 VR decided to repair at HyvinkÄÄ
Works its
Class H2 locomotive ( already taken out from active list and waiting for
scrapping )
No 293 2C-h2 Richmond 2991 / 1900 and cede it to Soviet Union for memory
mark
to Leningrad Finland Station to celebrate the Vladimir Iljitsh Uljanov (
Lenin ) successful escape
from Petrograd in 1917 when he escaped in this locomotive the Kerenski
secret police
( Ohrana ) to The Grand Duchy of Finland for hiding.
The Soviet Authorities asked also drawings for such wood burning chimney
which the locomotive
had in 1917.
Offically the locomotive was presented by the Finnish Government to Soviet
Union on 13.06 1957.
The locomotive had also a plate where reads " Suomen hallitus lahjoitti
tÄnÄn veturin Sosialististen
Neuvostotasavaltojen Liiton hallitukselle muistoksi niistÄ matkoista jotka
V.I.Lenin vaikeina aikoina
on sillÄ Suomen kamaralla tehnyt ". ( The Finnish Government presented this
locomotive for the
Government of Socialistic Soviet Republics for memory of those journeys
which V.I.Lenin had
made on those difficult times in Finnish earthground. )
It was Finnish locomotive driver Hugo Jalava who took Uljanov ( masked as
fireman ) on his
locomotive at VR Petrograd depot.This escape was organized by the left wing
Finnish Social
Democrats which also offered to V.I.Uljanov hiding places in Finnish side of
the border.
The fireman travelled beforehand to Terijoki ( on the local train
locomotive ).
Uljanov had to fire the wood burning locomotive from Petrograd to
Valkeasaari ( Beloostrov ).
The train was P 1 night sleeping car Petrograd-Helsinki express.
When the Russian Gendarmies started at Valkeasaari search for passengers
passports Jalava
coupled his locomotive off from the train and drive it to water tower to
take water.
Uljanov was very nervous and affraid and he could not do anything as Hugo
Jalava told later.
When the Gendarmies had finished their passport control and withdrew from
the train with
Ohrana Officials to Custom House with few other suspects which were
arrested,Jalava backed
his locomotive and coupled the engine into train.In this he was helped by
local station employer,
but as it was night the Russian Guards did not pay any attention what
happened in locomotive.
Uljanov came to Terijoki ( now Zelenogorsk ) where he stepped out from
locomotive and was
replaced by the ordinary fireman.He was taken to secure hiding place and
with new identification
document continued later his journey to Helsinki and Tampere.
As Jalava told later he had never seen such hands ( like womans hands )
belonging to any VR fireman.
Had the Gendarmies checked the locomotive Uljanov would have been arrested
at ones because
of his hands.
|
