The Baikonur trains

As everyone knows, the Baikonur cosmodrome was constructed thanks to the railroad. The trains not only transport material and you present yourself towards any point of this Russian enclave placed in Kazakhstan, but also they are the managers of the pitchers go up to the throwing ramps.
The cosmodrome is formed by hundreds of "Areas", from stations of pursuit up to siloes of nuclear missiles. The majority they are left, although the remaining ones can gather together in three principal areas that form the gigantic one "Y": the central area, with the facilities of the Soyuz and the ancient ramps of the Energía/N1, the western region dedicated to the Proton, and the oriental area, where from the Zenit is still thrown.


Map of Baikonur with the different areas. His general structure is appreciated in the shape of "Y".
Baikonur one cannot understand without the train, for what is worth while seeing this interactive map of the iron lines of Kosmotrans, a branch of TsENKI, the company of Roskosmos in charge of the terrestrial facilities of Baikonur.

The railroad network of Baikonur (Kosmotrans).






Oriental area of the cosmodrome dedicated to the Zenit: the Area 42, where the pitcher is assembled, and the Area 45, with the ramp nº 1 operative one (the nº 2 turned out to be destroyed during a frustrated throwing) (TsENKI).


Area 31, where from they detach the commercial flights of the rocket Soyuz (TsENKI).




The central area, with the Area 1, the mythical ramp of Gagarin, where from they detach the Soyuz TMA crewed towards the ISS. Also the Area appears 254, the building of integration (MIK-OK) of the Soyuz TMA and Progress. Once processed, the Soyuz and Progress integrate with the pitcher Soyuz into the building MIK-112 before traveling up to the ramp (TsENKI).








Central area, with the Area 112 (MIK-112) where the N1 and the Energy was assembled and that at present is used for the Soyuz-U and Soyuz-FG. The central part of the building collapsed in 2002, destroying the Burán. Also we see the 112th Area or Building MZK for the dynamic tests of the Burán-Energía, as well as the Area nowadays left 110, where two ramps of the N1/Energía are. The Area 250 (UKSS) was dedicated to the tests of the Energy and from there this pitcher detached for the first time. It might turn into the future ramp of the Angará/Baiterek. In the photo of the Energía-Burán we can see the couple of locomotives PTEZ that were moving this spatial leviathan (TsENKI).





The Areas 81 and 200 with four ramps of the Proton (although the ramp 40 of the Area 200 is not operative). The Area 92-50 corresponds to the MIK of integration of this pitcher that we can see in the first image (TsENKI).

Area 90 corresponding to the Tsiklon (TsENKI).

An ancient locomotive as monument to Kosmotrans in the city of Baikonur (Kosmotrans).
The Baikonur trains are part of this piece of the Asian steppe and, of course, of the conquest of the space. Let's not forget that the first artificial satellite and the first man in the space began his trip thanks to one of these machines.