Stolypin car

Stolypin car (Russian: Столыпинский вагон) is a type of railroad carriage in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and modern Russia.

During the Stolypin reform in Russia, which led to massive resettlement of peasants in Siberia, a special type of carriage was introduced for these settlers. It consisted of two parts: a standard passenger compartment for a peasant and his family and a large zone for their livestock and agricultural tools.[1]

After the Bolshevik Revolution, Cheka and NKVD found these carriages convenient for transport of larger numbers of incarcerated convicts and exiles: the passenger part was used for prison guards, whereas the cattle part was used for prisoners.[1]

Nowadays Stolypin cars are still widely used in Russia for transporting prisoners between prisons located in different Russian towns and cities. These carriages are a modification of standard passenger ones. They allow transportation of up to 75 prisoners in 3 small and 5 large cells, 8 guards and 2 conductors.

References

  1. 1 2 Petro Grigorenko Memoirs: Pietro G. Grigorenko W W Norton & Co Inc; 1st ed edition (1984) ISBN 0-393-01570-X
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