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TRAINS on POSTAL STATIONERY RUSSIA - USSR (1917 - 1991) Page 1 (of 5)

Russia/USSR has issued at least as many different items of postal stationery as the rest of the world combined, most of it since about 1953. Fortunately, their issues do have indentifying numbers on them, in the form of dates (of printing, I think) and some other numbers that seem sort of like the Romanian Cod. numbers. However, I have found multiple items with different designs and exactly the same numbers, so the numbers are not unique. The only way to provide a unique text description would be to include as well the (Cyrillic) text, or a description of the image. In this listing I am providing scans, so exact identification should be easy. Moreover, as of March 11, 2004, I have added a table listing most of the items with a rail theme, INCLUDING the original text in Russian - GO HERE Dates in items: As I say in the preceding paragraph, the numbers on Russian/USSR Postal Stationery are not necessarily unique, so in most cases I have chosen to show only the date of printing here. Please note that my Russian is rudimentary, at best, so aside from the early items below (the propaganda cards), for which I was able to obtain excellent translations from the book cited, the translations are mostly mine, and many are questionable - if you can do better, please e-mail me at . Many thanks to Vadim Lapin, of Moscow, who kindly supplied the images, text in Russian, and translations for the items annotated "VL" on these pages, plus descriptions for many others, as well as the entire table on page 7 of these Russia pages, which lists 529 postal envelopes with a rail theme, only some of which are illustrated on pages 1 thorugh 6. NOTE: The thumbnails on these pages have all been reduced to the same width, so their relative sizes here are not meaningful. Moreover, the enlarged images (click on any thumbnail to view enlargement) are from several different sources, with varying resolutions, so their relative sizes are also misleading. In general: Postal cards are 104x147 mm Small envelopes are 114x162 mm (ISO C6) Large envelopes are 110x220 mm (ISO DL)
	Date: 1929 PC - 1929 - 5k brown ind of no rail interest; cachet with savings bank book in front of various scenes of industry, including classic steam loco Text: "Direct your savings towards socialist construction by way of a savings bank" No. 61659; 2,000,000 issued. DL
My information source on the early postcards of the USSR is the wonderful "Catalogue of Propaganda-Advertising Postal Cards of the USSR, 1927-1934" by George V. Shalimoff and George B. Shaw, Edited by Jean R. Walton, Oct 2002, published by the United Postal Stationery Society It shows eighteen cards with trains or streetcars, eight of which are reproduced here from actual cards, the rest of which are represented by B&W scans from the book. Our thanks to the UPSS for permission to reproduce their text and images here.
	Date: 1929 PC - 1929 - 5k brown ind of no rail interest; cachet with guard and passengers on railway platform, train in background. (Man is searching his pockets for money) Text: "When traveling, take a savings bank credit with you - you will safeguard your money from loss or theft" DL TG: 1929-01-01 Design: Passenger who has lost his train ticket. Steam train in the background Text: "When going on a journey take a letter of credit from a savings bank. Preserve money from loss and theft." Dated 1929, No. A-37578; 5,000,000 issued. No month or day given in the date.
	Date: 1931 PC - 10k Red. Design: Grain elevator; train made up of two caterpillar tractors and wagons laden with sacks of grain. These do not look like rail vehicles, so this probably does not belong in this listing. Text "Socialist competition, shock work, and a head-on plan should be the basic methods to fulfill and surpass the grain storage plan!" "Issued by NKPiT. Mosoblit No. 2603. No. 49. Number issued 1,000,000. Moscow, 1931. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1931 PC - 10k Red. Design: Woman first aid worker bandaging a soldier, airplane and train. Text: "Strengthen the medical response of the USSR! Buy a lottery ticket of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society. Ticket price is 50 k." "Issued by NKPiT. Mosoblit No. 2591. No. 50 Number issued 2,000,000. Moscow, 1931. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1931-07-16 PC - 1931 - 10k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with steam train in background Text: "The Red Cross and Red Crescent Society is the foundation of the medical protection of the USSR and the bearer of sanitary habits." No. 69; 1,000,000 issued. WS
	Date: 1931 PC - 10k Red. Design: Portrait of J.V. Stalin; electric and steam powered trains. Text: "....we must finally take matters of transport and move it forward in a Bolshevik manner!" "Issued by NKPT. Up. Glavl. 19/VII 1931. No. 85. Number issued 1,000,000. Moscow, 1931. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1931 PC - 10k Red. Design: Electric train. Text: "The basic link in the reconstruction of railroad transportation is electrification." "Issued by NKPT. Up. Glavl. 26/VII 1931. No. 86. Number issued 1,000,000. Moscow, 1931. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1931-10-25 PC - 1931 - 10k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with engineer's drawing of steam loco Text: "The mastery of new techniques of railroad transportation will be accomplished by massive industrial-technical propaganda" No. 117; 1,000,000 issued. WS
	Date: 1931-07-19 PC - 1931 - 10k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with 3 locomotives and a freight car Text: "By fighting for powerful steam engines, diesel engines, electrical engines and large cargo carriers - we will fulfill the resolution of the party!" WS TG:1931-07-19 Design: Steam, diesel and electric locomotives and high-capacity wagon. Text: "Powerful steam, diesel and electric locomotives and high capacity wagons - accomplished by resolution of the Party." No. 118, 1,000,000 issued.
	Date: 1931-10-25 PC - 1931 - 10k brown ind of no rail interest; cachet TG: Design: lineup of 3 steam locomotives Text: "With the liquidation of undefined responsibilities, we improve the train car and steam engine fleet, with the introduction of self-sufficiency we improve transportation, with an increase in disciplines and battles with bureaucrats we secure the fulfillment of the Bolshevist tempo for railroad transport." No. 119 1,000,000 issued
	Date: 1931-10-29 PC - 1931 - 10k brown ind of no rail interest; cachet TG: Design: Electric train under gantry Text: "Technology in the period of reconstruction solves everything. (Stalin) Transportation should be mastered by technology!" No. 120 1,000,000 issued
	Date: 1931-10-25 PC - 1931 - 10k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with man drawing steam locomotive on blackboard Text: "Transport worker - remember technical studies are the classic obligation of each proletarian" DL TG: Design: Outline drawing of steam locomotive on blackboard Text: "Transport Workers. Remember that technical studies classes are an obligation." No. 121 1,000,000 issued
	Date: 1932 PC - 10k Red. Design: Airplane in flight; train. Text: "Airmail shortens the delivery of letters! Use airmail" "Issued by NKPT. Up. Glavl. 25/X 1931. No. 129. Number issued 2,000,000. Moscow, 1932. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1932 PC - 3k Blue. Design: Nurse bandaging the arm of a soldier, airplane, train and ambulance; Red Cross emblem. [No vertical center divider.] Text: "Strengthen the medical response of the USSR! Become a member of the ROKK!" "Issued by NKPT. Up. Glavl. 31/I 1932. No. 140. Number issued 1,000,000. Moscow, 1932. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1932 PC - 10k Red. Design: Red Cross airplanes, train and ambulances. Text: "With your participation in the work of the Red Cross and Red Crescent we improve the medical response of our Red Army - the primary guardian of the proletariat revolution." "Issued by NKPT. Up. Glavl. 20/I 1932. No. 141. Number issued 2,000,000. Moscow, 1932. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1932 PC - 5k Blue. Design: A block of new dwellings; buses and streetcars. [No vertical center divider.] Text: "We will bring the means to the populace for communal and housing services in socialist cities!" "Issued by NKPT. Up. Glavl. 4/V 1932. No. 179. Number issued 1,000,000. Moscow, 1932. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1932 PC - 3k Blue. Design: Text only. [No vertical center divider.] Text: "1. Be careful on streets. 2. Walk straight across at intersections. 3. Stand on the sidewalk; be assured of the safety of crossing. 4. When crossing a street, look left first, move to the center of it, look to the right 5. When crossing a street at an intersection, coincide your movement with the signal light or policeman. 6. Cross with the green signal light. 7. Don't appear suddenly and don't cross in front of moving vehicles. 8. Don't walk on the roadway. 9. Do not stand between the streetcar tracks. 10. Do not enter the front platform of streetcars and do not exit from the rear platform. 11. Do not cling to the streetcar safety rails and do not stand on the running board during movement. 12. Do not board or exit a moving streetcar." "Issued by NKPT. Up. Glavl. 4/V 1932. No. 183. Number issued 1,000,000. Moscow, 1932. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1932 PC - 10k Red. Design: Train; steamship; airplane; ambulance. Text: "Workers and collective workers, help the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society to build medical trains, steamships, airplanes, ambulances." "Issued by NKPT. Up. Glavl. 29/VII 1932. No. 204. Number issued 4,000,000. Moscow, 1932. GOZNAK." UPSS
	Date: 1932-10-23 PC - 1932 - 15k green ind of no rail interest; Image of train on reverse DL
	Date: 1933-03-05 PC - 1933 - 20k reddish brown ind of no rail interest; Image of streetcars on reverse DL
	Date: 1957-05-20 Env - 40 k red ind of no rail interest; 20.V.57: Sochi Railway Station: this one has the reference number on the front TG
	Date: 1958-01-11 Env - 40 k red ind of no rail interest; 11.I.58: Train on the banks of the River Sim, Urals. TG
	Date: 1958-03-08 Env - 40 k red ind of no rail interest; 8.III.58: Sochi Railway Station: re-issue with reference number on the back TG
	Date: 1958-08-00 Env - 1958 - 1 R brown ind with globe and images of modern postal transport vehicles, including train; cachet same image Centenary of Russian stamps, August, 1958 A set of 10 stamps (Sc. 2195-2106) was issued at the same time as this envelope. The high value of that set has the same design and denomination as the indicium on this envelope. DL
	Date: 1958-09-03 Env - 40 k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with same design as postage stamp centenary (above), including modern train Letter Week - October WS
	Date: 1960-05-19 19.V.60: Simferopol Station (text in Russian and Ukrainian) TG
	Date: 1961-03-29 29.III.61: Ulyanovsk Railway Station TG
	Date: 1961-06-02 Env - 4 k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with various forms of mail transport, including modern train Letter Week DL
	Date: 1961-06-26 Env - 4 k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with various forms of mail transport, including modern train Letter Week DL
	Date: 1962-04-03 3.IV.62: Registered: Diesel train on bridge TG
	Date: 1962-04-09 9.IV.62: Registered: Diesel train at night TG
	Date: 1962-04-19 19.IV.62: Registered: Diesel train in daylight TG
	Date: 1963-05-05 Env - 4 k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with various forms of mail transport, including modern train Letter Week DL
	Date: 1963-05-20 20.V.63: "Skachi" Station, Pyatigorsk (N.B. STANTSIYA and not VOKZAL: Racecourse Station I suppose: there is a racecourse nearby.) TG
	Date: 1963-06-05 5.VI.63:Correspondence Week: Diesel train. TG
	Date: 1964-02-15 15.II.64: Zelinograd Station (now Akmolinsk, Kazakhstan) TG
	Date: 1964-03-16 16.III.64: Yaroslavl Station TG
	Date: 1964-08-11 11.VIII.64: 15th Anniversary of German Democratic Republic: Freight train in silhouette TG
	Date: 1964-08-15 15.VIII.64:"Communications House," Vologda: Electric train silhouette. TG
	Date: 1964-08-27 27.VIII.64: 40th Anniversary of Moldovian Soviet: Kishinev Station (Text in Russian and Moldovian) TG
	Date: 1965-03-01 1.III.65: 20th Anniversary of the Hungarian Republic: Hungarian diesel train. TG
	Date: 1965-04-10 Env - 16 k red ind of no rail interest; cachet with various forms of mail transport, including modern train Air mail envelope - Intourist DL
	Date: 1965-06-12 12.VI.65: Type DR-1diesel trainset ("New mechanics") TG
	Date: 1965-08-10 Env - 4 k black ind of no rail interest; cachet with rail/metro bridge Happy New Year! Bridge appears to be the same as that on Scott 4893, the Luzhniki Bridge (now called Sparrow Hills Bridge, or just Metro Bridge), which according to this page is indeed a metro bridge, and tells us there are indeed two levels, as the image suggests, with autos on the upper level, and the Metro on the lower level. DL
	Date: 1966-02-07 Env - 4 k blue ind of no rail interest; cachet with rail map, modern train Opening of new route, Abakan - Taishet WS
	Date: 1966-03-23 PC - 3 k green ind of no rail interest; image of train at left Pencil inscription on item says "special card to order rail tickets" DL
	Date: 1968-03-20 20.III.68: Airletter with railway bridge. TG
	Date: 1968-07-22 Env - 6 k brown ind of no rail interest; cachet with various forms of mail transport, including modern train Airmail envelope - Letter Week DL
	Date: 1968-07-30 30.VII.68: Meeting of the UPU Consultative Commission, Moscow, 1968: Elecrtric train TG
	Date: 1968-10-29 29.X.68: The Glory of Soviet Sappers in the "Great Patriotic War." (i.e. the Second World War): Blowing up train on ridge. "Sapper" is a chiefly British term meaning "soldiers employed in the construction of trenches, fortifications, fieldworks, etc." - Ed. TG

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