About This Accessory

A metal gate crossing of stamped-steel construction was included in every Stalin-era and Khrushchev-era train set produced by the Soviet Union in the 1950's and 1960's. The accessory has two 4-inch gates with supports, a 12-inch section of straight track and four sections of decorative fencing with fence posts on both ends of each 3-inch section. The older-style gate crossing was a very ornate accessory that is designed like the early suspension bridge in that the finial-and-ring pattern on the tubular fence posts is similar to the tops of the pylons on the bridge. In addition, the vertical fence rails are connected on the top by decorative loops. (The newer-style gate crossing is also a very attractive accessory but it represents a much simpler design with stand-alone fence boards and rectangular fence post caps.)

The gates are lowered mechanically when the train passes over an activator rail (lever mechanism) built into the track that is in the center of the base. (The gate crossing is part of the track sequence and either has the number "3" stamped on the underside of the base or has a metal tag stamped with the number "3" on it and attached to the underside of the base.) If properly connected via the wiring harness furnished with each set, this electro-mechanical accessory will perform another function -- sounding the horn inside the passenger station!

The early-style gate crossing was first shown in the 1951 catalog but it is unknown as to how many were made or when manufacturing ceased. However, it is safe to say that very few were produced. Its complicated design probably led to a decision to discontinue it within the first year of production. Further adding to the mystery is the fact that the operating instruction manuals contained illustrations of the early-style gate crossing through March 1957 -- long after it was out of production!

The Soviet Gate Crossings
ABOVE: Old-style gate crossing (Illustration from the 1951 catalog).
ABOVE: Newer-style gate crossing (Shown here for comparison purposes).

Variations

The old-style gate crossing can definitely be classified as a Stalin-era item but it is unknown as to when the newer-style gate crossing was introduced. The only known example of the old-style gate crossing is on display in a toy and train museum in Moscow. It is probably the rarest piece of all of the Stalin-era and Khrushchev-era trains and accessories. All of the information contained here represents observations based on the illustrations from the instruction manuals that have surfaced to date.

This page is an information document only; nothing on this web page is being offered for sale. This page and all of the other pages from Our Soviet Archives were developed to assist you in understanding the components of the train sets produced in the Soviet Union during the 1950's and 1960's. These sets are known today as "Stalin-era" sets and "Khrushchev-era" sets. We have used pictures from our old files and personal collection to construct this area of our website. If you are interested in buying something, please view our inventory listings to see what we currently have for sale.

This web page was last updated on September 11, 2005. If you have suggestions for improving this page or if you see any errors, please contact us.