The Big Red Train Ride

“From Moscow to the Pacific on the Trans-Siberian Railway (the ‘big red train ride’) is an eight-day journey of nearly six-thousand miles through seven time zones.

In 1977 Eric Newby set out with his wife, an official guide, and a photographer. Terrorized by the awesome Soviet conductresses, hindered at every stage by bureaucratic officialdom, and discouraged by the lack of palatable food and drink, Newby nevertheless managed to gather a wealth of irreverent detail about life in the U.S.S.R.: and his sense of humour – whether he is describing the ‘facilities’ of a Russian railway car or recounting the dreaded but inevitable visit to a Siberian factory – never deserted him.”