A walk along the historic tram route

Tram number 36 is a legendary tram route in our city. It is a very long route. It became a legend because you could take a tram from the city centre out of the city to one of the imperial suburban parks if you lived about 70 years ago. Let me elaborate a bit more. Once upon a time (even before I was born) the route of this tram started in the city centre, on Nevsky Prospekt. Then the tram rails were removed from the central city street, and route No. 36 became a little shorter. Then the rails were removed from several other streets... Thus, the beginning of this tram route was moved several times, and now it is located on the border of historical districts. But this tram still runs to one of the imperial residences - to the palace and park in Strelna.

Until recently, at the end of its route this tram ran through a meadow, the tracks were laid right in the grass. The last stops of this route go through the dacha area. Now the view of this area is changing rapidly. I decided to take a ride on the tram to take some photos as a souvenir. There are mostly new trams on the route, but sometimes you can see older cars. I was lucky, on the day I got out for my ride, I was able to photograph not only the new tram but also the old one.

As it turns out, I was a couple of years too late. Well, or almost late.The area near the tram line has already changed, a huge field is now occupied by new construction of low-rise apartment buildings.From the tram window it looks exactly as it does in the photos above.In the distance you can see houses that have already been completed, and in the foreground a new construction site is being prepared.

I got off the tram and walked around a bit looking for angles that hadn't changed too much yet.At the same time I took some photos of the surrounding area.These are typical views of the village of Strelna.Now the city has come close to the old settlement and land here has become very expensive. Most of the residential cottages look solid. But this used to be an ordinary suburb, and there are still traces of the old one.

There is a standpipe on the corner of the street. The neighbourhood cottages must have their own water supply, but the old standpipes still work. The women fill five-litre flasks with water and put them in the boot of the car. I don't know why they do this. Perhaps they own one of the old wooden houses without running water. Or they are going to drive further out of town and are stocking up on water for that trip. A blue fence stretches along the highway. It both protects the residents from flying dust and hides the gardens and cottages from the eyes of passers-by. Behind the open gate I can see an old wooden house, an advert for a plot of land with a house hanging on the fence.

I returned to the tram line to walk the last section of tram route 36. Not much had changed here, except that they had recently put up a new fence. The new fence is close to the tracks, so I waited for the previous tram to pass and made sure I wasn't in danger of meeting the next tram during this short walk. The rails led me straight to the tram ring. Near the tram stop is a small rest house for the carriage drivers and conductors. Soon the next tram arrived and I took a window seat to go home.