More than 120 years of experience combined. A Vitebsk resident on work and the dynasty that brought the tram to the city
The tram depot has been a second home for Viktor Nesterovich for over four decades, and if you consider the entire family, their total service record exceeds 120 years. Currently, the shift supervisor of the daily maintenance section of the tram depot of Vitebskoblauto-trans OJSC knows every corner here since childhood and can talk for hours about all sorts of tram models that transported passengers around his native Vitebsk in different years. Viktor Romualdovich himself was one of the drivers. He will also name many facts from the history of electric transport in the city - his great-grandfather was among those who "built and then launched the tram here." The Vitebsk resident explained why he became a successor to the dynasty, how he sees the future of electric transport, and why, even after years, his work brings him joy.
Preserving the Legacy of Ancestors
Five generations of Nesteroviches have been involved with the Vitebsk tram, which will turn 126 years old this year. "We have it like this: either the father brings the son, or the son comes to the father, starting with my great-great-grandfather," explains the shift supervisor.
Preserving the Legacy of Ancestors
Five generations of Nesteroviches have been involved with the Vitebsk tram, which will turn 126 years old this year. "We have it like this: either the father brings the son, or the son comes to the father, starting with my great-great-grandfather," explains the shift supervisor.
He carefully holds out an old photograph depicting the dynasty's founder, his great-great-grandfather Ludwig Karlovich Nesterovich, and his great-grandmother Anna Stanislavovna. The 130-year-old snapshot was taken in Sigismund Yurkovsky's first photo studio in Vitebsk. The interlocutor explains that his great-great-grandfather built the city's tram depot as a track worker. Inspired by his example and diligence, his son Cheslav Ludwigovich later came here, followed some time later by Romuald Cheslavovich, then Viktor Romualdovich and his son Vadim. The latter currently works in a different field, but according to his father, he has not lost his love for the common cause.
All Roads Led to the Tram Depot, or The Obvious Choice
In his school years, Viktor Nesterovich hardly needed an alarm clock, he jokes. The fact is that his house was located, as it is now, opposite the administrative building of the tram depot, and the tracks ran under the windows (later the exit was made from the Frunze Avenue side, near the Internal Affairs Directorate building of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee). It was along these tracks that the trams left for the line strictly according to schedule in the morning and returned late at night.
"You go out to play in the small park - everything is right next door. The trams came and went from here. In the morning, they started ringing – that means 5:00 AM. At night, they stopped ringing – 2:00 AM," he recalls. "You know all this from childhood, you see it. All conversations at home are about this. And why look for anything else if everything is predetermined from birth? Whether you want to or not, your feet lead you here."
All Roads Led to the Tram Depot, or The Obvious Choice
In his school years, Viktor Nesterovich hardly needed an alarm clock, he jokes. The fact is that his house was located, as it is now, opposite the administrative building of the tram depot, and the tracks ran under the windows (later the exit was made from the Frunze Avenue side, near the Internal Affairs Directorate building of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee). It was along these tracks that the trams left for the line strictly according to schedule in the morning and returned late at night.
"You go out to play in the small park - everything is right next door. The trams came and went from here. In the morning, they started ringing – that means 5:00 AM. At night, they stopped ringing – 2:00 AM," he recalls. "You know all this from childhood, you see it. All conversations at home are about this. And why look for anything else if everything is predetermined from birth? Whether you want to or not, your feet lead you here."
"Like firefighters: something happened - we fix it." What the team does
Viktor Nesterovich started as a mechanic in 1982, later he was a tram driver, a car transporter driver, and now he is a shift supervisor of the daily maintenance department. His team consists of only a few people, but their area of responsibility is large: 39 trams go out on the line every day. Each of them must be in good working order and prepared for passenger transportation.
"Our work mainly takes place after lunch, when the trams that have completed one shift start coming back to the depot. We inspect the technical part of the tram, and fulfill the drivers' requests. And so on until one in the morning, until the last tram comes in at 1:12 AM. And from noon, if we didn't manage to finish something yesterday or at night (we work in 12-hour shifts), then we fix everything. For example, yesterday a tram had a malfunction, and now it's out for a test run. We are like firefighters. Something happened - we fix it. Of course, it's better if nothing happens," the shift supervisor smiles.
Viktor Nesterovich started as a mechanic in 1982, later he was a tram driver, a car transporter driver, and now he is a shift supervisor of the daily maintenance department. His team consists of only a few people, but their area of responsibility is large: 39 trams go out on the line every day. Each of them must be in good working order and prepared for passenger transportation.
"Our work mainly takes place after lunch, when the trams that have completed one shift start coming back to the depot. We inspect the technical part of the tram, and fulfill the drivers' requests. And so on until one in the morning, until the last tram comes in at 1:12 AM. And from noon, if we didn't manage to finish something yesterday or at night (we work in 12-hour shifts), then we fix everything. For example, yesterday a tram had a malfunction, and now it's out for a test run. We are like firefighters. Something happened - we fix it. Of course, it's better if nothing happens," the shift supervisor smiles.
The team most often handles minor driver requests. Sometimes a headlight is out or a door stops opening, or a ticket puncher malfunctions. They repair all of this, and the next day the tram is back in service. "We are precisely an emergency crew," the interviewee adds. Fortunately, he shares, it's mostly standard cases, but once a year or less, a derailment or a pantograph failure can occur. This usually happens due to external causes.
"The transport industry has moved forward." Focus on ecology and comfort
Over the decades in the field, Viktor Nesterovich has encountered and learned about many types of tram cars. He started working with RVZ-6, manufactured by the Riga Carriage Works, and also dealt with the M2 modification. One such tram is still operational in Vitebsk and is used for excursions.
"The transport industry has moved forward." Focus on ecology and comfort
Over the decades in the field, Viktor Nesterovich has encountered and learned about many types of tram cars. He started working with RVZ-6, manufactured by the Riga Carriage Works, and also dealt with the M2 modification. One such tram is still operational in Vitebsk and is used for excursions.
"This "X" series tram car was also operational," says the foreman, pointing to a blue and white example on a pedestal. "It was driven out into the city for the 100th anniversary of the tram parade. It's a 'living' piece, pre-war, from around 1936-1938. And the number of fans! People come from distant cities in Russia just to see the Vitebsk trams. Our RVZ is the only one still operational in the entire post-Soviet space. All the others are already on pedestals, but ours can still be ridden. Especially when the tram museum was open, crowds used to come here during the "Slavianski Bazaar"."
The tram fleet continues to be updated, which is undoubtedly pleasing, shares the shift foreman. Thanks to modern technologies, work has become easier, and the process itself is more environmentally friendly. "It's cleaner, and fewer consumables need to be used. Mostly, electronics handle everything. If you take the old RVZ tram cars, think about how many kilograms of lubricant were used for each car! My father came to the depot at 15 or 16 years old, he had a three-liter watering can, and he went around lubricating the axle boxes – a dirty job, naturally. Do you remember when the RVZ trams still ran through the city, leaving a black trail near the rails at the stops? It was like mazut: you'd step into it like tar – almost sticking to it. Now, of course, that's gone; the transport industry has moved forward," says Viktor Nesterovich.
The tram fleet continues to be updated, which is undoubtedly pleasing, shares the shift foreman. Thanks to modern technologies, work has become easier, and the process itself is more environmentally friendly. "It's cleaner, and fewer consumables need to be used. Mostly, electronics handle everything. If you take the old RVZ tram cars, think about how many kilograms of lubricant were used for each car! My father came to the depot at 15 or 16 years old, he had a three-liter watering can, and he went around lubricating the axle boxes – a dirty job, naturally. Do you remember when the RVZ trams still ran through the city, leaving a black trail near the rails at the stops? It was like mazut: you'd step into it like tar – almost sticking to it. Now, of course, that's gone; the transport industry has moved forward," says Viktor Nesterovich.
The comfort for drivers has also improved, he notes. It has become easier to operate the tram, and in winter, there is an opportunity to warm up, as the first trams didn't even have heaters. Drivers were issued felt boots and greatcoats – that's how they worked. Today, the cabin has an air conditioner. "Even if you compare the trams I used to drive with the ones we have now, it's like night and day," he reflects.
"It all depends on the parents." How the virus of diligence is transmitted
For a shift supervisor, work is a way of life, and has been since birth. A worthy example was always set by elders. His father, in particular, occasionally took him to work, gradually introducing his teenage son to the nuances of the tram business. "In school, from about the 5th or 6th grade, we had labor lessons. We learned to handle a hammer, a chisel, a file, and so on. I once made a small grater during such a lesson, and the serration wore off when my own son was already 10-15 years old. And the girls sewed, cooked, and baked. No one ever shied away from or refused to grab a broom and go clean the schoolyard or something similar. There was a period when carpets were fashionable at home. Every two or three days, I would take it outside and beat it – no one forced me," shares Viktor Nesterovich.
In his opinion, families should instill diligence. "It all depends on the parents, their attitude towards their work," he adds. "And the child reads from them and acts the same way."
"It all depends on the parents." How the virus of diligence is transmitted
For a shift supervisor, work is a way of life, and has been since birth. A worthy example was always set by elders. His father, in particular, occasionally took him to work, gradually introducing his teenage son to the nuances of the tram business. "In school, from about the 5th or 6th grade, we had labor lessons. We learned to handle a hammer, a chisel, a file, and so on. I once made a small grater during such a lesson, and the serration wore off when my own son was already 10-15 years old. And the girls sewed, cooked, and baked. No one ever shied away from or refused to grab a broom and go clean the schoolyard or something similar. There was a period when carpets were fashionable at home. Every two or three days, I would take it outside and beat it – no one forced me," shares Viktor Nesterovich.
In his opinion, families should instill diligence. "It all depends on the parents, their attitude towards their work," he adds. "And the child reads from them and acts the same way."
"You drive out at 5 AM – the sun is rising, the city is still empty." A few words about tram romance
Viktor Nesterovich is a fan of his profession and the Vitebsk tram – this is evident from the enthusiasm and love with which a person with over 40 years of experience speaks about his work. "There are those to whom I can pass it on with a clear conscience," asserts the shift supervisor. He introduces his younger colleagues to the intricacies of the tram business, although he says that mostly competent people come who just need guidance and direction. And with the support of the enterprise's management and the trade union, the team will definitely work for results.
Viktor Nesterovich is a fan of his profession and the Vitebsk tram – this is evident from the enthusiasm and love with which a person with over 40 years of experience speaks about his work. "There are those to whom I can pass it on with a clear conscience," asserts the shift supervisor. He introduces his younger colleagues to the intricacies of the tram business, although he says that mostly competent people come who just need guidance and direction. And with the support of the enterprise's management and the trade union, the team will definitely work for results.
"If I could turn back time, I wouldn't change anything. I would still have come here. At first, it was interesting, I got into it, and then I got used to it," the shift supervisor briefly describes his decades of work. "It was also interesting to work on the line (as a driver): you leave at 5 am - the sun is just rising, the city is empty. Then people start appearing: some going to work, some just running errands. You see the city growing before your eyes: they built this here, that there, it became more beautiful. The passengers were almost always the same people, they already greeted you. Back then, there were many factories and plants where the same people constantly went to work. We had the number seven tram running along Frunze to DSK, the interval was 4 minutes, and the systems ran (coupled cars)... This depot is my second life. And I met my wife on the tram - she was a passenger. We've been living in harmony for 39 years now."