The incident with train No. 1702 - an event that took place on the evening of Sunday February 17, 1985 on the Petrozavodsk - Suoyarvi section of the Oktyabrskaya Railway (Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic): a freight train was accompanied by an unidentified flying object for 75 minutes.
-In the evening of February 17, train No. 1702, which consisted of a two-section diesel locomotive and 70 empty gondola cars (280 axles, weight 1559 tons); followed along the Imatozero - Novye Peski section of the Petrozavodsk - Suoyarvi section. The locomotive crew consisted of the driver Sergei Orlov and the assistant driver Viktor Mironov from the Petrozavodsk locomotive depot. It was already dark. At the 456th kilometer, the driver unexpectedly noticed a luminous object on the right in the direction of travel, which was moving about 200 meters from the railway behind the forest belt parallel to the train, directing a cone-shaped beam of white light to the ground. At first, Orlov decided that it was a rocket, but Mironov quickly dissuaded him, stating that it was a star, since individual stars were observed in the sky. However, then the object directed the beam at the locomotive and began to approach, so at some point the railroad workers decided that it was a helicopter. Following over the tops of rare trees at a height of about 30 meters, the object approached the locomotive at a distance of about 100-150 meters, while following parallel to it and, as if repeating all the bends of the track; then he took a position in front of the train, about 50-100 meters away from it. According to the description of the brigade, this luminous object resembled a ball, but it was difficult to estimate the size: initially, the machinists stated that the ball was almost the size of a soccer ball, that is, about 30 centimeters in diameter, then that it had a diameter of about 1 meter.this luminous object looked like a ball, but it was difficult to estimate the size: initially, the machinists stated that the ball was almost the size of a soccer ball, that is, about 30 centimeters in diameter, then that it had a diameter of about 1 meter.this luminous object looked like a ball, but it was difficult to estimate the size: initially, the machinists stated that the ball was almost the size of a soccer ball, that is, about 30 centimeters in diameter, then that it had a diameter of about 1 meter.
As it was later established, before the incident with the train, this strange object was observed by other people at the Kutizhma station.
The train passed the warning traffic lights at Novye Peski station, and Orlov began to perform a winter test of the brakes. In the course of this test, compressed air is supplied to the brake cylinders under a certain pressure, after which the distance that has been traveled until a certain decrease in speed is estimated. In this case, the first stage of braking was also applied, as a result of which the speed decreased. But then, for some unknown reason, the train began to accelerate again, although, according to the railway workers, the traction was turned off. Since there was a speed limit at the station, the driver had to apply the brakes again to reduce the speed to the allowable one. Radio communication at that time worked without interruptions, so at 20:35 Orlov, having contacted the duty officer at the Novye Peski station, reportedthat an incomprehensible object flies in front of the locomotive and somehow affects the speed of the train. The station attendant on that shift was Zoya Grigorievna Panshukova, who did not understand the meaning of the program, but went out to meet the train and saw nothing. When the train approached the entrance points (452 km), Panshukova again went outside and saw a ball illuminating the trees and the station with orange light. The attendant also saw that inside this ball there was an object of orange or red color, which looked like an inverted basin and was rotating. Apart from her, no one mentioned the red object.illuminating the trees and the station with orange light. The attendant also saw that inside this ball there was an object of orange or red color, which looked like an inverted basin and was rotating. Apart from her, no one mentioned the red object.illuminating the trees and the station with orange light. The attendant also saw that inside this ball there was an object of orange or red color, which looked like an inverted basin and was rotating. Apart from her, no one mentioned the red object.
At the entrance to the station, the object went to the right, leaving behind the structures. In addition to the brigade of train No. 1702 and the station attendant, the driver of the pusher locomotive Klimchenkov also observed the luminous object, and the driver Gennady Dushin, who was at the Imatozero station, heard radio communications; he also recorded the time (20:35) of the first transmission about the observation of a strange object in front of the locomotive. The train passed the station, when behind the exit points the glowing ball again quickly approached and flew in front of the locomotive, at the same time there was a sharp braking, moreover, the brake system of the train was not activated; this deceleration was recorded on the tape of the locomotive speedometer. The ball was now in front of and slightly to the left of the train, which in turn began to accelerate again.
Then Zastava station followed, in front of which there was a long ascent, starting at the 448th kilometer of the road. Orlov began at first to add thrust to maintain speed, but then, on the contrary, began to decrease it until he reached about the 4th position (out of 15), since for inexplicable reasons, a train weighing more than one and a half thousand tons was enough to climb up relatively small thrust. At the station Zastava (440th km) there was a planned stop for crossing with an oncoming train, so No. 1702 stopped on the main track; At the same time, the ball withdrew to the left by about 100-150 meters, finding itself above the field behind the forest belt. After a while, assistant Mironov noticed that the strange "fellow traveler" had disappeared, so the driver Orlov, going outside, began to inspect the left side of the locomotive. But in the process of inspecting the carriage part, the locomotive was illuminated with a bright light,so the driver quickly returned to the cab. Then, on track 3 (to the left of No. 1702), an oncoming train followed, while the bright light "went out", due to which it was not precisely established whether the locomotive crew of the oncoming train had observed that strange object; the brigade of train No. 1702, in turn, did not tell her anything. After that, train No. 1702 received a permit signal and departed from the station; the parking lot at the Zastava was about 25-30 minutes.the parking lot at the Zastava was about 25-30 minutes.the parking lot at the Zastava was about 25-30 minutes.
After the station, the luminous object returned to the train again, following from the left side. Then at 21:45, at 434 km, the balloon moved away from the locomotive and, gaining altitude, headed westward until it disappeared behind the forest; the railroad workers did not see him again. When the train arrived at the Suojärvi I station (146 km from Petrozavodsk), the locomotive brigade handed over the locomotive, having carefully examined it beforehand and found nothing suspicious. It was also found that significant fuel savings were obtained on this trip - 300 kg - this is how much the locomotive should have consumed in about an hour of operation, during which it was accompanied by an unidentified luminous object.