Like generations of Russians, Andrey Kuznetsov learned about the vast expanse of his eclectic land by riding in a smelly train carriage where 54 bunks are crammed into about 600 square feet.
Russia’s third-class communal railroad cars, known as platzkarts, have for decades melded together people, cuisine and customs from across the nation’s 11 time zones for journeys that can last seven days.
