The chief engineer of Tunnel Squad No. 6 LLC, Victor Samara, devoted a quarter of a century to the construction of the metro. His track record includes many honorary awards, including “Honorary Builder of Russia.” In an interview with Metrostroevets, he spoke about the brightest moments of his work biography.
Viktor Mikhailovich, you were born in the Ukrainian city of Lugansk, how did fate bring you to Yakutia?
I am a hereditary miner. My father worked at a mine in Lugansk, has three “Miner Glory” badges of three degrees. They moved to Yakutia when I was little, to the new Dzhebariki-Khaya coal mine, where they were just developing the deposit. He spent his childhood here, graduated from school, and began his career. From here he was called up for service, which took place in the Arctic in the border troops. We went out to sea. We stood at the outposts. After demobilization, he returned to his native village to work in a mine. Started out as a turner.
From the mine I received a direction to enter the Moscow Mining Institute. In those days there were up to twelve applicants for a place in the field development specialty. Mostly, of course, it was men. Few girls were hired, only to work at the research institute, so that they knew the terminology and understood the processes. The practice took place in different regions of our country: in the Caucasus, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kuzbass and Vorkuta. After the institute, he went back to Dzhebariki-Khaya, worked at the mine for the next ten years as a mining foreman, deputy site manager and site manager.
What do you remember about life in the north?
I lived on the large Aldan River, a tributary of the Lena. He was engaged in fishing and spearfishing. Taiga, forest, took a gun and went hunting. Such men's activities, which in those scarce times were not entertainment, but rather a necessity. The climate there has sharp temperature changes, with short hot summers and very cold winters, reaching 68 degrees below zero. Our village had good infrastructure, everything you needed for life - a gym, a community center, a cafe, a music school. People lived full lives. After the 90s, many left, including me.
Why did you leave Dzhebariki-Khaya and move to Moscow?
In 1991, the coal industry began to stagnate. I worked until 1994 and decided to move to the capital, where I lived during my studies. The first six months were very unusual due to the fast pace of the city. In the north, life is more relaxed. And here for a long time I didn’t understand why the day had just begun and was already over.
I accidentally found out that the tunnel team needed caisson workers to work on the Weiss und Freitag TBM with a hydraulic load. I decided to start from scratch, despite the fact that I worked as an iteer in the north. They hired me as a mining foreman, taking into account caisson work. After Weiss und Freitag there was ShchN-1. In 2001, TO-6 received a Lovat TBM, called “Claudia”. We mastered this technique from our knees and went through the first tunnels on the Butovskaya Line. At the same time, I was appointed deputy, and since 2015, chief engineer of TO-6.
Who became your mentor and example in the Tunnel Squad?
The principle of operation in a mine is the same, but coal mining and metro construction have big differences. I had to learn a lot in the process and delve into it. The list of people who were an example and helped will be huge. For example, chief engineer of TO-6 Georgy Makarevich, Sergey Bocharov, colleagues from other SMU. I was generally lucky with my colleagues at Mosmetrostroy. There are many serious specialists here.
You took part in the construction of many projects, which one do you remember most?
We were engaged in the construction of various objects, including houses, transport tunnels and interchanges - Kutuzovskaya and Leninskaya. Each object is unique, interesting, routinely there are no identical ones, each has its own nuances. I remember the construction of the foundation pit for the Lefortovo tunnel; for the first time, the reverse concreting method was used. Drilling from Verkhniye Likhobor to Seligerskaya became very difficult. And metro stations are like children to me. I can’t single out and say that someone is my favorite. Even among those that were built in the 90s, where there is no architecture - Pechatniki, Lyublino, Volzhskaya. Such were the possibilities, and the architect saw it that way.
What is TO-6 for you?
This is the house where I spend most of my life. January marks 25 years since I’ve been here. As in any home, we have things that are good and things that are not so good. I maintain friendly relations with everyone. At the same time, I clearly understand the manager’s requirements for me and the requirements for my subordinates. We have a team where initiative is welcomed. When discussing problems, we argue a lot, discuss, find the right solution, and then implement it on site. We try to introduce new technologies and make manual labor easier.
There are many young specialists in TO-6. These are competent, smart, responsible guys who want to work. Many are under forty, but already professionals with extensive experience. They are a crazy help to me.
What do you dream about in the future?
I dream that there will be peace in the whole world, that people will smile. I try to see the positive in every little thing. I'm lucky with what I do in life. I love mining work, going down into mines. It’s hard for an outsider to understand when there’s dirt, water, and no comfort, but you feel good.
How do you distract yourself from work?
I love to travel and see everything new. Beach holidays are not for me; I always take fishing and spearfishing equipment with me. The direction doesn't matter. Although I always remember the north with warmth, despite the frost, wind and mosquitoes. The largest catch was cod weighing 23 kg. Fishing with friends in Norway.