Women of the Wheel: Zinaida Troitskaya
Womanica
Acast Creative Studios
4.3 • 920 Ratings
🗓️ 10 September 2025
⏱️ 5 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Zinaida Troitskaya (1913-1981) was a Soviet railway engineer and locomotive driver who broke barriers as one of the first women to hold leadership positions in the male-dominated field of rail transportation. She was instrumental in transporting people and supplies during World War II and served as the Deputy Head of the Moscow Metro for 30 years.
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This month, we're talking about Women of the Wheel – icons who turned motion into momentum and spun their legacies on spokes, skates and potter's wheels. These women harnessed the power of the axle, pushing their crafts and professions forward through their works and lives.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn't help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we'll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:09.1 | Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. |
| 0:13.9 | This month we're talking about women of the wheel, icons who turned motion into momentum |
| 0:17.9 | and spun their legacies on spokes, skates, and potter's wheels. |
| 0:21.6 | These women harness the power of the axle, pushing their crafts and professions forward through their works and lives. |
| 0:28.6 | Today we're traveling back to the early days of the Soviet Union to meet a woman who shattered gender roles on the railroad. |
| 0:35.6 | She was the first female locomotive driver in the |
| 0:38.3 | USSR and a symbol of grit, precision, and steel nerves. Let's talk about Zenaida Troitskaya. |
| 0:48.3 | Zanida was born in 1913 in Moscow. Her father worked on the railway, and from a young age, Zinida accompanied him to work at |
| 0:56.6 | the train depot to get a front row seat to the action. |
| 1:00.1 | After finishing secondary school, Zanida enrolled in a factory training school and began |
| 1:04.6 | working in repair shops. |
| 1:06.7 | She was described as a young woman with a fresh, open face and laughing eyes. |
| 1:11.3 | In 1930, Zinida graduated with honors from the railway school and began working as a locksmith, |
| 1:17.2 | repairing steam locomotives. From there, she started taking courses to become a locomotive engineer. |
| 1:23.1 | Just one year later, she made history. |
| 1:26.3 | Zanida became the first female assistant locomotive driver in the USSR. |
| 1:31.1 | Her assignments started with switcher locomotives, which are used to move train cars short distances, |
| 1:36.3 | like around the rail yard. |
| 1:38.1 | But by 1932, Zanida was driving passenger trains, making her the first woman in the Soviet Union |
| 1:43.8 | to hold that role. |
| 1:45.6 | It wasn't just about the machinery for Zanida. When she took her first drive as head engineer |
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