"Death of a Machinist" by Alexander Mindadze, summary Automatic translate

"Death of a Machinist" is a literary screenplay by Soviet playwright Alexander Mindadze, written for director Vadim Abdrashitov at Mosfilm Studios. It tells the story of the death of machinist Yevgeny Timonin — and the investigation that unfolds in the wake of the tragedy, revealing not just one culprit, but a chain of negligence and human impotence.

Early in the morning, a passenger train collides with six flatcars that have rolled down Safonovskaya Hill toward the train. Engineer Timonin remains in the cab and dies — his assistant, Gubkin, jumps out at the last moment. Passengers climb out onto the embankment and wait near the train while tractors clear the track. Among them is the journalist and economist Malinin, who was traveling on a different business trip. He becomes an unwitting witness to the disaster and ultimately voluntarily stays in the city of N. to write an article about the engineer’s heroism.

Investigation in a provincial town

Investigator German Ivanovich Ermakov also happens to be in the city of N. Having accidentally ended up sharing a hotel room with Malinin, he’s conducting the investigation as part of his official duties. Ermakov methodically tours the scene of the incident with depot manager Golovan and Gubkin, who stages a second jump from the handcar on the move, demonstrating exactly how it all happened.

Details are gradually emerging. Train dispatcher Pyotr Filippovich Panteleyev, who was on duty that night on the Safonovsky hump track, admits to having installed only one brake shoe under the platforms instead of the two prescribed by the instructions — and has done so since 1947, as have his replacements. The testimony of switchwoman Vorobyova, who rushed with the shoe to intercept the rolling platforms, refutes the old man’s version of "a second shoe dragged down." Overwhelmed by the interrogation, Panteleyev finally confesses, after which he suffers a cerebral hemorrhage and dies in the hospital.

Gubkin’s Brakes and Silence

Meanwhile, Yermakov establishes that Timonin’s electric locomotive left the depot with a faulty emergency braking system: the speedometer tape readings show an insufficient drop in speed during braking. This means that even with a timely response, the driver was unable to stop the train at the required moment.

Gubkin initially blurts out during a conversation "on the bench" that the compressor wasn’t producing the proper pressure. But during the official interrogation, he completely recants his statement, calling it drunken nonsense and stubbornly repeating that everything was working properly. Ermakov understands that the young man has been intimidated, but he can’t break him.

The widow and the pressure of the city

Timonin’s widow, Larisa Vasilyevna, works as a waitress at the Kavkazsky restaurant. During questioning, she said that the day before his death, her husband behaved strangely: he was silent the entire way home, and then hugged her at the door as if saying goodbye. She is convinced he had a premonition of his death. Despite her outward calm, at the end of the conversation, the widow burst into tears and lost consciousness.

Later, she herself seeks out Yermakov at a restaurant and demands that he leave: according to her, "the whole town" is against the investigation — Panteleyev is already dead, Zhenya can’t be brought back, and no one cares about the guilty. The silent pressure on the investigator mounts: the room calls — and there’s silence.

Malinin and Ermakov: a dispute over law and conscience

Journalist Malinin writes an article praising Timonin as a hero. Yermakov reads the finished article and engages in an open debate: he believes such articles create a "distorted picture of life" and discourage people from taking responsibility. Malinin counters: there are plenty of prosecutors, but no defense attorneys; if only for the sake of his mother’s pension and the widow’s apartment, it would be worth writing.

Their clash reaches a boiling point: Ermakov calls Malinin "the main evil," capable of deceiving people with his fables, and leaves, restraining himself at the last moment. The coexistence of two people with different views on justice becomes a recurring theme throughout the story.

Finale: rally and forest

A rally and the laying of a monument to the two Timonins — the father, Mikhail, who died after the war, and the son, Yevgeny — are taking place in the city. A television crew, led by Marina, films Golovanov, who recounts his lifelong connection with the family. Meanwhile, Yermakov’s investigation is still ongoing: the locomotive malfunction has been established, but Gubkin has officially retracted his testimony, and Panteleyev is dead.

The former passengers of the ill-fated train are gathering for a commemorative walk in the forest. Among them are Malinin and Marina. They wander along the path, bumping into other participants in that morning’s disaster: some are having breakfast in a clearing, some are picking raspberries, some are sleeping. Malinin stretches out on the grass. The forest hums with voices.