Krest's Railcar

Krest's railcar is a modified railway vehicle that appears in Metro Exodus and plays a role in several story missions.

Overview
Krest's railcar first appears in the Volga level. After meeting with Krest and bringing him to the Aurora to help with its repairs, there is an argument between Miller and the rest of the crew. Miller refuses to take Katya, Nastya, and Krest with them after leaving the Volga, stating there is not enough room in the engine for so many people and that it is risky to take untrained civilians, let alone, a child. The team manages, however, to convince Miller to change his mind, when Krest reveals he had a railcar which they could use to take a passenger carrriage from the bandits and connect it to the Aurora, making enough room for the crew and the rescued civilians.

The only catch is, the railcar was taken from Krest by Church of the Water Tsar and hidden inside the terminal, a large, half-flooded building, inhabited by the Tsar Fish, which the cultists use to get rid of all technology they acquire. Artyom, as a skilled Ranger, is tasked with retrieving the railcar in the terminal. Before leaving, Krest gives him a circuit breaker, which is required to start up the railcar.

After navigating through the terminal, fighting off hordes of humanimals and avoiding the giant Tsar Fish, Artyom manages to find the railcar and opens the terminal door, making it possible to drive towards the bandit camp where the carriage is located. The camp is located at the end of an abandoned marshalling yard. After killing the bandits, Artyom connects the carriage to the railcar and drives it back to the Aurora, where he is greeted by the crew, who is glad that his mission was successful.

After leaving the Volga, the crew decides to keep the railcar and hooks it behind their passenger carriage. The railcar is used again in Yamantau, where a small team is dispatched from the Aurora to meet the state officials. When things go wrong in the bunker, it is then used to escape from the cannibals residing there.

After the level Caspian, the railcar is used by Artyom and Alyosha to scout the tracks at Taiga before bringing in the Aurora, to avoid any nasty surprises. A landslide, however, is triggered by a giant mutated bear, which destroys the tracks, derailing the railcar and causing it to fall into the river, from where it cannot be retrieved.

Appearance
The railcar has two axles, a small crane on the top, and a single crew cabin with one seat. The seat can be rotated and there are two sets of controls in the cabin, so the railcar can be driven bidirectionally. Post-war modifications include the addition of side railings, a simple roof over the open section of the railcar, and a small plough in the front.

The interior appears cozy and extensively customized by Krest, who claimed to have gone through a lot with his railcar. The control panel is decorated by various stickers, icons, and postcards. There are two dangling plushy dice hanging from the top, and a little air freshener tree on the other side. Some more practical additions include a table lamp, a kettle, and a GP5 gas mask above one of the windscreens.

Trivia

 * The fact the railcar was intact implies Krest may have been the one who hid it in the terminal. Possibly to protect it from the cultists, who otherwise would have destroyed it.
 * The railcar is based off the Soviet AGMu rail car series. The markings on the car say СССР АГМУ-1508, which does not refer to any specific real-life model. The most likely source of inspiration is the AGMu 0014. These were made from the 1960s to the 1970s, and most are still in service today.
 * The railcar is equipped with a standard Russian SA-3 automatic coupler, same as most Soviet/Russian railway vehicles. This means that when stealing the carriage from the bandits, all Artyom has to do is to slowly drive as close to the carriage as possible, until a clicking sound is heard, meaning that the coupler is engaged.
 * A similar railcar can be seen outside the Yamantau bunker, albeit without a crane and a DSHK mounted to it coupled to a box wagon.

Gallery
Дрезина Креста