Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics – Train

Total Solutions Group was awarded contracts for various pieces of scenery and other equipment for the opening and closing ceremonies at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. ‘The Train’ was the centrepiece of the 20th Century objects used in the opening ceremony and a very interesting part of the project. All of the parts had to fit into two containers and be as lightweight as possible to fit onto 4 trolleys in the roof. The specifications meant that the train needed to be mobile, but the wheels should not be visible. The points were good for 1,200kg each but the train was 24.5 metres long x 3.5 metres wide and 6 metres tall. The design philosophy was to provide a strong back bone of aluminium MD truss which the rigging points attached to and also the ground deployment system. Onto this a lightweight series of frames were built, which were then clad in Foamex with an outer skin of black soft material. Inside the structure was an enormous spot light to provide a beam from the front of the train and a smoke machine was mounted in the chimney to complete the desired look.