Ob sea

On 1 May, the 'Ob Sea', close to Novosibirsk, was completely clear of ice. 

You may be bang smack in the middle of old Imperial Russia, and so about as far from the sea as you can get, but Novosibirsk boasts several notable beaches.

One is in the city, called Nautilus, on the west bank of the Ob River near the Tube Bridge - and gets crowded on hot summer days. 

Or venture to the Ob Sea, a vast artificial lake created in 1957, and filled in 1959 near Akademgorodok, where university students chill out between lectures. 

Three Russian nuclear powered icebreakers are leading a huge gas tanker through the Arctic waters on the roof of Siberia. 

Permanent customs task force unveiled as Sabetta gears up to take Russian goods and gas over the top of the world.

Siberian expedition to find English steamboat 'The Thames' led by pioneering British mariner that sank in 1876.

Tyva republic registers Saudi-like heat but is also hit by wildfires.

Up to 300,000 people a year expected to pass through Sabetta International as region gears up to become a gas powerhouse.

Demands increased on 3 August for a 'state of emergency' to be declared on the world's fifth longest river due to a catastrophic shortage of water.

This exceptional collection of brightly coloured historic engines and carriages, dating from pre-revolutionary times, is fascinating as much for the casual visitor as the railway fanatic. 

You can climb into many of the old exhibits, and get a sense of the extraordinary Soviet locomotives that opened up Siberia in the age of steam.

From the city, you can get here by local train, perhaps combining a visit with sightseeing in Akademgorodok and at the Ob Sea.