The story that a tsar accidentally drew railway bends around his fingers is rejected as a later anecdote. Terrain provides the practical explanation offered for deviations in the route. Permafrost and very icy rock constrained railway construction. The objection is to explaining an engineering problem through an entertaining story about an autocrat.
Notable Point · 2:15:17-2:16:39
The railway bends attributed to a tsar's fingers
Terrain and frozen ground provide the explanation for railway routing offered against the familiar ruler-and-fingers anecdote.