Train history. Who Invented the Train? When was the train invented?

Since the opening of the first railway in Russia, the desire to increase train speeds and, consequently, reduce travel time has been a priority for the country's engineering corps.

On September 1, 1853, the first high-speed train left St. Petersburg for Moscow. He was on the road for 12 hours, of which 1 hour 20 minutes. had to park.

The first experiments on the creation of high-speed models of locomotives in the Soviet Union began in the thirties of the twentieth century. In 1934, draft designs of high-speed steam locomotives were completed at the Kolomna Plant - type 2-3-1 with a grate of 5 sq.m and types 1-3-2 and 2-3-2 with a grate of 6.5 sq. m. m. 2 experimental steam locomotives were made. Experimental trips of new locomotives took place on the Moscow-Leningrad line. On April 24, 1938, when following a single steam locomotive, a speed of 160 km / h was reached, and on June 29, on the Likhoslavl-Kalinin section, one of the steam locomotives with a train of 14 axles (4 wagons) reached a speed of 170 km / h.

It was planned to build 10 more locomotives of this type for the Oktyabrskaya railway, but the war prevented this from being done.

In 1937, the Voroshilovgrad plant produced steam locomotive IS20-16("Joseph Stalin") with a casing-fairing. During testing, this steam locomotive reached a speed of 155 km / h.

High-speed steam locomotive No. 6998 designed at the Voroshilovgrad plant under the guidance of engineer D.V. Lvov. Its production was completed in April 1938. The diameter of the wheels was 2200 mm, and the design speed was 180 km/h.

Officially, the beginning of the development of high-speed traffic on the railways of our country dates back to 1957, when by order of the Ministry of Railways dated May 29, 1957 "On the preparation of the Moscow-Leningrad line for the movement of passenger trains at higher speeds", an action program was developed and organizational and technical measures that ensure the solution of the task.

In 1957 diesel locomotive TE7-001 on the Klin-Reshetnikovo-Zavidovo section with a train weighing 1010 tons, it developed a maximum speed of 129 km/h, on the Pokrovka-Klin section, which has a slope of 5‰, the highest speed was 134 km/h. With trains weighing 800-900 tons, the locomotive developed a speed of 140 km/h.

Diesel locomotives TE7 served passenger trains on the Moscow-Leningrad line until 1963, and since 1960 they have operated "Day Express", passing from Moscow to Leningrad in 6 hours and 20 minutes.

Opportunities to increase traffic speeds are inextricably linked with the readiness of the infrastructure. At the first stage, the stations were the bottleneck that slowed down the growth of speeds. The speed of movement on the turnouts of the stations was allowed only up to 100 km / h. To overcome these restrictions, 18 low-traffic stations were closed and more than 100 rarely used turnouts were removed from the main tracks of other separate points. In 1960, the track was completely laid on a crushed stone base with rails of the P50 type, the curves were lengthened and straight inserts between the curves were laid, artificial structures were strengthened, and a number of crossings were closed. During the period of mastering higher speeds up to 120 km/h, the switch facilities of the line underwent a significant reconstruction. Turnouts began to be used, having an insert-overlay root fastening and more powerful crosses. After the tests, the speed of movement on such transfers in a straight line was increased to 120 km/h.

Since 1961, the use of reinforced turnouts type Р65. Trains began to pass along such arrows at a speed of up to 140 km / h.

In 1963, an experimental laying of specialized high-speed turnouts began. The operation of such transfers proved that they ensure the movement of trains at speeds up to 160 km/h.

Electric locomotives series ChS2 operated on the Moscow - Leningrad line, serving high-speed trains and developing speeds up to 160 km / h. In 1965, experimental trips were carried out, during which an electric locomotive of the ChS2 series with a train traveled from Leningrad to Moscow in 4 hours and 59 minutes.

On June 12, 1963, an experimental trip of the Aurora bullet train took place., which traveled the path in 5 hours 27 minutes. The systems of power supply, automation, telemechanics and communications were improved, thanks to which in 1965 the travel time of the Aurora express was reduced to 4 hours 59 minutes, and the route speed was increased to 130.4 km / h.

For the period 1961-1965. along the entire length, long rails of the R-65 type were laid on reinforced concrete sleepers. More than 250 turnouts have been replaced with high-speed ones, the number of crossings has been reduced by 2 times, and all of them are equipped with automatic barriers with automatic crossing signaling, fences have been installed along the line to prevent pets and forest dwellers from entering the line. The expediency of narrowing the gauge by 4-6 mm - up to 1520 mm was established, which ensured greater stability of the track grid and increased the life of the sleepers. The second contact wire was mounted along the entire length, the contact suspension was adjusted.

In 1970, to conduct research on the interaction between the crew and the track, the Design Bureau of Aviation Technology A.S. Yakovlev, the Kalinin Carriage Works and VNIIV developed and manufactured an experimental high-speed laboratory car with an aircraft jet engine. Two AI-25 turbojet engines and aerodynamic fairings were installed on the head car of the ER22 electric train. Dynamic tests of a two-car train weighing 60 tons took place in 1972 on the Pridneprovskaya road. In the process of experimental trips, a maximum speed of 249 km / h was reached.

"Russian Troika"

The design of the new RT200 car was carried out by the Kalinin Carriage Works. In 1972, experimental cars were built. In total, eight cars and a buffet car were manufactured, which, together with the power station car, formed a ten-car train.

In Czechoslovakia, locomotives were ordered for a speed of 200 km / h - ChS200.

Tests of the "Russian Troika" were carried out on the Leningrad - Moscow line, mostly on the Leningrad - Chudovo section, where successful dynamic tests of the train were carried out at a speed of 210 km / h with electric locomotives ChS2M, ChS2T and later ChS200. On June 26, 1976, the Russian Troika, driven by the ChS200 electric locomotive, proceeded through the Lyuban-Chudovo section at a speed of 220 km/h.

Tests of the first RT200 car were carried out during June - August 1973. Train No. 5003 consisted of an electric locomotive ChS2M, two all-metal cover cars and a RT200 car between them.

September 18, 1973 "Russian Troika" made the first test flight from Leningrad to Moscow. On July 8, 1975, the Russian Troika set off on its first regular flight with passengers. The train was running according to the Aurora schedule, arriving in Moscow at 18:43. RT200 made regular flights until 1980.

On March 1, 1984, the first regular flight was made by Estonia200. From 1984 until February 2009, it ran between St. Petersburg and Moscow at a maximum speed of 200 km/h.

In 1993, on the St. Petersburg-Moscow section of the Oktyabrskaya highway diesel locomotive TEP80 a record speed for diesel locomotives was reached - 271 km / h.

However, the super-fast locomotive TEP80 turned out to be completely unclaimed in practice. If in the years of the creation of the previous model, TEP75, there was still a test site where passenger diesel locomotives with a capacity of 6000 hp were required, then by the time the TEP80 was built, all lines where this diesel locomotive could find application had already been electrified. In addition, due to the collapse of the USSR, they did not manage to establish serial production of this diesel locomotive (the Kolomna Plant produced only two TEP80 diesel locomotives). But it still holds the palm in terms of speed among diesel locomotives and is still the fastest in the world.

In 1995, the Collegium of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Federation made a decision on the comprehensive reconstruction of the St. Petersburg - Moscow highway for the organization of high-speed traffic.

In 1996-2000 a grandiose reconstruction of the St. Petersburg-Moscow highway was carried out, and in fact a new railway was built using modern technologies. Thanks to the reconstruction, trains can already reach speeds of 200-250 km/h.

The use of domestic discharge-pulse technology for "treatment" of the subgrade was tested, the contact network KS-200 was developed and manufactured from domestic parts, a new type of auto-blocking with tone-on-tone track circuits was used in the modernization of signaling and communication devices.

"Nevsky Express"

In 2001, the first train "Nevsky Express" entered regular operation. The cars, designed for a speed of 200 km / h, were created at the same plant as the Russian Troika, although they are not a logical continuation of it.

By the autumn of 2001, the first domestic high-speed train "Sokol-250" (speed up to 250 km/h) appeared on the main course of the road.

During the complex reconstruction of the St. Petersburg-Moscow highway, a unique depot for maintenance of high-speed electric trains was built at the Metallostroy station. Its territory is 44.3 hectares.

"Sapsan"

Since 2009, on the lines of the wide (1520 mm) gauge railway. Russia operated new Sapsan trains of Siemens technology. The composition of the train is 4 motor and 6 trailer cars, the number of bogies is 20, of which 8 are motor. Mains supply 3 kV DC and 25 kV, 50 Hz AC. Rated power - 8800 kW, maximum speed - 250 km / h. Number of seats - 600.

Over the past 40 years, the demand for high-speed rail has grown significantly. High-speed trains, from the point of view of consumers, are superior to other modes of transport in terms of travel time, comfort and safety, and environmental friendliness. These advantages will increase in the near future due to the increase in the length of lines suitable for high speed traffic.

The active development of railway communication in the Russian Empire began seven years after the first mainline train began to run regularly in Europe along the Liverpool Manchester route. Recall that the very first passenger train in the world set off on September 15, 1830, and this date can be called the starting point in the development of the worldwide railway network. In this article, we want to highlight in more detail such an important historical moment for Russia as the birth of the railway communication, which in just a few decades has firmly connected the vast expanses of the country into a single whole. So, when and by whom was the first train created in Russia, at what speed did it move, between which settlements were the first railway tracks laid?

Who designed the first Russian train?

The glory of creating the first train in Russia belongs to the talented engineers-inventors, father and son, Efim Alekseevich and Miron Efimovich Cherepanov, who, despite the fact that they were serfs, held leading positions in the factories of Nizhny Tagil. It was the Cherepanovs, having adopted the experience of their English colleagues (in 1833 Miron Efimovich was sent to England to get acquainted with the construction of railways), in 1834 they created a steam locomotive and put into operation at the metallurgical plant of Nizhny Tagil the first train in Russia with locomotive traction. A year later, the Cherepanovs designed a more powerful steam locomotive, and under their leadership, a cast-iron railway was laid connecting the factory and the copper mine.

1834 is considered the official date of the creation of the first Russian train, however, it should be noted that this invention was not initially recognized in wide circles due to the fact that expensive wood served as fuel for steam boilers; the coal industry at that time was practically not developed. So the steam locomotive in the first Russian train was soon replaced by horse traction.

The first Russian railways

In 1837, the solemn opening of the first railway line of public importance, connecting St. Petersburg and Tsarskoe Selo, took place (later the road was extended to Pavlovsk). In 1836, the railway line was tested and a horse-drawn train was launched along it. On October 30, 1837, the first passenger train began to run on the Tsarskoye Selo Railway, the locomotive and wagons for which were exported from England and Belgium. The first Russian train traveled from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoe Selo in 35 minutes and back in 27 minutes, that is, its average speed was 50 km/h. An interesting fact is that the trains running on the Tsarskoye Selo railway switched to steam traction only in April 1838, until that time steam locomotives were used only on weekends, and on weekdays the train was driven by horse traction.

The first passenger trains in Russia had four classes of carriages: closed carriages of the first and second classes, open carriages with and without a roof of the third and fourth classes, respectively.

The Tsarskoye Selo railway also acquired a sad reputation: it was on this railway that the first disaster occurred. Since the railways of that time were single-track, special sidings for trains were equipped on them. Once, an inattentive driver (according to the testimony of witnesses, drunk) slipped through the siding, where he was supposed to stop and let an oncoming train pass. As a result of a head-on collision between two trains, dozens of passengers were killed.

The speed of the first Russian trains

The initial average speed of Russian passenger trains was only 32 km/h, freight locomotives 16 km/h. By the mid-60s of the XIX century, Russian trains were moving at a speed of 43-45 km / h. Of course, now that Russian high-speed trains, such as Allegro and , easily reach speeds of 250 km per hour, it seems to us that the first trains moved at a snail's pace. But, believe me, for those times, 30-40 km / h is amazing speed.

The first railroads

The first railways were created mainly for the needs of industry. Engineers working on steam engines did not keep in mind the possibility of passenger transportation. It was about creating a convenient, inexpensive and labor-intensive way to deliver goods. First of all, coal. That is why the first railways in the history of mankind began to appear in large and deep mines. On the surface of the earth, these roads got out only at the end of the 18th century, with one exception. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Wallaton Carriage Railway functioned in England. Railroads connected the villages of Wallaton and Strelli, which is near Nottingham. The three-kilometer road is believed to have been built between 1602 and 1604. It carried coal from one village to another. In 1620 the mines at Strelli were closed and the road fell into disrepair.

Former Wallaton Railroad. (wikipedia.org)

By the way, the question of how exactly coal was transported still remains open. Steam engines began to appear only in the second half of the 18th century. Watt's machine was first demonstrated in 1784. In Russia, the first railway appeared in 1788. This, we repeat, was not a passenger, but an industrial road. The cast-iron wheel duct, as it was called, was built at the Alexander Cannon Factory in Petrozavodsk for the needs of this enterprise. The project was developed by the head of the Olonets mining works, Charles Gascoigne. The road was intended for the transport of coal and guns. By the way, the cast-iron wheel duct is considered the world's first industrial railway.

Charles Gascoigne. (wikipedia.org)

steam engines
Watt began work on his first steam engine as early as 1773. A year later, he opened a company for the production of such machines, but in the early years it did not have much success. The shah's leaders bought the plant's products, but they did it very reluctantly. Watt's car was considered expensive and slow. It was then that the engineer thought about creating a universal mechanism. The idea was to make the steam engine suitable for use outside of coal mines.

Newcomen engine. (wikipedia.org)

In 1784, Watt built his first heat engine. The machine converted the energy of water vapor into mechanical work by driving a piston. Watt's project was based on the work of the French mathematician Danny Papin. Papen designed the steam-powered car a hundred years before Watt, but he was not so lucky. His project did not receive the support of the Paris Academy. As a result, the inventor never found the money to implement his ideas.

Danny Papin. (wikipedia.org)

How steam locomotives appeared

Railroads have long been used only to transport heavy goods. Basically, they carried coal, cast iron and artillery pieces. The first passenger railway was built only in 1801. It connected the cities of Wandsworth and Croydon. Horses were used for transportation, since the first steam locomotive appeared only three years later, in 1804.

The horse carries passengers. (wikipedia.org)

It was built by engineer and inventor Richard Trevithick. True, his locomotive was too expensive and heavy. The cast iron rails could not bear the weight of Tretiwick's machine. Far more successful was another inventor - George Stephenson. He proposed a more economical model of a steam locomotive and even persuaded the management of several mines to build, by joint efforts, a railway between Darlington and Stockton.

Railway between Darlington and Stockton. (wikipedia.org)

Its rails were strong enough to support the weight of a locomotive. Later, construction began on a public railway between Liverpool and Manchester. Only the question of which steam locomotives would run between cities remained open. By that time, several dozen inventors had already proposed projects for steam-powered machines. There was a real fight for patents. The leaders of the railroad, at the suggestion of Stephenson, came up with a worthy way out of the situation. They organized a steam locomotive race, the winner of the competition got the right to become the main locomotive of the road. Steam locomotive competitions were held in 1829 in the city of Rainhill. The Rocket locomotive designed by Stephenson won the competition.

Rocket Stephenson. (wikipedia.org)

Only the "Rocket" managed to pass all the tests, developing an average speed of up to 20 kilometers per hour (the weight of the cargo was 13 tons). The competitors of the Stefinson steam locomotive (4 cars) quickly fell out of the race. The decisive moment was the explosion of the boiler of the Novelty steam locomotive, which reached speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour and was considered the main contender for victory. By the way, the first models of the Rocket, like the first models of other steam locomotives, did not pull the cars behind them, as is happening now, but pushed them. Nevertheless, it was the success of the "Rocket" that marked the beginning of the locomotive boom in Europe. Railways began to appear in England, France, Germany and Austria. Russia did not stand aside either. Emperor Nicholas I was a big fan of railway transport. In 1837, a 27-kilometer road was opened connecting Tsarskoye Selo and St. Petersburg. The engine that drove the train was purchased from George Stephenson. By the way, by that time Russia already had its own steam locomotive project. Father and son Cherepanovs designed a steam engine in the mid-1930s. She drove trains with ore and developed a speed of up to 15 kilometers per hour. However, the production of steam locomotives was established in Russia only in 1870. Prior to this, the Empire preferred to buy cars abroad. And yet, Russia has made a significant contribution to the development of railway transport. It was the Russian railway workers who proposed the concept of a sleeping car, where a passenger could live for several days or even a week. In 1924, a diesel locomotive was built for the first time in the Soviet Union. Over time, diesel locomotives replaced steam locomotives from railways around the world.

Opening of the Manchester-Liverpool railway. (wikipedia.org)

The construction of steam locomotives in the United States also developed rapidly. It is known that in some states the railways came even earlier than the local authorities. In the United States, before the start of the Civil War, the practice of locomotive racing was widely used. Such competitions helped inventors to identify the shortcomings of their new models and, at the same time, attracted public interest in the railways. In the 40s of the 19th century, about ten such competitions were held in the United States.

That was the first train in the world!

They appeared in Europe in the 17th-18th centuries and looked like trolleys, in front of which there were people or horses that pulled the trolley along the rails. By 1809, there were already some chains of several trolleys connected by metal rings. But it's hard to call it a train.

The first steam locomotive was built in England in 1804. It was a steam boiler, the firebox was located in front, so the wagon with coal and the stoker clung to the front of the locomotive. According to numerous indicators, this first steam locomotive in the world had stunning capabilities. With its weight of 5 tons, it could carry 5 wagons weighing 25 tons at a speed of 8 km / h. Empty, he moved at a speed of about 26 km / h. Used to transport ore from mines. Subsequently, a carriage for passengers was attached to the steam locomotive - this was the first steam locomotive with locomotive traction.

In 1820, the first locomotive-powered freight train was created. They quickly found a use for him - he transported coal from the mine to the city. In 1825, a mainline train passed along the first public railway, weighing 80 tons. And in 1830, the first mainline passenger train was launched, with the world's first mail car.

In Russia, the first train appeared 4 years later. At the head of the train was a steam locomotive invented by the Cherepanovs. Passenger trains had cars of four classes - first-class carriages, second-class carriages, wagons with a roof and the same wagons without a roof. The latter were called "cars". The average speed of such trains was about 32.8 km / h, and only by the end of 1860 increased to 42.7 km / h.

Who is who in the world of discoveries and inventions Sitnikov Vitaly Pavlovich

Who Invented the Train?

In ancient times, in antiquity, man invented rails. Already in Assyria and Babylon 4000 years ago there were carts with two or four wheels that ran on rails. But they could only move in one direction. In order for such a cart to turn right or left, it was necessary to shift the rails.

Only 1500 years later, at the beginning of a new era, a new type of rail appeared. These were long, polished tree trunks, mounted on perpendicular sleepers. They were used to move especially heavy loads. Already in the 16th century, trolleys for mines were invented, moving along the rail track.

The Englishman Richard Trevithick was the first to think of adapting a steam engine to run on rails. This happened in 1804.

The car was called a locomotive and could pull 5 wagons with 70 passengers and carry 5 tons of coal. Such a train ran on cast-iron rails manufactured at a factory in Wales.

In the beginning the rails were wooden. Then they began to be made of iron and cast iron. This increased the life of the rails and ensured the safety of passengers.

Of course, the first locomotive was still very imperfect technically. Its speed reached only 8 kilometers per hour (4.9 miles per hour). But in 1816, J. Stephenson created a more advanced locomotive.

In 1825, the first rail line connected Darlington to Stockton. It transported coal. In 1830, a line was built between Manchester and Liverpool, which was intended for the transport of goods and passengers.

The Rocket locomotive designed by Stephenson reached a speed of 47 kilometers (29 miles) per hour on this line!

In the 19th century, England began to intensively develop rail transport. Already in 1833, all coal mined in the country was transported by rail. After 2 years in England there were 720 railway lines equipped with steam locomotives. Note that in Europe the first line connected Brussels and Malin in 1835. The first Dutch train connected Amsterdam to Haarlem in 1839.

Since then, rail transport has developed rapidly and now occupies a leading position in the world. By rail, several times more cargo is transported than by all other modes of transport.

This text is an introductory piece. From the book 100 great wonders of technology author Mussky Sergey Anatolievich

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