"Hero of Vaudeville". Interesting facts from the history of the first railway

Railways in Russia carry 1.3 billion passengers every year. On average, each of us is a passenger of a train 9 times a year, but this is a very small figure. In Soviet times, this figure reached 15 times a year.

The Trans-Siberian Railway is considered the longest in the world. Its length is almost 9.300 kilometers.

Station "Half" is the very middle of the Transsib. The distance from this station is the same both to Moscow and to Vladivostok.

After the opening of the first railway in Russia (between Moscow and St. Petersburg), the first three days the journey was free. Because no one wanted to ride this "scary thing".

France still has a law that prohibits kissing at train stations. The reason for the ban was delays in the departure of trains. The law was issued 100 years ago and has not been canceled until now.

It turns out that linemen who tap the wheels of trains have perfect ear for music. By the change in tone, they should determine a wheel malfunction.

On the train, which runs in western Peru, conductors offer passengers an oxygen bag. Because the train runs on the highest railway in the world (at an altitude of more than 3 kilometers).

Once on a railroad in Ohio (USA), a train collided with a steamer. The fact is that Lake Ohio overflowed its shores, and the railway track turned out to be under a meter layer of water. Nevertheless, the driver decided to drive the train along the flooded track, but collided with a steamer.

The head of the Bavarian railways in 1910 was forced to issue an order prohibiting machinists and stokers from buying beer during stops at stations.

In Argentina, you can now take an excursion on the legendary Patagonia Express train, which was restored especially for tourists. In addition to the impressions of the surrounding landscapes, passengers can, without their consent, become participants in the carefully planned "Train Robbery" action.

Several years ago, a special "train of love" began to run between Paris and Venice. In the compartment of such a train: VIP service, there is a TV set, a shower cabin and a special double shelf.

Once, on a tour of Switzerland, a train departed, on which the cream of Swiss society was traveling: ministers, deputies, honorary citizens, etc. On the occasion of the celebration, the train was made up of some restaurant cars. But the organizers did not take into account a small nuance: there is no toilet in the Swiss restaurant cars. Therefore, when the train approached the station, the locals who had gathered to meet it were very surprised: the guests of honor poured out of the carriage doors like peas.

As you know, some trains have their own names. For example, "Red Arrow", "Russia", "Baikal", etc. Often the names of the trains are given by the passengers themselves: for example, the train "Rostov - Odessa", the passengers affectionately call "Papa - Mama"

The Japanese firm Toshiba has built a magnetic levitation train. The train is capable of speeds of 517 km / h.

On one occasion, a group of German engineers surveyed the Isthmus of Panama in order to build the Trans-American Railway. And in the end, I made a decision that the rails here are better made not from the rare iron in these places, but ... from gold.

Carriages of the third class on the first Russian railways followed at the front of the train and were equipped with rigid benches. But passengers more often rode under the benches. Because these cars did not have a roof, and the passengers were hiding from the weather and sparks.

In Australia, a railway was laid on a desert plain, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. It is famous for the fact that for 500 km there is not a single turn on it.

Among the Faberge collection there is an egg "Trans-Siberian Railway", which contains a clockwork model of the imperial Trans-Siberian train made of gold and platinum.

In the near future, double-deck passenger cars may appear in Russia. Such cars will be much more economical for the railway and much more comfortable for passengers. Each compartment of such a carriage has a shower, toilet and air conditioning.

In Monte Carlo, you can see people who meet trains in anticipation of those who have arrived in the principality for the first time. After that, the passengers are offered money to play, promising a share of the winnings for this. It's all the fault of the omen that newbies are lucky.

But at Shibuya station in Japan there is a monument to a dog with a "station master's cap" on his head. The dog received this honor for its feat, for 10 years it met the owner, who left by train.

When the first section of the railway between Liverpool and Manchester was built in England, they decided to arrange a kind of competition between five steam locomotives. However, just before the start of the competition, the fifth car was suspended from participation in them "due to an outdated engine." There were ordinary horses hidden under the steel sheathing.

The longest freight train in the world traveled in the Soviet Union on the Ekibastuz - Ural route. The 6.5-kilometer train transported 42,000 tons of coal in 440 wagons.

In the early 90s. such a scam was known: the African was promised emigration to Europe, they took the agreed amount, brought it to Moscow (then it was simple and cheap). And then this African was put on a train, assured that it was a train to Germany. But in fact, it was a subway train that moved along a circular route. The poor fellow could go for a very long time.

One day the driver of the Ahvaz-Tehran train deserved a severe punishment. His fault was that he did not stop the train during namaz (prayer). Because of this, the passengers were forced to pray in the compartment, moreover, at each turn of the train, they had to turn in place.

Experts advise, for safety reasons, to give preference to central cars when buying tickets. In the event of an accident, they suffer less than the head or tail. Also, it is better to choose seating places against the movement of the train. By the way, according to statistics, trains are 45 times safer than cars.

The maximum speed on the rail track is fixed at 9851 km / h! It was this speed that a rocket-powered platform developed in the state of New Mexico (USA) during an experiment.

: the history of the appearance of the first locomotive and the first railways. The most unusual railway stations and railways. "Station" laws of France and a monument to a dog in Shibuya.

1. The first trains, which are trolleys driven by horses, appeared in the 17th century.... In Europe. The first steam locomotive in history to push carriages was built by the English inventor Richard Trevithick. It happened in 1801. The purpose of such a transport was to transport iron ore at the Pen-y-Darren plant, and its speed was 8 kilometers per hour.
2. Traffic on the first railroad in the world was opened in England in the first half of the 19th century.... The final stops of the train route were located in the cities of Stockton and Darlington, and the road itself was intended to carry both goods and passengers. The length of such a section was 50 km, and the train consisted of only 6 cars.
3. The first competition of the American steam locomotive Tom Thumb (translated as "Boy-with-finger") with a horse-drawn carriage took place in September 1830. The action took place along the track from the village of Railies Tavern to Baltimore. Mechanical breakdown of the transport itself and malfunctions in the operation of the boiler decided the fate of the competition. The animal was victorious, and "Thumb Boy" never made it to the finish line.

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4. What can be in common between professional musicians and trackmen? It turns out to be an exceptional ear for music. It is the sensitive hearing of the latter that makes it possible to detect wheel defects in time by the differences in the tone of the knock.
5. At the beginning of the XX century. In France, a law was passed prohibiting couples in love from kissing on the territory of train stations. The reason for this was the frequent disruptions in the train schedule caused by long, “passionate” goodbyes. This rule still applies today. Warning signs are posted everywhere, and separate areas are allocated for the farewells of lovers.
6. The Ferrocaril Austral Fueguino railway (Argentina) is called the train to the very end of the earth... It is the narrowest-gauge railway in the state (gauge - 50 cm). On the trajectory of the train there is a station called "End of the World", which is incredibly popular among those who want to get to the final stop on the "iron horse", and not on a cheaper bus. Interestingly, this road was originally intended to transport prisoners to correctional labor.

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7. Monument to Hachiko, dedicated to the faithful and devoted dog, is located on the territory of the Shibuya railway station (Japan). The animal became famous throughout the country in the 30s. XX century, after the publication in one of the largest newspapers of an article about an old dog, daily waiting at the station for its owner, who died several years ago. At the opening of the monument, a year before his death, Hachiko was personally present.

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8. You can travel between the most romantic cities in the world - Venice and Paris on the "train of love".

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9. The food market of one of the settlements in Thailand is located right on the railway tracks... Several times a day, 10-15 minutes before the approach of transport, traders pack their food and lower the sheds. After the trains pass, the market fully resumes its work.
10. Passengers arriving in Monte Carlo by train for the first time are often greeted by locals... Strangers offer newcomers to play in the casino instead of them, promising a solid reward.
11. The smoothest railroad, without a single turn, is in Australia... Its length is 500 km.
12. The fare on the "The Eastern & Oriental" express, which route passes through Southeast Asia, is 3000-9000 USD. The train includes several restaurant cars, decorated in different styles, a library, a shop, a bar, and a splendid observation terrace is equipped at its back platform.

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13. The three-kilometer section of the railway, located near the village of Klevan (Ukraine), is called the "Tunnel of Love".
14. At the end of the XIX century. the locomotive became the protagonist of the film by the Lumiere brothers... Today, dozens of films have been filmed about trains, among the most famous are "Runaway Train", "Highway", "Station for Two", etc.

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15. Although a train is considered several dozen times safer than a car, when buying tickets, it is advisable to give preference to seating in the central carriages.

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1. The highest-mountain railway in the world is the Qinghai-Tibet railway, which has a rise of 5 kilometers. On this railway, a train travels from individually designed wagons, the specificity of which is carried out in the supply of oxygen, and in addition, each passenger has an oxygen mask for individual use.

2. There is an interesting place in Thailand where railway sleepers with rails laid in the middle of the local market, a train passes every day. Before its passage, a loud warning siren signal is sounded, after which the sellers in a hurry remove their goods and sheds from the train passage, and after the train passes, they put back sheds and their goods in the same fast rhythm, after which trade continues in a calm rhythm. But some vegetables and fruits are still lying at the time when the train is passing, since those that are near the passage do not interfere with the passage of the train and it does not touch them at all.

3. In Japan, there is one interesting station named Shibuya, where a monument to the most faithful friend of the dog was erected. This faithful dog has been waiting for its owner for 10 years, who once boarded a train and left on it, never returned. Thus, a monument to the dog appeared at Shibuya station for his devoted loyalty.

4. There is the legendary Australian railway, which is 500 kilometers long without a turn, but it is laid on a desert plain. This railway is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

5. The first train that runs without rails was built by the Japanese company Toshiba. The high-speed magnetic levitation train has the ability to accelerate to a speed of 517 kilometers per hour.

6. But the maximum speed of the train that traveled by rail was recorded in the United States in the state of New Mexico, it reached 9851 kilometers per hour. This train had an experimental rocket engine.

7. At one time, a Vip train was sent across Switzerland, in which noblemen from the high society of Switzerland gathered. On a solemn occasion, only carriages of restaurants were present on this train. The most annoying thing about these cars was that the organizers forgot about the toilets. Having approached the train to its final station, where quite a few people gathered to meet them, the greeters were stunned by what they saw, how the honorary passengers, after stopping, very quickly rushed from all the doors of the carriages.

The opening of the Moscow - St. Petersburg railroad was a real event. But simple people were in no hurry to use the innovation. A terrible rumbling thing caused genuine fear. To promote rail transport to the masses, it was decided to make travel free. And this measure had an effect. Trains soon ceased to be afraid.

The only pity is that free travel from Moscow to St. Petersburg is in the distant past. The history of the action was short-lived. It was possible to travel there and back free of charge only in the first three days after the opening of the corresponding branch of the railway.

The magic of numbers

The first trains in Russia and Europe were available to about 9% of the population of those cities between which rail links were established. Today (on average, of course) every Russian travels by rail about 9 times a year. And the total number of guests has long exceeded 1.3 billion people a year.

Notable Transsib

Among the domestic railways, the most remarkable was and remains the Trans-Siberian Railway. She has many statuses. For example, this railway is known as the longest in the world. The Transsib is 9438 kilometers, more than 8 days on the way. On the route, the train stops at 97 major stations and passes through many small ones.

There is also a half way on the Transsib. The station, located exactly in the middle of the railway between Moscow and Vladivostok, is called that. The distance from "Half" to both cities is the same. The Transsib is also considered the coldest railway. Part of it passes through the climatic zone, where -62˚С is the usual temperature. Noteworthy fact: the coldest point of the route does not coincide with the northernmost one.

Evolution of speed

The first passenger train in the world went on rails at a speed that barely reached 33 km / h. A little later, it was possible to accelerate to 38 and even 42 kilometers per hour. Modern high-speed trains run by rail at a speed of 320–430 km / h. And experimental innovative trains are capable of accelerating to 603 km / h. And this, as scientists and engineers say, is far from the limit.

Freight trains set records too

The first freight railway in Russia was only 2 kilometers long. This miracle of science and technology of its time was set in motion - what do you think? Horse traction!

The longest freight trains in the history of the railway traveled to different parts of the world. One transported coal (neither more nor less - 42,000 tons per trip) to Uraliz Ekibastuz back in the Soviet era. The train consisted of 440 carriages. Their total length exceeded 6.5 kilometers.

The record was broken in South Africa. Here a train of 660 wagons entered the route. Their total length was 7.3 km. But the experiment, unlike the Soviet one, had no practical meaning. The canvas could not withstand the load, and the railway had to be closed for a long time for repairs.

Safety first

Afraid to travel by train? Perhaps the following fact will help you change your attitude towards this transport. Traveling by rail is 45 times safer than by road. The risk of getting into an accident on a train is significantly lower than in a car.

Do you want maximum security guarantees? Choose a TCS carrier. Their location in the train and modern technical equipment ensure safety and comfort during the trip.

In the modern world, there are many options for overcoming long distances. You can hit the road by bus, car, plane or train, and all these means of transportation do not seem like something surprising.

However, a few centuries ago, none of the above was, and people were just beginning to create things that are familiar to us.

Even before the appearance of the steam engine, there was a prototype of the railway in the world. The origin of railway transport, as we now imagine it, began in the XVIII-XIX centuries.

For several centuries, mankind has gone from a steam locomotive to high-speed peregrine falcons. Many scientists and inventors had a hand in the development of railway transport, who managed to make a real breakthrough.

Pre-steam era

In fact, rails have existed long before the steam engine. It is believed that the first railroad track was the Diolk portage, where slaves pushed carts over depressions in limestone as early as the 6th century BC.

Then railways appeared in Europe, they worked due to the traction of people or animals. The rails were wooden and were widespread in mines for transporting mined rock to ships.

The history of the modern road began at the beginning of the 18th century, during the industrial revolution. Machine manufacturing gradually supplanted manual manufacturing, and a breakthrough was also outlined in the rail industry.

The inventors were concerned with creating an engine that would not be driven by human resources. The first "swallow" was the steam engine of Thomas Severi, which he patented in 1698. After several decades, it was improved and became a real breakthrough.

The oldest railroad in the world was founded at the end of the 15th century near the city of Salzburg. Previously, the Raiszug lift was powered by people or animals, but now it is powered by an electric motor.

Steam engines

The next milestone in the development of the railroad was the steam engine, which radically changed the concept of this type of transport. An idea arose to replace the resource for traction from a person (animal) with a mobile steam locomotive that could move cars on rails.

The implementation of this idea accelerated after the creation of the first-ever steam engine. In 1769, Scottish inventor James Watt patented a heavy steam engine, which he improved by 1782. The updated version was suitable for use in steam locomotives, as it was more compact and powerful.

The first person who was able to introduce the world to a carriage powered by a steam engine was the Frenchman Nicolas Cugno. His invention can be safely called the predecessor of steam locomotives, although the test ended in failure.

Success came to Richard Tretivik, who in 1797 managed to present a steam carriage. He took up the development of a wagon that could move on rails, since the dirt roads were in a sad state. And, starting in 1801, he created several successful models of steam locomotives, which were first used on the attraction railroad.

Indirectly, the Emperor Napoleon himself had a hand in the sharp leap in the development of railway communication. His wars with most European countries led to a rise in the price of many products, including cereals, which were used to feed horses. Since all large enterprises used horse traction, they had to urgently take measures in order to replace horses with steam locomotives without loss.

The Middleton Railroad began to be used as an experimental section, which began to use steam traction. She began work in 1758 and first carried out transportation at the expense of horses, which dragged carts along the rails. It was for Middleton that the first commercially successful Salamanca steam locomotive was constructed in 1812.

It should be noted that experiments on the operation of steam traction were not always successful. The cauldron exploded there twice, and in 1866 the road again switched to the use of horses. By the way, it was here that the very first professional machinist, James Hewitt, was trained, who died in the second explosion.

Thus, the experiments on creating a successful steam locomotive lasted for several decades, and only in 1825 the opening of the railway, accessible to the public, took place. It was officially opened on September 27 and carried 600 passengers on its opening day. The train was pulled by the Locomotion # 1 steam locomotive, built by inventor George Stephenson.

The road stretched for 40 kilometers and at that time was the first one intended for general use. Since that time, the railway hype has spread to other countries and became a real breakthrough in the industrial revolution.

Golden age

It is not surprising that with the creation of the first successful steam locomotives, the railway network began to develop by leaps and bounds. In 1830, the world's first railroad was opened in England, connecting two cities, Manchester and Liverpool. It was, as expected, with train stations and stretched for 56 kilometers.

20 years later, England had 11,000 km of railways that entangled the whole country. In other European countries, this transport was also very popular.

The first prerequisites for the emergence of railways on the American continent appeared in the second decade of the 19th century, when Colonel John Stephens acquired the right to build the company.

By 1826, Stevens introduced his first steam locomotive, which was successfully tested. And already in 1830, the United States caught up with Europe and opened the first public road.

By 1840, the total length of railways in the country stretched by 4.4 thousand kilometers, and by 1860 - by 48 thousand kilometers! Although the inhabitants of the country did not immediately like the innovation, many considered steam locomotives "sons of the devil" and preferred to travel the old fashioned way.

Since the 1860s, the golden age of railroad transport begins in the United States. This area fell into the hands of tycoons, the government allocated generous subsidies for each mile of rails, so it is not surprising that in half a century the number of kilometers has grown to 408 thousand.

The railway contributed to the unification of the country into a single domestic market and helped the development of metallurgy and mechanical engineering.

Russian railway

For Russia, the history of this convenient form of transport began much later, in the 1830s. Preconditions already existed, for example, in the mines of Altai there were narrow-gauge tracks with rails for transporting rocks.

In 1788, in the city of Petrozavodsk, the first railway line in the Russian Empire appeared under the name "Cast Iron Wheel Pipe".

However, the railway accessible to everyone appeared much later, in 1836 Nicholas I ordered the construction of the Tsarskoye Selo road. A year later, a grand opening took place, and the emperor himself rode from St. Petersburg to Tsarskoye Selo.

A serious impetus for the development of this type of transport was the defeat in the Crimean War. In the 1850s, one of the reasons for the failure was the fact that this part of the Russian Empire did not yet have a railway connection. By order of the government, the railway network throughout the country began to be actively built.

The longest road in the world, the Trans-Siberian Railway, was founded in 1891. At the moment, it has not been possible to break its record, because the length is 9.2 thousand kilometers.

During the period of the USSR, railway transport continued to develop actively, Boris Beschev made an invaluable contribution. He served as Minister of Railways from 1948 for 29 years. By 1965, he managed to reduce the use of steam traction to 24%, the rest of the communication was carried out by electricity and diesel locomotives.

At the moment, most of the railroad tracks are owned by Russian Railways. In total, there are 124 thousand km of tracks, and 86 thousand of them are for public use.

Rail transport now

Of course, now trains run not by steam locomotives, but by electric traction. For the first time this invention was presented in 1879, when Vernet Siemens presented at the exhibition the only railway, 300 meters long, running on electricity at that time. In the same year, this technology was used in a factory in France.

Then in 1880 the Russian engineer F. Pirotsky in Russia started a carriage with 40 passengers using electric current. And already in 1881, the first railway track in history, powered by electricity, was opened in Berlin.

The end of the First World War was a significant impetus for the mass electrification of railways. The countries of Europe, the USA and Russia began to gradually electrify their railways.

Having mastered trains operating on electric traction, the world began to develop high-speed trains. The first successes were recorded back in 1903, when the train crossed the speed limit of 200 km / h.

European countries began to prepare projects to create high-speed traffic, but Japan was the first country with such a network. In 1959, construction began on a road between Tokyo and Osaka, with traffic reaching 210 km / h. At the moment, the development of high-speed railway communication does not stop.

Railway records

As we have already mentioned, the Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway in the world. It can be overcome, on average, in a week of travel.

As for speed records, now the technologies are no longer comparable to those that were a hundred years ago. The last speed record among trains belongs to the Japanese MLX01, which accelerated to a speed of 603 km / h.

The deepest part of the railway is the Seikan Tunnel, which runs at a depth of 240 meters below sea level. But the highest station is Tangla in Chinese Tibet at an altitude of 5068 km above sea level.

The railway communication gave a huge impetus to the development of industry and allowed humanity to reach a new level of development. To this day, railways are one of the safest and most convenient modes of transport.