Interesting facts, amazing facts, unknown facts in the museum of facts. Interesting facts about trains

Interesting facts, amazing facts, unknown facts in the museum of facts. Interesting facts about trains

In Russia, people started talking about the possibility of a railway back in the twenties of the 19th century, when information reached the emperor that the railway saved the treasury's expenses and even increased wealth, as was the case in England (at that time, rails were used to transport coal).

The initial idea was to create a connection between St. Petersburg and Moscow, but the question of the efficiency, and most importantly, the profitability of such an enterprise for investors remained open.
As popular wisdom says, “if you don’t try, you won’t know.” The commission and all kinds of meetings that were convened to solve the problem did not give a clear and accurate answer. As a result, Franz Gerstner, a professor at the Vienna Polytechnic Institute and the builder of the first public railway in Europe, invited in 1834, was offered to build a road that would “link” the suburbs of St. Petersburg - Tsarskoe Selo and Pavlovsk.

In order for the adherents of progress not to become discouraged and think that the necessary road will never be built in St. Petersburg, they added that the Moscow-Petersburg line will appear “not before the end of the road... and after learning from experience the benefits of such roads for the state, public and shareholders."

How money was raised for construction

Speaking of shareholders, it is worth noting that 700 people took part in the purchase of the relevant securities. Fifteen thousand shares were issued to create capital. The required amount of three million rubles was collected by subscription over a period of six months.

Count Bobrinsky became one of the main sponsors of the railway. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

One of the ardent supporters of the construction was the famous sugar factory, Count Alexei Alekseevich Bobrinsky, the son of Major General Alexei Bobrinsky, born in an extramarital affair between Catherine II and Grigory Orlov. The grandson of the great empress purchased shares worth 250 thousand rubles.

Road opening

On November 11, 1837, the road was officially opened. For such a solemn occasion, Nicholas I and his wife were invited.

A prayer service was served on the station tracks, Gerstner, as a driver, sat in the cabin of the locomotive and at half past one in the afternoon the train, amid loud exclamations of surprise and approval, moved towards Pavlovsk, where it arrived thirty-five minutes later. The maximum speed of the first steam locomotive was 64 kilometers per hour, but for the safety of passengers, the amazing machine did not show all its strength on the first trip.

Steel horse - steam locomotive

Gerstner personally was the first to travel by rail. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In the Vedomosti newspaper that day one could read a note: “It was Saturday, the townspeople flocked to the old regimental Church of the Introduction at the Semyonovsky parade ground. They knew that an unusual railway was opening and that “a steel horse carrying many, many carriages at once” would set off for the first time.

However, not everyone was able to see the first train. Commoners were not allowed into the station itself, which had only recently been built.

Exactly at 12:30 a.m. the tiny locomotive blew a piercing whistle, and eight carriages with the noble public set off along the route St. Petersburg - Tsarskoe Selo.”

The first days of the road's operation were trial ones, travel was free, and the quality, as they say, was at the risk of the buyer.

However, there were no dissatisfied people: up to fifty people were packed into each of the carriages - people of humble origin were given the opportunity to try out the new transport.

Despite the fact that the road had serious tasks, people considered the invention a kind of carousel: fast driving, a breeze blowing in the face, the smell of fields and arable land and a slight fright at the sounds of an oncoming train.

The excitement was monstrous, and the crowds besieging the locomotive were endless.

What the carriages of that time looked like

The carriages on the train were divided according to social status. Thus, the train of eight cars and a steam locomotive, which was built at the Stephenson plant in England and delivered to St. Petersburg by sea, consisted of four classes.

The most luxurious and clearly demonstrating the thickness of the gentleman’s wallet, who could afford to buy tickets for it, were the so-called “Berlins” - here the public could sit more relaxed in an easy chair, and people from the same social stratum sat opposite and to the side. There were eight such carriages in total, followed by “stagecoaches”, which could accommodate a large number of people, and “rulers” - open-type carriages. Those that had a roof were called “charabancs”, those that did not have one were called “waggons”. The latter had neither heating nor lighting.

In the first years, the fare for first and second class passengers was 2.5 and 1.8 rubles and 80 and 40 kopecks for third and fourth class. It is curious, but despite the fact that the train was designed not only to cover long distances, but also to keep pace with progress, until 1838, only horse-drawn vehicles were used on non-Sunday days and holidays. The steam method has become a kind of symbol of festivities or Sunday rest.

Imperial way

Since 1838, the movement became regular and then the schedule was finally decided. The first train departed at nine o'clock in the morning, and the last at ten o'clock in the evening. The interval between movements was three or four hours.

Members of the Romanov family and European monarchs also used the railway. Only one train could travel along the so-called “Imperial Route”. In Pushkin, the train stopped at the “Imperial Pavilion” - the station where the royal family was met.

Traffic along the Tsarskoe Selo - Pavlovsk line was opened in May 1838. For the significant day, a concert hall was built there, where Johann Strauss himself performed.

Steam locomotive "Elephant" and "Bogatyr"

At that time, steam locomotives were made at seven factories: in Belgium, England, Germany and the St. Petersburg Leuchtenberg plant. Each locomotive had its own name: “Agile”, “Strela”, “Bogatyr”, “Elephant”, “Eagle” and “Lion”. However, the romantic attitude towards the locomotive soon changed, and the rejoicing at the sight of it was replaced by habit, and instead of names, the trains acquired a dry number and a series of letters.

People often went to the Pavlovsky Music Station simply for entertainment. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Despite the initial fear of shareholders not to make a profit from the enterprise, in the first five years not only all the funds spent on construction were recouped, but also what was spent on operation: the road brought in significant income and allowed us to assume that further construction of new stations would bring truly fabulous income.

The first steam locomotive became a revelation for St. Petersburg residents: newspapers wrote about it, posters were drawn, candy wrappers were full of its image, and the vaudeville “A Trip to Tsarskoe Selo” even appeared in the repertoire of the Alexandrinsky Theater, the main character of which was a steam locomotive.

Basically, there is an opinion that a train is so banal, so boring, so ordinary, but airplanes with their hyperspeeds are another matter, like Mikhalkov’s lines “ Sat down in a chair, ate breakfast. What's happened? Arrived! Or huge ocean liners tearing through the endless expanses of the sea, like beautiful oases in the middle of the desert. But believe me, the railway is also capable of saturating its passengers with positive emotions and all kinds of interesting things.

For example, the Qinghai-Tibet Single Track Railway, the highest mountain road on the planet, annually attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world to admire the magical Tibetan landscapes of the “roof of the world” at an altitude of more than 5,000 km above sea level.

No sea or air company can offer you such romance. Of course, such extreme conditions require special trains. The carriages are completely sealed, equipped with personal oxygen masks and an oxygen supply system if necessary, and at intermediate and observation stations, passenger carriages naturally do not open, since there is nothing to breathe outside of them. The Chinese themselves feel extraordinary pride in their engineering structure and put it on a par with the Great Wall of China.

No less amazing is the Thai railway, which passes through a real market! 60 km west of Bangkok in the town of Maek Long, a food market located right on the railway tracks, several times a day quickly folds its food trays, twists its awnings and runs up right in front of the trains.

But the most amazing thing is that even during this time, trade does not stop! From the open windows of the train, money-coins fly towards the merchants, and fish, sweets, fruits and other purchases fly back through the windows. The main thing here is to be able to catch! :-) Although, I believe that the dexterity for this matter appears in passengers after rubbing their eyes from broken tomatoes and the phrase “I didn’t catch it again!” :-) After the trains pass, the boxes with the remaining vegetables, fish and other goods are again are returning to the rails and trade is becoming more civilized :-)

The Napier to Gisborne rail route is unique in that it crosses the main runway of Gisborne Airport in New Zealand. This is the only railway in the world where the air traffic control service allows or prohibits trains from crossing the runway to continue their route.

Sometimes planes and trains are separated from each other by literally a matter of seconds! This strange “decoupling” is perhaps the first offer to tourists from New Zealand guides! Agree, a steam locomotive and a plane rushing towards each other is an ordinary sight for Hollywood or Indian films, but not for everyday life!

If you have already found your soulmate or are still just looking, then the railway strongly recommends visiting the beautiful “Tunnel of Love”, located near the village of Klevan in Ukraine. This scenic three-kilometer stretch of railway leads to a fiberboard factory. The train runs here three times a day, supplying wood to the Orzhevsky woodworking plant. It is the train that forces the growing tree branches to bend around the tracks and maintains the tunnel in this condition.

Beautiful in the sunny summer, the green corridor attracts couples in love, and in autumn and winter, photographers who want to capture this beautiful miracle of nature. It is believed that if you visit the “Tunnel of Love” and make a cherished wish, it will definitely come true.

The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway in the world, currently has 9,300 km of track and represents an entire network of railways between Moscow and the Russian Far East. In addition, the road has branches to all neighboring border countries. Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began in full force back in 1891, under the personal control of Sergei Witte, who, being then Minister of Finance, clearly understood that Russia simply had to be a strategic partner between the West and the East. In order for the construction of the road and the accompanying infrastructure to keep pace with each other, the Russian leadership began construction from the east and west simultaneously, moving deeper into the country. To understand the full scale of the project, it is enough to say that only in 2002 was its complete electrification completed!

Having reconstructed some sections of the road in the early 2000s, Russia organized the first permanent corridor of large-scale freight traffic between China, Mongolia, Belarus, Poland and Germany, which significantly increased trade turnover and contributed to the further development of the Far East as a strategic region.

The original name of the road was the Great Siberian Way. And it is great not because the construction of the road took almost a century, but because the Russian government then deliberately refused Western “help”, not wanting to allow the influence of foreign capitalists to increase in the Far East. We built only with our own strength! And they did! Built!

No wonder they say that traveling along the Trans-Siberian Railway means seeing half the world. Is it a joke? The famous Photographer Todd Selby, who traveled a long way from Paris to Shanghai by rail, claims that this is the real truth: “It’s fantastic to wake up every time, look up from the map and try to understand where you are... It’s already the seventh day of the journey, and we still in Siberia! Siberia is very big. And Baikal is very big. But this is just part of great Russia!”

If all the previous facts about railways did not evoke any emotions in you, then do not despair. There is still one railway in the world, which people never tire of admiring to this day! Well, even if you are an avid critic and the word “admire” is not for you, then don’t worry, you will also find a huge “portion” for discussion and condemnation here for yourself. What kind of railway is this? It's BAM!

I would not like to argue with those who claim that BAM is a “dead end” of the Soviet era, that it was built by prisoners, that this entire territory of BAM is a huge zone or camp... Whatever one may say, there is still talk about this brilliant engineering project a huge number of tales and legends... But, nevertheless, for thousands of thousands of BAM residents, this construction site remained the happiest and brightest memory. And they speak of it as a bright, romantic, heroic and the best time in their lives. And so it was.

The best young people from all over the Soviet Union came, worked, and settled down. Families were created here, real labor feats were accomplished, discoveries were made. BAM was built by the whole country.

« Through passes, rivers and swamps
We will lay the highway for centuries. We are not afraid of any work,
We came here at the call of our hearts!”

The BAM was designed as part of a systematic project to develop the significant natural resources of little-explored areas through which, in fact, the road ran.

It was planned to build about ten giant territorial-industrial complexes along the BAM route, but Gorbachev’s very “promising” perestroika allowed the completion of only oneSouth Yakutsk coal complex. Then, no less “promising” privatization, with great hopes, transferred a number of resource deposits into private hands, but instead of loading the capacity of the BAM and massive development of mineral deposits in the highway area, “at the exit” only oligarchs with yachts turned out. By the early 2000sAlmost all projects for the development of the Baikal-Amur Mainline zone have been suspendedunder “ideological” pretexts of inexpediency, and the decision of the Soviet leadership to build the BAM was carefully labeled as erroneous and futile. How truly “oligarchic” it is to hide behind the sudden “futility” of a project that for half a century was considered simply vital for Siberia and the Far East according to all experts.

The only thing that warms the soul is that today’s leadership of the country is seriously aimed at reviving the BAM and the region as a whole. And it is not just words. RecentlyThe Elga deposit is successfully operating, where the first coal was mined in the summer of 2011. An access railway line is being built to connect it to the highway. In May of this year, the first super-heavy freight trains started running along the BAM, allowing them to transport 7,100 tons instead of the previous weight norm of 4,800 tons, which should increase the profitability of transportation several times over. This became possible after the commissioning of new powerful two-section locomotives of the 2ES5K Ermak series and 2TE25A Vityaz diesel locomotives. The trains successfully overcome the most difficult section of the route - Kuznetsovsky Pass.

The railway tracks themselves at the pass were reconstructed and strengthened, and the New Kuznetsovsky Tunnel was put into operation.Let me note for critics: “The trains have started, but they will not go. The pass has been reconstructed, but will not be there someday. "Ermaki" and "Vityazi" have been put into operation and are not at the design stage."

I am sure that BAM has a bright future because a road built with love cannot but live forever!


Interesting fact #1

Every year in Russia, 1,300,000,000 passengers use railway transport. That is, every resident of Russia uses the train 9 times a year. However, this figure is far from the limit. In the USSR, there were 15 train trips for every person.

Interesting fact #2

The longest railway is considered to be the Trans-Siberian Railway, which has a length of about 9,300 kilometers.

Interesting fact #3

The middle station of the Trans-Siberian Railway is called “Polovina”. From it to Moscow and to Vladivostok the same distance.

Interesting fact #4

The first railway was opened between St. Petersburg and Moscow, and the first three days of transportation were carried out free of charge. Simply no one wanted to ride such an unknown thing as a train.

Interesting fact #5

If you want to work for Russian Railways, go to the Railway Institute in Krasnoyarsk.

Interesting fact #6

In France, kissing is prohibited at train stations, as it often caused train delays. The law has been in force for 100 years, and no one has yet repealed it.

Interesting fact #7

Railway It is known that trackmen who check the serviceability of train wheels have a sensitive ear for music. After all, they have to identify wheel defects by changes in the tone of the knock.

Interesting fact #8

On one train in western Peru, conductors provide oxygen bags to their passengers. The fact is that the train travels along the highest railway in the world, which is located at an altitude of about three kilometers.

Interesting fact #9

Once, in the USA, in Ohio, a train collided with a steamship. Lake Ohio overflowed its banks at that moment, and the railroad sank into a meter of water. The driver, however, still decided to drive across the river, but his path was blocked by a steamer.

Interesting fact #10

In Bavaria, in 1910, an order was issued on behalf of the local authorities, which prohibited drivers and stokers from drinking beer during stops.

Interesting fact #11

In Argentina, you can take a ride on the famous Patagonia Express train, which once survived the robbery of the century. Tourists who decide to ride this train will not only be able to enjoy the scenery outside the window, but also unwittingly take part in a planned performance simulating a real train robbery.

Interesting fact #12

In Argentina, you can now take a tour on the legendary Patagonia Express train, which was restored especially for tourists. In addition to being impressed by the surrounding landscapes, passengers can, without their consent, become participants in a carefully planned “Train Robbery” event.

Interesting fact #13

For several years there was a railway route “Paris-Venice”, where a special “Train of Love” ran. Special service was organized in the compartment of such a train. Passengers had at their disposal a TV, a shower, and a special sleeping berth for two people.

Interesting fact #14

Once in Switzerland they organized a train tour, where all the high society of Swiss society was: officials, honorary citizens, politicians, etc. For this occasion, the entire train was made up of restaurant cars. However, the organizers of this celebration did not take into account the fact that there are no toilets in dining cars in Switzerland. As a result, when the train reached its destination, passengers jumped out of the cars, surprising all the citizens who had gathered to greet the honored guests.

Alena Yurievna Seliverstova
Intellectual game “We know everything about the railway”

Goals:

Strengthen children's knowledge about railway, railway transport, about safety rules on railway. Develop the ability to work in a team, help and support each other.

Develop visual and auditory attention, memory, logical thinking. -Shape interest in railway professions.

Equipment: 4 puzzles, multimedia board, visual aid, musical accompaniment, yellow flags, semaphore, visual aid.

Organizing time. 4 teams participate in the quiz. For each correct answer, the team receives one puzzle; at the end of the game, the winning team must complete the picture. If the picture is not completely collected, the team gets 2nd place, etc.

Command View: teams choose a captain and say their name.

("Locomotive", "Martin", "Sapsan" And "Electric locomotive")

Poem about railway(Read by student).

What's happened road? this is sweat at the temples,

These are hands with calluses, these are fathoms in the shoulders,

The sound of wheels under the carriage and the flashing of faces.

These are steel songs of endless paths

A string of green semaphore lights,

What's happened road?

To understand this, you just need road

Give your heart!

1 task: “Show me what I name”(children from each team are asked to show objects in the picture railway terminology). Appendix No. 1.

* Locomotive * Cars * Rails * Sleepers * Tunnel * Overpass * Barrier * Crossing * High-speed train * Diesel locomotive

2 task: "Guess what's hidden"(children are shown part of an illustration on the topic « Railway» , team members must guess what is shown, 1 task for each team.

3 task: "Smart Questions"(questions are asked to each team in turn; if a player from one team fails, a player from the other team answers)

What do you call people who travel on a train? passengers

Which part railway can future passengers walk? platform

How should passengers transfer to another platform? bridge

What's at the station?

What do you buy at the railway ticket office? ticket

For what? to go

What is marked on the train ticket? name, date, place, hour of departure and arrival

Why do we need loudspeakers at a train station? what was heard everywhere

Tell us about your child’s behavior at the station.

What types of carriages are there? Passenger, cargo

if the yellow flag is folded, what does the driver do? (goes faster)

Expanded (slowly)

Who first invented the steam locomotive? Cherepanov brothers

4 task: "Collect a picture"(teams are offered cut pictures of a steam locomotive and an electric locomotive; using one of the fragments, children must guess which picture whose team is collecting, then collect the picture - who is faster)

While the teams are busy, a captain competition is held.

Task 5: "Captains Competition"

Logic puzzle (one for everyone - whoever is faster): you are a driver, your train has 5 cars, each car has 2 conductors, each conductor is 25 years old. How old is the driver?

Which knot cannot be untied? Railway.

- "What I'm talking about?"(definitions are offered to captains (alternately) by which they must guess about the hidden object). First, tail, mail, trailed, soft, blue, sleeping, overcrowded, tram, railway, compartment…. (railway carriage).

- "Who is faster?" (captains are offered a tongue twister to see who can pronounce it faster and more clearly): Thirty-three cars in a row, chattering, chattering, chattering, chattering.

Poem (child reads).

The train is rushing into the distance somewhere

Passengers have been sleeping for a long time,

Machinist on duty

Looking intently out the window

And won't go to bed today

Guide until dawn

Both the dispatcher and the repairman,

They won’t lie down for a moment

Because their job is

Transportation, long distance,

That's why these people

There's not even time to take a nap!

Task 6: « Railway signs»

Around the station, along the platform

Everywhere and everywhere there are rules,

You should always know them;

They will never leave without them

From the train station.

Each team is offered 2 signs that can be seen up close railway, children must explain their meaning. Appendix No. 2.

Task 7: "Merry Locomotive" (movable a game) . The presenter has a sound signal and 2 yellow flags. Children walk to the music; at a signal, the carriages must line up behind their locomotive - the captain from carriages 1 to 5; during the trip, pay attention to the signals of the leader. If the yellow flag is rolled up, they drive fast; if it’s unfolded, they drive slowly; if the semaphore is red, they stop.

8 task:

So that the ardor of fun does not fade away,

To make time go faster.

Friends, I invite you

To the riddles quickly.

Riddle competition (a riddle is prepared for each player; if he finds it difficult to answer, the captain comes to the rescue)

* There is a ladder in the field, a house is running up the stairs. (rails, sleepers, train)

* Although he has two eyes, he does not look with all of them at once, but always looks with one, the driver watches him. (semaphore)

* The brothers got ready for a visit and clung to each other. And they rushed off on a long journey, only leaving a trail of smoke. (cars)

* Both horse and worker, hunter of water. He snorts, drinks, and leads the house. (locomotive)

* Over long distances, he rushes without delay. This train suddenly disappeared, it’s called... (express)

* Iron the huts are attached to each other. One of them with a pipe leads everyone along. (train)

* I eat coal, I drink water, when I get drunk, I speed up. I’m carrying a train of one hundred wheels, and I call myself…. (locomotive)

* They come in different colors, green and red. They run along the rails into the distance, meet them everywhere and wait. (cars)

*Running, rushing iron horse, By iron thunders. Steam billows, smoke curls, rushes, rushes iron horse. (train)

* It is always at the station, trains approach it. (platform)

I'm the owner of a mobile home

I will always give you tea.

I work day and night without getting tired.

Name my profession! (conductor)

9 task: "Fun tasks"(each team is offered an ingenuity task in an envelope - (teamwork)

* The bus goes out of town. What happens if it goes off the rails?

* A steam locomotive and a steamship are running along the rails. Who will arrive at the station first?

* A diesel locomotive and an airplane flew across the sky. Who will fly faster?

* How it begins and how it ends passenger railway?

10. The presenter asks questions with options. answers:

1. What was it called in the century before last? railway workers?

a) Coachmen;

b) Drivers;

c) Travelers;

G) plantains.

2. Which of these professions exist?

a) Highway flyer;

b) Trackman;

c) Overseer roads;

d) Platform controller.

(This railway worker regularly walking around the area assigned to him for the purpose of observation and protection railway track.)

3. Professional suitcase carrier train station is... Who?

a) Carrier;

c) Porter;

d) Itinerant.

4. What position is on the staff list? railway station?

a) Rail compiler;

b) Compiler of protocols;

c) Train compiler;

d) Suitcase compiler.

5. What device allows the rolling stock (to trains) move from the main path to adjacent ones?

a) Arrow;

b) Barrier;

c) Semaphore;

d) Shoe.

(Switch switch.)

6. Which of these concepts does NOT exist?

A) Railway junction;

b) Railway line;

V) Railway track;

G) Railway spokes.

7. What is the end called? railway track?

b) Traveling;

c) Driving;

8. What is the name of a piece of rolling stock that is specifically designed to pull trains and is not itself designed to carry passengers or goods?

a) Dynamo;

b) Locomotive;

c) Diesel;

d) Motrice.

9. What type of locomotives does NOT exist on Russian railways?

a) Passenger;

b) Freight;

c) Shunting;

d) Sports.

Poem (child tells)

Across the expanses railway

Trains fly like birds...

Covering everyone with wind and smoke

And they honk at us: "Vivat!"

The sound of wheels is like the beat of a drum

The rail beats out the melody,

The cars sing along to the beat

The rumble spreads all the way to the skies!

And the diesel locomotives puff hysterically,

The entire train rushes forward by chance,

Passengers are sleeping peacefully in the compartment,

The conductor carries branded tea...

Well, we’ll wave our hand at them,

We wish you good luck on your journey!

We wish railway road,

Never go off track!