The first locomotives of Stephenson and Cherepanovs

The first locomotives of Stephenson and the Cherepanovs became a major breakthrough in the field of engineering. These were the first devices that were used as a traction force for trains on the railways. Traditionally it is believed that the first locomotive appeared due to the efforts of the English engineer Georg Stephenson.

He designed several steam locomotives for 14 years - from 1814 to 1828. All of them began to run along small lines related to industrial enterprises.

The first locomotives of Stephenson and the Cherepanovs had major shortcomings. On their basis it was impossible to create a workable locomotive. Only in 1825 Stephenson organized the first locomotive plant in the city of Darlington, where the locomotive Locomoshen was built, which was launched along the Stoleon-Darlington railway. The excellent work of this railway became an impetus for the wide distribution of railways and locomotive plants.

The model for the subsequent steam locomotives was the "Rocket" - a steam locomotive, built by Stephenson in 1829. Five years later, the first Russian "land steamer", or a steam locomotive, entirely made of domestic materials, was built by the Russian mechanic Miron Efimovich Cherepanov at Vyisky Plant. The first locomotives of Stephenson and the Cherepanovs began to gain popularity and trust.

After 6 years, the construction of the second locomotive began. It was larger than its predecessor due to the increased boiler, respectively, more powerful.

Soon the test track, where they experimented with their locomotives Cherepanov, was dismantled at the initiative of the contractors of horse-drawn, which the construction of the railway was not profitable.

Soon work began on the construction of the railway between Tsarskoye Selo and St. Petersburg. The first locomotives of Stephenson and the Cherepanovs made possible further work on equipping the territories of Russia with railways. The work was led by Franz Gersner, an Austrian engineer. He was well acquainted with the construction of railways in Germany and Belgium and believed that the track width in these countries does not allow the creation of locomotives of the most effective design. Therefore, he chose a wider gauge and remade under it the compositions ordered in England and Belgium.

Gerstner wanted to ensure that the locomotives were able to carry a few passenger cars, accommodating 300 passengers. By 1837, the locomotive could carry a train of 23 cars. Passengers occupied 12 cars, and the rest was given for loading by livestock.

Since then, trains have regularly shuttled between Kuzmin and the village of Pavlovsk. In the fall of 1837, the grand opening of the Tsarskoye Selo Railroad took place. In the next period the trains went only on holidays.

The design of steam locomotives meant 2 cylinders. Each of the first locomotives that walked along the Tsarskoye Selo road had a name. "Agile", "Bogatyr", "Elephant", "Arrow", "Lion", "Eagle". Later, the names were replaced by numbers and an alphabetic series.

The second railway was built between Warsaw and the Austrian border. The length of this section was 308 km. The road was built using the Stephenson track. By this railway until 1901, only foreign locomotives went.

The next stage in the development of railway communication in Russia was the construction of the Moscow-Petersburg highway. Here for the first time the common for all railways of Russia, which were built subsequently, was manifested: the track of the road was 5 feet wide. The proposal for such a design was put forward either by Russian engineers or by consultants from America. This choice can be explained by considerations of strategic security or the convenience of width in a round number.

Railway construction has become a great impetus for Russia to further industrial progress. The first steam locomotive in Russia was the greatest achievement that laid the foundation for a new era.