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Exhibit description

Mainline construction history Construction of the first mainline railway

The two-capital main line

The St. Petersburg–Moscow Railway became the first large-scale railway project in the history of the Russian Empire. Construction began in 1843 by decree of Emperor Nicholas I and was completed in 1851. The 650-kilometre line connected the two capitals by the shortest route.

Engineers and technology

The project was designed by the engineers Pavel Melnikov, Nikolay Kraft and Andrey Gotman. Implementing it required an industrial base: the Alexandrovsky Plant was converted to produce railway rolling stock. The first domestic steam locomotive was assembled there in 1845, and carriage production soon followed.

Transport system backbone

In 1855, the main line was renamed the Nikolaev Railway in honour of Emperor Nicholas I, by whose decree it had been built. The line became a model for subsequent railway construction, establishing standards for track gauge, station placement and track parameters. It initiated the formation of a unified transport network and remained its backbone for decades.

Historical context

Later — The main line initiated a unified transport network encompassing the European part of the country, Siberia and the Far East.

History

Chronology

  1. 1837 1837 — The opening of the country's first railway, the Tsarskoye Selo Railway, demonstrated the advantages of the new form of transport: speed, all-weather operation and economical transportation.
  2. 1843 1843 — By decree of Nicholas I, construction began on the railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow. The project was designed by the engineers P. Melnikov, N. Kraft and A. Gotman.
  3. 1844 1844 — Construction of the stations in both capitals began.
  4. 1845 1845 — The Alexandrovsky Plant produced the first domestic steam locomotive for the main line.
  5. 1851 1851 — Construction was completed. Journey time fell from 3–4 days to 22 hours. The line became a model for Russia's entire railway system.
  6. 1855 1855 — The main line was renamed the Nikolaev Railway in memory of Nicholas I.

Other exhibits

Depot Depot № 971-7518 № 971-7518 Motor locomotive MZ/2-934 Motor locomotive MZ/2-934 J 45-71 J 45-71 "January"
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