Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 197 009 Rail Transit, but with Horse-Drawn Carriages

After the steamboat was demonstrated once at the Tauride Palace last year, a second demonstration was held on the Neva River, which was very successful. The boiler did not explode, the boat did not capsize, and it successfully reached the palace embankment near the Winter Palace.

Alexander was very satisfied with this, and another project, the "rail transit" from Pavlovsk to Tsarskoye Selo, has now been completed, making it more convenient to move between these palaces.

It will take time to build a steam locomotive, but the track has been completed, and the rails are made of raw materials from Luhansk, and there are also sleepers and roadbed, which is also the basic railway configuration.

But without a locomotive, it goes without saying what kind of transportation to get: another horse-drawn carriage.

Moreover, the track spacing of the carriages is very interesting, as it was the design indicator for the future Russian broad-gauge railways.

This is not the introduction of British railway standards. Of course, the Russian track spacing must be adopted. In the future, when the technical level is improved, the carrying capacity will be stronger. At the same time, when all countries can master this technology, it will also prevent foreign enemies from invading.

As for the construction of railways, the roads in Russia are already so long, and there is no spare capacity for construction abroad. Considering that everyone in the world is crossing the river by feeling the stones, and those who come later will cross the river by feeling the way ahead, this is the only arrangement for now.

However, when Solovyov came back, he always felt that in a country with such a vast territory, as long as it was an absolute monarchy, he had to demonstrate it to the old lady first, which was indeed a farce.

However, in 1865, the Qing Dynasty did not even let go of the one-mile-long "demonstration railway" and directly ordered its demolition. On the Russian side, there was an edict for road construction left by Paul. Although the old emperor was gone, the money that had been invested had to be used.

So, they prepared such a railway for Queen Mother Maria, hoping to get her support.

To be honest, it was easy to explain this to the Queen Mother, who was a good machinist. She thought the demonstration railway was "feasible" because it was a special royal carriage running on it. Especially since the carriage was driven by Ilya Bykov, a strongman beside Alexander, it was more reliable in operation.

The crowd watching the ceremony, a group of nobles who were watching the fun, saw Bekov appear on the carriage. The strong man himself didn't know that the guest he was carrying today had approved the military canned food project because of the snacks he usually brought with him during the conversation with the emperor.
"Ilya Ivanovich, you are such a strong man! I am relieved that the Emperor lets you pull the cart."

"Hey, Major, if you think my carriage is going too fast, just pat your shoulder and shout it out. If it's too slow, the same goes for me!"

"It doesn't matter, as long as we finish this trip successfully. Besides, why do you want me to yell?"

"This is when the Emperor is sitting in my carriage, and he never gives me a definite answer!"

Solovyov then understood why Alexander always quarreled with his coachman.
When traveling in a carriage, Alexander often gave orders to Bykov by gestures, but Bykov always drove an open carriage. Even if he changed to a carriage with compartments, the Tsar's gestures could not be seen. Moreover, Alexander always spoke in a low voice in the car, so he had to look back frequently.

They were going to be together for twenty-five years, and it was quite something that Bykov, a hot-tempered strongman, had been able to stay with Alexander for such a long time.

Bykov is also a smart man. He is the only serf and servant of his friend, Lieutenant Dmitri Lukin of the Navy. His former master is also a strongman. The two are master and servant but also friends. After Lukin joined the army, he gave Bykov his freedom. After his freedom, the strongman became a citizen of Petersburg. A few days before Solovyov's accident last year, he officially became Alexander's full-time coachman.

He had already gained some fame before this, and he was a man of rough but meticulous character. When he saw that it was the major adjutant of the emperor who had arrived, he greeted him in advance, which was much more convenient than dealing with the emperor who was deaf in one ear.

Solovyov actually knew what he meant. Since Alexander couldn't listen to both sides, this was the only way.

Speaking of the rail transit, he is here to demonstrate it now. After all, he was the one who designed all the mechanisms on the route, including a switch. Moreover, when the four-horse carriage reaches the end of the track, Bekoff's strength is enough to stop it.

"Your Majesty, shall we begin now?"

"Go ask Bykov if he is ready?"

After seeing that everything was fine, Bykov cracked the whip and drove the carriage forward. Although Alexander would always complain that "my coachman only knows about horses", he still liked such a warrior, and his driving was particularly smooth.

Solovyov, who was in the carriage, felt that the strong man's driving skills could indeed make the carriage fast and stable. It was a pity that it was difficult for him to measure the speed. However, he could judge from experience that the speed of this carriage was faster than any other carriage he had ridden before, and it was even almost as fast as a horse's trot!
"Ilya, you should run slower, you're running too fast!"

"All right, Mr. Major!"

The carriage continued to move forward. Solovyov's only concern was the switch. If it was not closed perfectly, the test for the two of them would be very dangerous.

During this period, he traveled to many places and did not focus all his attention on the construction of rail transit. Moreover, there were so many coachmen in St. Petersburg that it was not appropriate to build tracks in the city. However, it would be somewhat useful between towns and villages.

But if there was a problem with this design, he would sit on it personally to test it today. He trusted Bekoff's skills and this sturdy royal carriage, but he still doubted the precision of the rail system produced by the ironworks.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong and Bekov successfully passed the switch switching stage. Now they came to the bend and of course they had to slow down.

Bykov is also very skilled on bends. If someone else were to drive, they might not be able to control it like this. Solovyov feels that if he were given a car, he would be able to drift!

"Okay, Ilya, slow down, the finish line where the emperor is is ahead!"

There were many people who came to watch the fun, and they were also amazed when Ilya Bykov drove the carriage quickly past.

After all, good horses were chosen, and they were driven by the strongest and most skilled coachman in the palace. The speed should be 25 to 30 versts per hour, and there was only one passenger. It was not a rail carriage in a mine, so the effect was still good.

Especially when stopping the car for the last time, Bekoff only "applied a little force" and he made the four horses stop quickly, and he also pulled the brakes at the same time.

"What a strong man, Ilya Bykov, you haven't drunk any 'Potion magique'?" "'Potion magique'? What is that? You don't seem to be speaking Russian, Mr. Major, I don't understand foreign languages!"

"Sorry, Ilya, you're not Gaul either."

Solovyov was somewhat confused here. After all, seeing such a strong man whose strength was a bit unscientific, he would also randomly guess that it was related to druids.

"Are all learned people as fond of joking as you are?"

After Bykov stopped the horse, the grooms who had been waiting here came over to take over, and the driver and passengers bowed to the Tsar together.

"How is it, Bykov and Solovyov, how do you feel about this trip?"

"Your Majesty, I think at this time, we should attribute it to Ilya Ivanovich's natural strength and driving skills. It was he who made this test a complete success. We can run faster on the rail carriage than ordinary carriages, but there are still some safety issues, which may require subsequent improvements."

Bekoff just smiled and didn't want to say much. As long as the passengers had a good experience, there would be no problem.

"That's great, but we also need time to complete this great project."

Alexander often did not give a clear answer, but at least he said he would complete it, no matter whether it took ten or twenty years, or until someone came to succeed Alexander as Tsar, he always gave a conclusion, which was a good thing.

Compared with rail transportation, sail-steam-powered transport ships are the project that Alexander is more concerned about now. After all, there are fewer changes required, and the first transport ship "Neva" that can be used between Kotlin Island and St. Petersburg is already under construction.

There were projects that Solovyov had come up with on both sides, and Alexander was thankful that he was interested in one of them. After all, it was not easy for this actor to agree to two big projects, and everyone knew his complicated thinking process.

"Your Majesty, I think in the future we can also connect Petersburg and Moscow, and Moscow and Kharkov."

"That's great, but it will take us a lot of time and a lot of money. Now we have to finish the steam locomotive. Next time we have to be able to drive a real steam car from Pavlovsk."

"Your Majesty, I think this will require technical personnel."

"Yes, Solovyov, we do need technical personnel. Once your mission of escorting the Queen to Stockholm is over, you can start looking for talent in this field."

"Especially to Scotland, your majesty. I think if I make them an offer they can't refuse, some will come to Petersburg."

"You can do this, too. I know that although you have talent, you can't do everything yourself. Go find someone, and the conditions are very good. If you have any difficulties, you can talk to Count Vorontsov after you arrive in London. Semyon Romanovich will definitely help you."

In this regard, the diplomats sent by Alexander to London have already given instructions.

If someone from the embassy went there, it might have aroused the vigilance of Britain and France. However, a young major who went to the two countries under a pseudonym moved covertly and was not easily detected.

In particular, when Solovyov spoke, no matter which language he used, he spoke very properly.

As for Louisa, she was just a spectator the whole day, but when she thought of the steamship, she was also imagining what a steam locomotive would look like. It must also be emitting white smoke, but her imagination and what was actually built might not be the same.

After all, although the young queen had learned a lot of knowledge, her understanding of engineering was still superficial and could not be compared with the natural history, history, geography and philosophy she was familiar with.

Bykov was rewarded with a silver pocket watch for his excellent driving, but Solovyov did not need such rewards. He also wanted to discover talents, especially the Scots who always came to Russia to make a living. There were people from all walks of life, including many skilled professionals. Russia has always welcomed adventurers.

Moreover, Alexander always wanted to show that he was open-minded and progressive, and he had not forgotten the wishes he made in his youth. To start his rule, he really needed to attract a lot of talents.

But whether he can control himself is still a question.

The Russian court is a strange place. There are always all kinds of people who like to flatter. Some of them have real skills, some rely on their eloquence and ability to serve others, and people who rely entirely on real talents and knowledge are now rare animals.

Solovyov felt that he was able to carry out his plans successfully only because of the support of a few nobles who were not easily overthrown.

Special thanks should be given to the handsome Count Stroganov, who was Alexander's close friend, had a handsome face and was very humble.

Logically speaking, with a face like his, he could wake up handsomely every morning. Moreover, in the social circles of St. Petersburg, even if you use a magic mirror, you can't find such a handsome and talented man, and he is the son of the richest man in Russia.

He and the old count were very interested in promoting Russia's enlightenment and progress and breaking away from the stereotype of "barbaric and backwardness". The old count was also an amateur chemistry enthusiast, and he also believed that it was necessary to introduce new machinery and various technologies into Russia.

In this regard, the old count was even willing to offer a reward that could not be refused to the first designer who could successfully run a train on the Pavlovsk-Tsarskoye Selo railway.

However, this public tender will have to wait until Solovyov leaves. He can go to Scotland according to the list and letter of introduction provided by Mr. Gascoigne, the manager of the Luhansk factory from Scotland. After all, not all information can be transmitted to the UK quickly, and many people are actually unwilling to move, so someone needs to lobby them in person.

When dealing with technical personnel, they are generally easy to talk to, except for those guys who bully others with patents.

(End of this chapter)