The story of Zhan Tianyou's construction of Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway

Zhan Tianyou is an outstanding patriotic engineer in China. Under his auspices, the railway from Beijing to Zhangjiakou was successfully built for the first time. This is the first railway trunk line designed and built entirely by China engineers and technicians.

The railway from Beijing to Zhangjiakou is 200 kilometers long, which is the traffic artery connecting North China and Northwest China. At that time, as soon as the Qing government put forward the construction plan, some imperialist countries came out to obstruct it. They all want to fight for the right to build this railway and further control the northern part of our country. The imperialists refused to let people go, and the matter dragged on for a long time They finally put forward a condition: if the Qing government used its own engineers to build the railway, it would not ask again. They thought that with such a threat, the railway could not be started, and finally they had to ask them for help. The imperialists got it all wrong. China had its own engineers at that time, and Zhan Tianyou was one of them.

1905, the Qing government appointed Zhan Tianyou as the chief engineer to build the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway. As soon as the news came out, it caused a sensation all over the country, and everyone said that they could win a sigh of relief this time. The imperialists think this is a joke. A foreign newspaper said contemptuously, "China engineers who can build a railway north of Nankou have not yet been born." It turns out that from the south exit to the north, through Juyongguan to Badaling, there are mountains, deep streams and cliffs all the way. They think that famous engineers all over the world dare not try such a difficult project easily. As for China people, they can't eat it all anyway.

Zhan Tianyou, not afraid of difficulties and ridicule, resolutely accepted the task and immediately began to survey the line. Where to cut mountains, where to build bridges, where to level steep slopes and where to reduce curvature all need to be investigated and carefully calculated. Zhan Tianyou often encourages the staff to say, "Our work must be accurate first, and we can't be a little sloppy. The words' probably' and' almost' should not come from the mouth of engineers. " He personally took students and workers, carried benchmarks and theodolite, fixed points on the cliff and surveyed. The Great Wall is often windy and dusty, and if you are not careful, you are in danger of falling into a deep valley. No matter how bad the conditions are, Zhan Tianyou always insists on working in the wild. Climb the mountain to survey the route during the day and draw and calculate under the oil lamp at night. In order to find a suitable route, he often asks local farmers. When encountering difficulties, he always thought: This is the first railway built by China people themselves, and it must be built; Otherwise, it will not only make foreigners laugh, but also make engineers in China lose confidence.

The railway has to pass through many high mountains, so it is necessary to dig tunnels, among which Juyongguan and Badaling tunnels are the most arduous projects. Juyongguan Mountain is high and the rock stratum is thick, so Zhan Tianyou decided to adopt the method of simultaneous excavation from both ends to the middle. The spring water at the top of the mountain seeped downward, and the tunnel was full of mud. There was no water pump on the construction site, so Zhan Tianyou took the lead in carrying buckets to drain water. He often eats and lives with the workers and never leaves the construction site. Badaling Tunnel is 1 100 meters long, which is three times as long as Juyongguan Tunnel. He discussed with the old workers and decided to adopt the intermediate sinking method. First, drill a shaft down from the top of the mountain, then dig both ends separately, and both ends will be constructed at the same time, which shortens the construction period by half.

The railway passes near Qinglong Bridge, with a particularly steep slope. How can a train climb such a steep slope? Zhan Tianyou designed a herringbone line along the mountain. When the northbound train arrives at the south exit, two locomotives are used, one is pulling in front and the other is pushing back. After crossing the Qinglong Bridge, the train went northeast, crossed the fork of the herringbone line and turned upside down. The original locomotive was pulled and pushed, making the train turn to the northwest. In this way, it is much easier for the train to go up the hill.

The railway was completed in less than four years, two years ahead of schedule. This incident gave a powerful counterattack to the imperialists who despised China. Today we go to Badaling by train and pass Qinglong Bridge Station. We can see a bronze statue, which is Zhan Tianyou. Many foreign guests visiting China are amazed at the great project left by Zhan Tianyou.

The story of Zhan Tianyou and Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway is familiar to students all over China.

However, what most people don't know is that Zhan Tianyou had been working for the railway construction in China for nearly twenty years before he took over the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway Project. In the meantime, he participated in the survey and design of the Tianjin Tongzhou Railway planned by Li Hongzhang (that is, the Tianjin Tongzhou Railway that caused fierce controversy); Participated in the railway construction from Tianjin to Shanhaiguan; Participated in the construction of the Luanhe Railway Bridge that still exists today.

Accurately speaking, "the first railway built by China people" is not the Jing-Zhang railway. 190 1 year, Cixi returned to Beijing after fleeing and took the train for the first time. The train left a good impression on her, and she proposed to go to Xiling to worship the mausoleum by train two years later. So the Qing court urgently raised funds to build the branch line from Gaobeidian Station of Beijing-Han Railway to Lianggezhuang Imperial Tomb. Liang Ruhao, a "young child studying in the United States" in the General Office of Internal and External Railways, presided over this matter, and he recommended Zhan Tianyou. Zhan Tianyou stood out from the crowd, directing the rapid completion of the project in the ice and snow with difficult construction.

This is the first railway independently built by China people. Although it is only 37 kilometers, it is ironic: it was built for one person to worship his ancestors.

Zhangjiakou is the hub for Beijing to enter Inner Mongolia, and the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway has obvious military, economic and political value. News of the road construction has spread that Britain, the most influential country in China, is determined to win, and Russia, which regards the north of the Great Wall as its sphere of influence, will not give in. The two sides couldn't stand each other, and finally reached an agreement: if the Qing court didn't borrow foreign debts or use foreign craftsmen, it would be built by China people independently, and neither side could reach out. In the eyes of Britain and China, backward has no ability at all, and it is deadlocked and waiting for China people to ask for help.

1on may 3rd, 906, Zhan Tianyou wrote to Mrs. Nosobu, a "parent" studying in the United States, saying:

I am now the father of seven children-three women and four men! I am currently the office and chief engineer of Beijing-Zhangjia Railway Association. The length of this road is about 125 miles, and three tunnels will be dug, the longest of which is three quarters of a mile. This road is the first railway built entirely by China engineers. I hope we can finish it smoothly!

Zhan Tianyou investigated three routes. The second detour is too far. Third, today's Fengsha Line, built from south to west in Beijing, passes through a large number of cemeteries and has too many obstacles. Due to limited funds and time, Zhan Tianyou decided to take the first route, that is, from Xizhimen via Shahe, via Nankou, Juyongguan, Badaling, Huailai, Ji Ming Post and Xuanhua to Zhangjiakou, with a total length of 360 miles. The difficulty of the whole line is to close the ditch, where there are overlapping cliffs. The engineering difficulty was not found in the whole country at that time, and it was rare in the world. The slope is extremely steep, and the height difference between Nankou and Badaling is nearly 60 meters.

1906101October 24th, Zhan Tianyou said in the letter:

Dear Mrs. Nosob,

Admittedly, I am lucky to be appointed to my present job. China has gradually awakened and is in urgent need of railways. Now, engineers from China have been recruited all over the country. China will use its own funds to build its own railway in China. It seems that I have become the best engineer in China, so all China people and foreigners pay close attention to my work. If I fail, it is not only my personal misfortune, but also the misfortune of all China engineers and all China people, because China engineers will not be trusted in the future!

Before I was appointed to this job, many foreigners publicly declared that engineers in China could never undertake such a difficult task because they had to cut mountains and build extremely long tunnels!

But I went all out to make jokes so far. I enclose a newspaper clipping to let you know that a young child from China under your care in New Haven has completed this task and will continue to do so in the future. His early education fully benefited from you!

……

Your most loyal Zhan Tianyou.

On September 30th 1906, all the first blocks of the project were opened to traffic, and the second blocks started at the same time. That's the difficulty. First of all, we should open four tunnels: Juyongguan, Wuguitou, Shifosi and Badaling. Badaling tunnel is the longest1092m. This requires not only accurate calculation and correct command, but also new mountain cutters, ventilators and pumps. The former was not a problem for Zhan Tianyou, while the latter was not available in China at that time, and it could only be done by workers.

The story is well known: Zhan Tianyou used the north and south ends to dig into the middle point of the tunnel at the same time. But the tunnel is too long, and then two vertical shafts are dug in the middle, which can be dug in the opposite direction, so that six working faces can be carried out at the same time. Using the principle of "broken line", he built a zigzag route to reduce the climbing degree and used two trolleys to cross it. At the beginning of the railway construction, there was a derailment of carriages. Zhan Tianyou thought of a way: add an automatic hook invented by American Jenny to each car, so that it can be combined into a solid whole to ensure the safety when climbing.

190665438+February 1 1 In the most tense days of the project, Zhan Tianyou wrote in a letter to Willy, the son of Nosobu and his childhood friend:

At present, the situation in China is very unstable. She is conducting expensive experiments and trying to innovate. But no one can predict what will happen in the future. Only China people asked me to build this railway. If I had the right, I would be happy to introduce you to a job, but unfortunately, I am now instructed not to hire foreign employees.

Building a railway near Beijing often requires an unexpected "price". The railway passes through the grave of a former Taoist priest, who is a relative of the royal family and has influence in both the government and the public. This person led the masses to make trouble, stopped the project, privately promised to pay heavily bribes and demanded diversion. However, the north, south and west are cemeteries of dignitaries, and I don't know how much waste will be caused by the big diversion. Zhan Tianyou endured humiliation, spent a lot of time dealing with powerful people, and finally let the railway pass through the tomb wall. But in order to maintain "Feng Shui", we promised to build another river, send officials to burn incense and sacrifice, and then erect a monument to commemorate it after the road is completed. Engineers were outraged, but Zhan Tianyou said that as long as the railway can be repaired, other minor things can be tolerated.

The difficulty of the third bid section of Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway is second only to Guangou. The first thing I saw was Huailai Bridge, the longest bridge on Zhangjing Road, which was erected by seven 30.48-meter-long steel beams. Thanks to the correct command of Zhan Tianyou, the bridge was successfully completed.

The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway was originally planned to be completed in six years. With the efforts of Zhan Tianyou, the whole line was opened to traffic on June 65438+August 65438+August 0909. The project not only did not overspend, but also saved 282 thousand silver.

The photos left by Zhan Tianyou to future generations seem to be unsmiling since childhood. He is a rigorous engineer, pragmatic and meticulous. But occasionally he will show his interest in studying abroad.