Jet train of the USSR: a technical masterpiece of the future

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

In the USSR, they loved experiments and tried to bring unusual, non-standard solutions to life, if not completely, then at least partially. The engineers never ceased to amaze the people. Of course, there have always been in-house design specialists and people with out-of-the-box thinking. The former worked to create a useful but common technique. The latter were given bold assignments and the opportunity to work on the technical masterpieces of the future.

One of the fantastic tasks was the design and construction of a train equipped with a jet engine, followed by its testing. This is how a jet-powered train appeared, capable of providing people with accelerated movement using ground transport.

1. Beginning of history and checking the speed train for safety

In the seventies, in connection with the development of the economy, the population of the Soviet Union had a need for accelerated movement between settlements, especially between megacities. Accordingly, the need arose to create special equipment, which led to the beginning of experiments with the construction and launch of high-speed trains.

The task was given to the employees of the Kalinin (today Tver) Carriage Works. It was here that the parts necessary for the sample were delivered. By the way, the carriage was taken from a standard train.

Before starting work, the developers had to understand what load on the rails and the composition is possible when the train moves at a speed of more than 160 kilometers per hour. Therefore, the engineers decided to create an SVL - a high-speed laboratory car. Its predecessor was the American train M-497 with the interesting name "Black Beetle". It was launched a few years earlier, in the 66th year.

In both the American and Soviet versions, aircraft engines were installed on the front of the car. Our designers took the engine from the Yak-40. This is due to the fact that the wheels are affected by various forces, one of which is the motor connected to them and distorting the measurements being carried out.

With regard to jet thrust, it allowed engineers to obtain accurate information about stability and friction. This is due to the fact that the movement of the wheels was carried out not due to the drive, but according to the principle of the cart.

The basis for the SVL was the ER22 working car, which was slightly modernized with fairings and a special heat-resistant roof. Otherwise, the upper part of the car could simply burn out when the engine is running from its exhaust.

An aviation control panel was installed in the cockpit, powered by a diesel generator. The vehicle was set in motion with kerosene fuel, the supply of which reached 7.2 tons.

2. The train could accelerate to the speed of modern high-speed trains, but after five years it stopped

The first test of a jet Soviet ground transport was carried out in 1971. Then the car was able to accelerate to 187 km / h. But a year later, the experimenters obtained record speed indicators - 249 km / h. The modern Sapsan is moving at a similar speed on the Moscow - St. Petersburg line.

Later physicists theoretically searched for the so-called safe speed, when the undercarriage (bogies) would remain the most stable. They stopped at 160 kilometers per hour. Experiments continued over the next three years. During this time, design engineers received all the information they needed, which means there was no point in further experimenting.

The data obtained were to be used to create the first high-speed Soviet train called "Russian Troika". After carrying out the necessary tests, the state leadership transferred all the developments in favor of the ER 200 (Czechoslovak model), and this project was frozen by the 80th year.

The European version, created at the Riga plant with modifications, cruised across the expanses of Russia until 2009, and then it was replaced by the Siemens model "Sapsan".

3. A thirty-year-old simple laboratory with transformation into a monument

SVL found no application after the end of the experiments. For the next ten years, the carriage remained at the plant where it was created. According to some reports, in 1986 they wanted to adapt it for a cafe, but the idea was not implemented.

Over time, the SVL went out of order. Its wheels deteriorated to such a state that they could not overtake it to the Museum of Railway Technology in the 2000s. But this sample also did not disappear without a trace. For the 110th anniversary of the plant in 2008, a commemorative stele was made from the frame of this car. For this, a restored nose with installed jet engines was used.

The seemingly insane experience of Soviet design engineers became very important. And its results for the next thirty years formed the basis for the creation of high-speed trains.