Daming Crazy Emperor

Chapter 405 Jingwu Railway
The spinning machine and loom were developed by Cheng Jiashuo, but the steam locomotive seemed to be a bit of a failure.

Because the steam locomotive developed by Song Yingxing and Wang Zheng couldn't pull the goods at all!
But, fortunately, after Taichang made a point, Song Yingxing and Wang Zheng quickly understood where the problem was.

This is actually a question of perception.

Because they didn't understand that the steam locomotive would be affected by friction when pulling the cargo compartment.

They just follow the traditional idea of ​​saving materials as much as possible.

Therefore, the steam locomotive they developed was not heavy enough, did not have enough friction, and always slipped.

This is naturally simple after understanding the reason.

Song Yingxing, Wang Zheng and the others spent several days working in the shed next to the coal station without sleep or food, and a new steam engine was rebuilt by them.

This new steam locomotive suddenly became three or four times larger, and the steam boiler became four feet long. Four steam engines were directly installed, and the whole steam locomotive was added with the thick iron plate houses around it. It was more than ten times heavier in an instant, and it is estimated that it will not slip when pulling ten cargo compartments.

After Song Yingxing, Wang Zheng and others modified the new steam locomotive, they were extremely excited.

They directly ordered people to block the horse-drawn cargo compartments coming from Fangshan, and then burned the steam, and ordered people to hang ten cargo compartments behind them, and they were ready to test the car.

At this moment, the two guys were a little too excited, and they didn't even expect that there was a big loophole.

Inside the carriage, both of them were standing in front of the console, ready to start.

Song Yingxing couldn't help but rubbed his hands together and said, "Liangfu, it must be done this time. How fast do you think this steam locomotive can go?"

Wang Zheng couldn't help but touched the steering wheel, and then he imagined: "This steam locomotive should not be slower than the wheels."

Song Yingxing couldn't help but look at the big boiler behind him, and then sighed: "This guy's boiler is too big, there's too much water in it, and it takes too much time to boil it."

Who said no.

Both of them couldn't wait any longer, but the water in the boiler didn't boil for a long time.

I don't know how long I waited, but the siren sounded when the steam was ready.

Song Yingxing immediately shouted excitedly: "Stand still, let's drive!"

After that, he opened the main valve.

"咔呲咔呲", there was a rhythmic crashing sound, and the steam locomotive drove out smoothly, without any slippage, and the speed was getting faster and faster.

What a success!

Both Song Yingxing and Wang Zheng couldn't help jumping up excitedly.

The steam locomotive pulled ten cargo compartments and drove for several miles, and the speed was almost stable. Song Yingxing then closed the main valve and tried to slow down and stop.

Soon, the car stopped.

It seems that there is no problem with driving, accelerating, decelerating, and parking!
Song Yingxing couldn't help but rubbed his hands again and said, "Liangfu, why don't we invite the Emperor and Lord Bi to come and have a look?"

OK!

Wang Zheng was about to summon people to prepare horses, but suddenly stopped.

He subconsciously turned his head and looked back in shock.

Seeing this, Song Yingxing couldn't help being startled.

He then turned his head to look, and then couldn't help asking: "Liangfu, what's the matter?"

Wang Zheng turned around and said blankly: "Chang Geng, how do we go back?"

what?
When Song Yingxing heard this, he couldn't help showing a hint of shock on his face.

They seem to have had a big oolong!
At this moment, all the carriages on the railway are horse-drawn carriages, so there is no need to consider the problem of turning around. Therefore, there is no place for turning around on several railways.

They used a steam locomotive to pull a string of cargo boxes and ran out for several miles. How can they go back without turning around?
The steam locomotive they developed in the past was not heavy at all, and it couldn't move, so it was considered good if it could go a few hundred steps.

Therefore, at that time, after the test run, they only needed to lead a few horses to pull the steam locomotive back.

This time they were embarrassed.

Not to mention anything else, let's talk about this steam locomotive, it can't be pulled by a few horses!

What's more serious is that they didn't bring a single horse and drove out directly.

Where can I find horses in this place where there is no village and no shop behind?
In desperation, they had no choice but to use the boiler-burning craftsman as a horse boy, and ordered him to run back, call more people to ride over, pull away the cargo compartments one by one, and then combined the power of more than ten horses to send the steam locomotive to the ground. pull back!

Their oolong made a big fuss, directly blocking the railway from Fangshan to Huairou and Miyun for several hours, almost preventing all the iron-making furnaces over there from being turned off.

When Taichang heard the news, he really couldn't laugh or cry.

The next morning, in the imperial study, he drove Song Yingxing and Wang Zheng, who were full of embarrassment, and asked curiously: "Chang Geng, Liang Fu, haven't you thought about the track that this steam locomotive needs to turn around?"

Well, I really haven't thought about it.

In the past, they all subconsciously regarded steam locomotives and horse-drawn cargo compartments as the same thing.

They feel that as long as there is a horse, it can be pulled forward and backward.

Anyway, it is a matter of tying the reins to the front and back.

This suddenly created a big guy, they really didn't think so much.

Song Yingxing said with a little shame: "The emperor forgives the crime, I really did not expect it."

Uh, such a smart Encyclopedia of Ming Dynasty didn't expect it, it's really a bit unbearable.

Although Taichang knew that he shouldn't laugh at this moment, he still couldn't help laughing and said, "Hahahaha, you were all dumbfounded when you drove the steam locomotive into the wilderness, right?"

Who said no.

Song Yingxing said embarrassingly: "Liangfu didn't say anything, Weichen hasn't thought about how to go back yet."

Taichang endured it, and then smiled slightly: "Okay, okay, there will inevitably be such and such problems in the development of new things, it's nothing. Your mistakes this time are at the right time, which reminds me of a very important problem. .”

Song Yingxing couldn't help but asked curiously: "Your Majesty, what question did you think of?"

Taichang thought for a while, and then explained: "I was thinking about the problem of freight or travel. Isn't this North Zhili is about to be frozen? By then, the shipping from the capital to Wubei City will stop. It is also inconvenient to travel between the capital and Wubei City, and many things have to be stopped and waited for the canal to be unblocked, which will take several months!"

That's what happened.

Song Yingxing nodded repeatedly and said: "It was indeed like this before, but now that the railway has been repaired to Wubei City, even if it is frozen, it should be no problem to use horse-drawn carriages to pull some goods or people there."

Still thinking about using a horse?

Taichang couldn't laugh or cry: "Didn't all steam locomotives be successfully developed by now? Hurry up and build the railway from Beijing to Wubei City into a circle. At that time, it will be more convenient for pulling goods or people!"

Uh, is there still time?
Song Yingxing couldn't help being surprised: "Your Majesty, the weather is estimated to be snowing in a few days, and it will be frozen by then. Is there still time for us to repair the railway?"

Of course I can.

Taichang said without hesitation: "Go to Jiandou and ask him to arrange one hundred thousand soldiers from the Shenji Battalion and Shenwu Battalion for you, and quickly build the railway between the capital city and Wubei City into a circle, and then the steam locomotive will be able to travel between the capital city and Wubei City." Running back and forth between cities."

Well, there is no problem for the soldiers of the Hundred Thousand Divine Machine Battalion and Shenwu Battalion to build such a small amount of railways.

You know, it is more than 100 miles from the capital to Wubei City, which is less than two thousand feet. Hundreds of people laying a track, can't the speed be fast?

Song Yingxing cupped his hands quickly and said: "I understand, the emperor can rest assured that before the ice freezes, I will definitely build the railway between the capital city and Wubei City into a circle."

He is not bragging, because casting iron rails is not a problem for the Ministry of Industry at the moment. If all relevant craftsmen are mobilized to cast them with all their strength, it will be no problem for Wubei City to cast thousands of rails a day.

But at the moment, you can buy all kinds of sleepers and stones, and the canal has not been frozen, so it is not too convenient to transport them along the railway line.

The only problem is that a few bridges have to be widened a bit.

Now that there is cement and steel bars, it is very simple to widen the bridge deck.

With the full cooperation of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War, Song Yingxing, Lu Xiangsheng and others personally supervised the construction, and the soldiers of the [-] Shenji Battalion and Shenwu Battalion went together. The railway between the capital city and Wubei City was really built in a few days. Double track loop.

This is the first railway in the true sense of Ming Dynasty, the Jingwu Railway.

The opening of the Beijing-Wuhan Railway also heralded that the Ming Dynasty was about to enter a new era, a new era in which both water and land transportation developed.

(End of this chapter)