The train driver in the courtyard

The power source for railway tamping picks is a two-stroke engine.

This thing was used in motorcycles in the early days, but was later replaced by four-stroke engines.

However, two-stroke engines also have advantages. They do not have valves, which greatly simplifies their structure and makes them sturdy and durable.

A standard four-stroke engine may malfunction when the fuel is sloshing around and can only be used upright.

Two-stroke engines didn't have this problem, and they were only rediscovered in later generations to power chainsaws, tampers, and other similar devices.

While cutting down trees with a logging team in the mountains, Li Aiguo wanted to make a chainsaw, and this time he finally got one too.

There are also two-stroke motorcycles.
This thing has advantages such as simple structure, low maintenance cost, easy start-up, and stronger performance, and it can be manufactured.

After considering this, Li Aiguo realized that developing a two-stroke engine was absolutely necessary.

"You have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time. First, make the tamping pick, then the chainsaw. As for the two-stroke engine, it will take a long time, so we have to take it slowly." Li Aiguo chuckled to himself.

After a century of development, people have also discovered that the two-stroke engine has an irreplaceable advantage.

It is better able to cope with high temperatures and harsh environments, and is particularly useful in Southeast Asia and the South Asian subcontinent.

Forming a motorcycle cavalry unit, armed with Red Star RPGs, to flank the enemy and blow up a grain depot or command post would be an excellent idea.

Li Aiguo now admires his own foresight; he didn't rely on BAIC Group to develop the engine, but instead did it himself in the laboratory.

In this way, the laboratory's equipment and technicians can be put to good use.

These past few days, Director Zhang and his apprentice have been working with the Second Automobile Works to draft the production standards for the large off-road vehicle. They've been busy in the large office, and Li Aiguo is doing everything himself.

First, we got the blueprints done, and then we had the experienced mechanics in the maintenance workshop make the cylinder blocks.

"Brother Aiguo, lunch is ready." At noon, Chen Xueru came to the studio with her lunchbox.

Recently, with the help of water delivery trucks, the workload of their neighborhood office has been greatly reduced.

Chen Xueru was worried that Li Aiguo, like other train drivers, might develop stomach problems due to poor nutrition, so she would bring him food every day at noon.

Chen Xueru also likes to come to Li Aiguo's place.

Firstly, it would be a chance to meet Li Aiguo.

Secondly, the colleagues at the locomotive depot all call her "sister-in-law," which is a really nice way to address her.

The two chatted while eating, and Chen Xueru talked about the gossip she had heard on the street and in the courtyard.

"Liu Guangqi's wife came from Baoding, trying to persuade him to return to work in Baoding. Liu Guangqi refused, and the two had a fight."

"Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu have been busy these past few days cutting sweet potatoes into dried sweet potato slices and drying them."

They are all trivial matters, but they have a unique charm.

After finishing their meal, Li Aiguo took the lunchbox out to wash it, and then Chen Xueru rested on the bed in the office for a while before leaving.

Around two or three in the afternoon, Section Chief Xing suddenly came to the workshop and saw Li Aiguo fiddling with the machinery. He lowered his voice and said, "Aiguo, something's happened."

"Section Chief, what's the matter?" Li Aiguo knew that the section chief had been very busy lately, so Section Chief Xing's special visit here was definitely not just for idle chatter.

He put down the parts, wiped his hands, poured Section Chief Xing a cup of tea, and then asked.

"News has come from above that the Russians have fallen out with us, and this time it's a complete falling out."

Li Aiguo understood what he meant.

"How did things fall out this time?"

Section Chief Xing continued, "I heard it's because of the South Asian subcontinent. The Indians contacted the Russians, and the Russians publicly accused us of bullying children."

Li Aiguo thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be this, something Li Aiguo had long anticipated.

Since the second fight, the winning families have already divided up their territories quite thoroughly.

Sometimes they would argue and even get into physical fights, but as long as they didn't try to claim territory, these older guys wouldn't say anything, at most they would offer a few words of advice.

Now Li Yunlong has stopped showing any martial virtue. Not only is he running rampant in the South Asian subcontinent, but he's also setting up tents, as if he's turning a long journey into a permanent residence.

There's only so much space in a large family. If you take up more, others will have to take up less, and they'll definitely have complaints.

"Section Chief, there's nothing we can do about it." Li Aiguo didn't seem to mind, but there were quite a few people in the locomotive depot who firmly believed in their elder brother, so he had to remind him.

"The Big Brother is no longer the Big Brother it once was, and we are no longer the little brothers we once were. We need to look at things from a developmental perspective."

Although Li Aiguo spoke in a very veiled manner, Section Chief Xing, being a veteran comrade, understood perfectly well.

“Yes, the key is that some comrades don’t understand,” Section Chief Xing said again.

"Let the Education Office handle this, so we can reach a consensus," Li Aiguo suggested. "Those comrades are all family; as long as we explain the situation clearly, they'll understand."

Section Chief Xing knew this was the best solution, so he nodded and looked at the pile of parts, saying, "Is this the engine you made? Why is it so small?"

"It's just a little gadget I made because I had nothing else to do," Li Aiguo said.

"That's good. I heard you've been working on a weather forecasting system lately. If it's completed, it will be a great benefit to our railway transportation work. You mustn't get distracted." Section Chief Xing breathed a sigh of relief.

"Section Chief, I need some more materials."

"Let Lao Zhang handle it for you, he'll give you whatever you need." Section Chief Xing waved his hand and hurriedly headed towards the education office.

He needs to get the training classes up and running as soon as possible.

After seeing Section Chief Xing off, Li Aiguo continued tinkering with his two-stroke engine.

Similar to the manufacturing difficulties of eight-cylinder engines, the most critical technical aspects of manufacturing two-stroke engines are the cylinder block and crankcase.

However, since two-stroke engines are inherently sturdy and durable, and don't require such high precision, Li Aiguo asked the carpenters in the preparation workshop to make wooden molds, which were then sent to the steel rolling mill to be cast in gray cast iron.

This thing is low-cost and wear-resistant, but has poor precision. It also requires grinding the air holes and burrs. Then the air holes were machined using that old drilling machine.

As for the crankshaft, it uses a forged blank made of 45 steel, which is manually adjusted and balanced before the journal is machined on a belt lathe.

As he watched the engine gradually take shape, Li Aiguo had a vague feeling that he had actually made this thing by hand.

The next day, the newspapers published important news: the Russians unilaterally tore up the contracts signed a few years ago, then completely withdrew their experts, and even attempted to interfere in the affairs of their little brother's family.

The whole world was captivated by this news.

Actually, everyone knows what's going on.

Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that the older brother, Russia, is getting weaker and weaker, while the younger brother is getting stronger and stronger, and the relationship between the two sides needs to be redistributed.

The family members disagreed on the matter, with some siding with the Russians and others with the Northeast Iron, leading to a heated debate.

Of course, everyone knows that arguing won't get anywhere; it will only show an attitude.

This matter has also sparked considerable debate.

Inside the courtyard, many residents were gathered together, whispering amongst themselves.

Li Aiguo did not participate in the discussion, nor did he allow Chen Xueru to participate. He also had Chen Xueru give instructions to Chen Fangxuan's family.

As for Da Kui, with Wang Ting keeping an eye on him, he wouldn't make a scene with anyone.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot's Education Office quickly established a training class, with Director She personally in charge and Huang Shuxian and several veteran comrades serving as instructors.

This matter had absolutely no impact on the Red Star Computing Institute.

Those Russian professors couldn't wait for the two families to separate so they could work here in peace, since their families had already been brought over by Li Aiguo.

The Red Heart Computing Institute also took the opportunity, through Professor Gillotti's connections, to bring in a group of experts who were disappointed with Big Brother.

Actually, Li Aiguo was quite happy. Only after all the Russians left could they really unleash their potential.
Five days later, all the local historical weather data was sent to the capital, and the researchers at the Red Star Computing Institute began to use that data to build numerical models.

Li Aiguo made arrangements for the Russian experts who had just arrived in Beijing, and spent the morning at the Institute of Computing Technology. Seeing that everything was going smoothly, he then leisurely rode his bicycle back to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

"Large off-road vehicles are inconvenient in Beijing, and bicycles are too slow. Perhaps we should really develop two-stroke motorcycles."

The two places are more than ten miles apart. By the time Li Aiguo arrived at the studio, he was covered in sweat.

After taking a sip of tea, I worked for half an hour and finally got the railway tamping pick out.

Li Aiguo manufactured a split-type railway tamping pick, in which the two-stroke engine and the pick head can be separated, making it easy to replace the pick bar or perform maintenance.

It also adopts a two-to-four design, which can drive four picks to work synchronously through a V-belt transmission mechanism.

"Master, what is this thing?" The apprentice had finished his work and saw Li Aiguo firing a strange object in the yard, which puzzled him.

He knew that Li Aiguo had been busy in the studio lately, but he didn't understand the purpose of this thing.

"Good stuff. Apprentice, come on, today your master will teach you what to do when you encounter a loose sleeper as a train driver."

Li Aiguo mounted the tamping pick on the back of his bicycle and walked along the railway line with his apprentice for a while. Sure enough, they saw several track inspectors repairing the tracks.

It's very hot now. The track inspectors lift iron lumps high and smash them against the ballast. In no time, they are all drenched in sweat.

"Hang in there a little longer. If we work harder, there will be fewer train accidents and less bloodshed."

The fifth team leader felt sorry for the old track patrol workers who were about to give up, but there was nothing he could do.

He had no choice but to rush over and replace the oldest person.

"Master Zhou, your lower back has been injured recently. You just put on the plaster. Go and rest for a while. I'll take care of it."

"Team leader, we've been working for more than ten days. We workers can take turns in two shifts and have a break, but you have to keep an eye on things the whole time. It's much harder for you than for us. Let me do it."

Master Zhou knew that Team Leader Zhou had been relying on painkillers to get through the past few days and refused to hand over the rope.

"I'm the team leader, so you listen to me."

“Team leader, you just got married and don’t have any children yet. What if you ruin your health? I’m older than you and I have five or six children. I’m not afraid of anything.”

The two were at loggerheads.

Just then, a voice came from the side: "Comrade, is there a problem with the ballast over here?"

The fifth team leader was already in a bad mood when he heard someone shouting. He immediately replied impatiently, "Where did you come from? This is near the railway tracks. Get out of here."

When he looked up at the person who had come, his expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "It's Li Dache! What brings you here?" Li Aiguo is now a role model in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Among the tens of thousands of people in the entire depot, there are very few who don't know him.

"I've been having nothing to do lately, so I tinkered with a little gadget and thought I'd bring it here to try it out," Li Aiguo said as he walked over.

The track patrol workers, forgetting all about their work, dropped their ropes and moved aside.

Several cracks appeared under the ballast, which is a typical sign of ballast loosening. Once the cracks widen, the sleepers will break, and a train will inevitably derail when it passes by.

"A little gadget?"

"What is this thing? It looks like a hammer."

"Does your hammer have an engine?"

"That's it!" Everyone was discussing, but no one could figure out what this thing was for.

"This is called a railway tamping pick, which is specifically used to compact ballast."

The two-stroke engine was started by pulling a rope. Li Aiguo pulled the rope sharply, and the engine started, with the pickaxe in front vibrating at high speed.

The road patrolmen were startled and took two steps back.

Li Aiguo opened the air vent, took the railway tamping pick, and walked to the area that needed to be compacted. He didn't rush to start working; this thing needed to be warmed up for a minute.

When the time was almost up, the tamping rod was tapped twice against the ground, producing a series of buzzing sounds.

"It's time to start."

Li Aiguo directly tamped the tamping rod under the sleeper.

This terrified Master Zhou.

To prevent damage to the sleepers, they always disassembled them before starting work. Isn't that just messing things up?

He was about to step forward to stop them, but the fifth group leader pulled him back: "Old Zhou, look."

Master Zhou looked up and saw an unbelievable scene: the sleeper that should have been broken was completely intact, while the ballast under the sleeper was vibrating incessantly.

Although it is impossible to feel it, one can see the force that the ballast is bearing by the constantly bouncing gravel.

"This thing seems to be stronger than a lump of iron."

"The key is the vibration frequency. Didn't you see? It can vibrate hundreds of times per second."

"It's a good product, but I don't know how effective it will be."

Li Aiguo was focused on dealing with the ballast, while the fifth team leader and several switchmen were whispering among themselves.

"What are you doing? Why did you stop? This section must be repaired before tonight." Director Huang of the line workshop, along with several staff members, was on patrol when they saw the situation and immediately rode their bicycles over.

Before he even jumped off the bicycle, he started shouting loudly.

"It's Li Dache, he got his hands on some strange hammer." The fifth group leader quickly explained when he saw Director Huang getting angry.

"This is ridiculous. I've never heard of slacking off when reinforcing ballast." Director Huang was furious and wanted to lash out, but considering Li Aiguo's status, he had to suppress his anger.

"Comrade Patriot, this is different from driving a train; there aren't that many tricks involved. We're still working here."

The meaning is quite clear: you train drivers shouldn't cause trouble.

"One minute left," Li Aiguo replied calmly.

"What?" Director Huang rubbed his ears.

"Alright." Li Aiguo turned off the engine, picked up the tamping pick, and said while clearing away the rubble, "The ballast under these sleepers has been compacted."

"what?!"

This time, not only Director Huang, but also the fifth group leader and several other veteran track patrol workers stared wide-eyed.

Keep in mind that this section is less than half a meter long, but according to the standard operating procedure, the rails and sleepers need to be removed and then compacted with iron blocks. It would take a team at least seven or eight hours to complete the work.

How come it was done in less than half an hour?

“Li Dache, you are a nationally recognized outstanding train driver. Your train driving skills are beyond question. It’s just that maintaining the railway is different from driving a train.” Considering Li Aiguo’s status, Director Huang suppressed a laugh and coughed twice.

"You can check."

"Huh?!" Director Huang thought he had misheard.

Only after Li Aiguo repeated it again did he realize that the other party was not joking.

"Director, Li Dache's thing looks pretty powerful. Why don't we take a look at it?" The fifth team leader was tempted. If the railway tamping pick was really that powerful, it would save a lot of effort in repairing the rails in the future.

Master Zhou nodded in agreement: "My daughter said that Li Dache can handle everything, so he might be useful."

"Yes, Li Dache can even build a steam engine."

Trust has inertia. Although these railway workers felt that the tamping pick was a bit outrageous, they also agreed to the inspection when they thought that it was Li Aiguo who had done it.

"Alright then." Director Huang hadn't originally planned to cooperate with Li Aiguo's nonsense, but seeing so many people in favor, he could only nod.

"Old Zhou, take some men and dismantle the rails."

"Yes."

Several track inspectors dismantled the rails, carried them aside, pried apart the sleepers, and then used pickaxes to smash the area.

"Hiss, it's so solid!"

"Yes, it's completely different from before."

"This is even stronger than the ones we've rammed."

The track inspectors had dealt with ballast their whole lives, while their apprentices were just watching the show from the sidelines; they had already reached a conclusion.

"Don't joke around, this thing really works." Director Huang didn't believe it. He picked up the steel rod and hammered it a few times. The rest of his words choked in his throat. After a long time, he finally managed to say the second half of the sentence: "It really does work."

He turned his head to look at the strange railway tamping pick, as if he had seen a treasure.

"Patriotism, this thing... How many of these can be made?"

"We can build as many as needed, but we'll still need some materials."

"Alright, alright, you wait here, I'll go get the materials from the logistics department now." Director Huang also knew that if they wanted to produce railway tamping picks on a large scale, they still had to go through the proper procedures and get a large batch of materials.

He handed Li Aiguo a pack of cigarettes, then rode off on his bicycle in a flash.

Li Aiguo opened a pack of cigarettes and handed them out to the old road patrol workers.

"Everyone take a break. We'll use these tamper picks to get to work later, so it won't delay our work."

Master Zhou wiped his calloused fingers on his body before reaching out to take the cigarette and looking at Li Aiguo.

The setting sun cast a pale golden glow on Li Aiguo.

"What a good comrade!" Master Zhou thought to himself.

****
Early in the morning, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot was bustling with people.

Section Chief Xing rode his bicycle into the section and, as usual, took a round around so that he could promptly handle any work reports from people.

After dealing with a few minor issues, Section Chief Xing sensed something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

He turned around to go back to his office when Wang, the department head in charge of safety, arrived with a group of experts. The two sides planned to hold a safety meeting to resolve the ballast issue on the line.

After chatting for a few minutes, Section Chief Xing led Leader Wang to prepare for a meeting. After taking only two steps, he suddenly turned his head back to look at the line workshop.

"The track maintenance workshop should be especially busy these days. It's already past eight o'clock, why are there still so many track inspectors resting in the workshop?"

"Leader Wang, please wait a moment."

Section Chief Xing finally realized what was wrong and strode over.

When Leader Wang saw that something had happened here, he also took several experts and followed behind.

"After the second batch of tamping picks is produced, you will need to go to the workshop for training before you can start working, understand?" Director Huang was instructing the track inspectors at this moment.

Seeing Section Chief Xing enter with the department's leaders, he quickly greeted them with a smile.

"Leaders, section chief, you've arrived."

"Old Huang, what's going on? The sun's already high in the sky, why haven't we set off yet?"

"Section Chief, Li Dache got us some new equipment. It's really useful and efficient. We're waiting to pick it up."

"what?!"

Section Chief Xing was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked, "What exactly happened?"

Director Huang picked up a railway tamping pick and explained the whole story in detail.

"I didn't believe this thing would work either, but guess what? Last night, three teams equipped with railway tamping picks completed a whole day's work in just two hours."

Section Chief Xing looked at the railway tamping pick, his eyes lighting up: "Is this the little gadget that Aiguo was talking about?!"

"A gadget? Old Xing, if this thing really can process three square meters of ballast in twenty minutes, as this comrade says, then it's an amazing thing." Leader Wang was a little confused.

"That's right, this is the name Li Dache came up with when he was tinkering with this thing a while ago."

Upon hearing this, Leader Wang picked up the tamping pick and asked how to use it. He then had the experts conduct on-site tests and inspections of the tamping pick.

"Sir, this equipment is indeed very useful and ingeniously designed. The ballast it treats is even more compacted than if done manually." After a thorough inspection, several experts gave their conclusion.

Leader Wang immediately perked up and quickly instructed the experts to put away the tamping picks. He then looked at Section Chief Xing and said, "Old Xing, if tamping picks could be widely adopted throughout the system, it would save countless manpower and reduce countless accidents."

Cough cough cough. Section Chief Xing almost choked.

"You, Li Aiguo! You call this a trinket?!"

(End of this chapter)