to be precise, "the first railway built by China people" is not the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway. In 191, Cixi returned to Beijing after fleeing, and took the train for the first time on the way. The train left a good impression on her, and she proposed to take the train to Xiling to worship the mausoleum two years later. So the Qing court urgently raised funds to build a branch line from Gaobeidian Station of Beijing-Han Railway to Lianggezhuang Imperial Tomb. Liang Ruhao, the "young children studying in the United States" who was then the General Office of the Inner and Outer Railways, presided over this matter, and he recommended Zhan Tianyou. Zhan Tianyou emerged, and in the ice and snow where construction was difficult, he directed the project to be completed quickly.
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 pivot of Beijing to Inner Mongolia, and the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway has obvious military, economic and political value. The news of road construction came out that Britain, the most influential country in China, was determined to win, and Russia, which regarded the north of the Great Wall as its sphere of influence, would not give in. The two sides could not stand each other, and finally reached an agreement: if the Qing court did not 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 Russia, backward China is completely incapable, and they are waiting for China people to ask for help when they are deadlocked.
On May 3, 196, Zhan Tianyou wrote to Mrs. Nosob, the "parent" when she was studying in the United States. The letter said:
I am now the father of seven children-three women and four men! I am currently the "Beijing-Zhangjia Railway Association Office and Chief Engineer". This road is about 125 miles long, 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 surveyed three routes. The second detour is too far. The third is today's Fengsha Line, which is built from the south of Beijing to the west and passes through a large number of cemeteries, and there are too many obstacles. Due to limited funding and time constraints, Zhan Tianyou decided to take the first route, which is from Xizhimen via Shahe, via Nankou, Juyongguan, Badaling, Huailai, Jiming Post and Xuanhua to Zhangjiakou, with a total length of 36 Li. The difficulty of the whole line lies in Guangou, where there are overlapping mountains and cliffs, and the difficulty of engineering 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 6 meters.
On October 24th, 196, Zhan Tianyou wrote:
Dear Mrs. Nosorb:
Admittedly, I was lucky to be appointed to my present job. China has gradually awakened, and is in urgent need of railways. Now, engineers from China are solicited from 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 by people in the future!
Before I was appointed to this job, many foreigners publicly declared that China engineers could never take on such an arduous task, because they had to cut mountains and build extremely long tunnels!
but I went all out to make up a paragraph so far. I enclose a newspaper clipping to let you know that a young child from China who was under your guardianship in New Haven has completed and will continue to complete the task in the future. His early education fully benefited from you!
...
Your most loyal Zhan Tianyou
On September 3th, 196, the first section of the project was all opened to traffic, and the second section of the project started at the same time. Here's the difficulty. First of all, we must open four tunnels, namely Juyongguan, Wuguitou, Shifosi and Badaling. The longest Badaling tunnel is 192 meters. 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, only relying on the hands of workers.
This story is well known: Zhan Tianyou used both north and south ends to dig into the middle of the tunnel at the same time. However, the tunnel is too long, and then two vertical wells are dug in the middle, which can be dug in opposite directions, so that six working faces can be carried out at the same time. He used the principle of "folding line" to build a zigzag route to reduce the climbing degree, and used two carts to cross. At the beginning of the railway construction, there was a derailment of carriages. Zhan Tianyou thought of a way: add the 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.
On December 11th, 196, in the most tense day of the project, Zhan Tianyou wrote in a letter to Wiley, the son of Nosobu and his childhood friend:
At present, China is in a very unstable situation, and she is conducting expensive experiments and striving for innovation. But no one can predict what will happen in the future. I am required to build this railway only by China people. If I had the right, I am happy to introduce you to a job, but unfortunately, I am now instructed not to hire foreign employees.
When a railway is built near Beijing, an unexpected "price" is often paid. 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 crowd to make trouble, stopped the project, and privately promised to pay heavy bribes and demanded diversion. However, the north, south and west are all cemeteries of dignitaries, and I don't know how much waste it will cause to make a big diversion. Zhan Tianyou endured humiliation and spent a lot of time dealing with powerful people, and finally let the railway pass through the tomb wall. However, in order to maintain "Feng Shui", we promised to build another river, send officials to burn incense and offer sacrifices, and then erect a monument to commemorate it after the road is completed. The engineers were indignant, but Zhan Tianyou said that as long as the railway can be repaired, other minor matters can be tolerated.
The difficulty of the third section of Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway is second only to that of Guangou. The first thing I met was Huailai Bridge, the longest bridge on Jingzhang Road, which was erected by seven 3.48-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. Thanks to Zhan Tianyou's efforts, it was opened to traffic on August 11th, 199 two years ahead of schedule. Not only did the project not overspend, but it also saved 282, silver.
The photos left by Zhan Tianyou to future generations seem to be mostly unsmiling since childhood. He is a rigorous engineer, pragmatic and meticulous. But occasionally, it will also reveal the interest brought to him by studying abroad.
At the opening ceremony, Zhan Tianyou was asked which section was the most difficult in the whole Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway project?