1920 - early 1930s - an amazing time in the Soviet era, when everyone believed that the future was in his hands. It was during this period that a huge number of discoveries and inventions were made. Well, then there was famine, war and everything calmed down a little. It is unlikely that you will find today a person who has heard about the ball train and its inventor Nikolai Yarmolchuk. But once this revolutionary technology was promised a great future, but this, unfortunately, never happened.
Down with the wheels
This amazing story of the flight of engineering thought dates back to the mid-1920s, when the young, unknown scientist Nikolai Yarmolchuk proposed to completely rethink the technology of railway tracks. Get rid of wheels, rails and create a brand new super fast safe train. According to Yarmolchuk's idea, the train was supposed to move with the help of special spheres, and instead of the classic rails, it was supposed to use chutes.
The new type of transport was supposed to run on electricity, so the project was named SHELT (ball-electric tube). Under such conditions, the device could reach speeds of 250 - 300 km / h. From Moscow to Leningrad in two hours, from the capital to Irkutsk in 30 hours, instead of a week. Wasn't this the problem that engineers all over the world were trying to solve? But in practice, everything turned out not so smoothly. The idea of the 27-year-old engineer seemed fantastic and even daring, and he got rejections from everywhere.
Unexpected turn
Promotional video:
Yarmolchuk then could not have imagined that soon everything would change: he would be in the center of public attention, and his balloon train would be called a new mode of transport. The explanation is simple - politics. SHELT was ideally suited to the new Soviet industrialization slogan "catch up and overtake". In 1929, an engineer built a floor model of a ball wagon and demonstrated it at the Moscow Institute of Engineers.
The model looked so convincing that it was decided to implement the project as soon as possible. For these purposes, even a special department was created, which was headed by Yarmolchuk. From that day on, he worked not alone, but in a group of experienced engineers and technicians. Experimental tests began to study the mechanics of the movement of a ball train. For one car, two spheres were provided, which were covered with a thin layer of rubber for better grip. The spheres were driven by a compact electric motor which was mounted on the lower axle. The stability of the train on turns was achieved by lowering the center of gravity.
They began to write about the innovative development in Soviet and foreign newspapers. Many promised a great future for the ball train, but there were also opponents of technology. According to SHELT estimates, it would be able to speed up passenger transportation by 5-6 times, and cargo transportation in general - by 15-20 times. The consumption of materials for the construction of reinforced concrete gutters was one and a half times less than that of classic railways, and the installation was several times faster.
First prototype and test
In April 1932, the first prototype carriage was ready. The model is five times smaller than life size: 75 centimeters in diameter and 6 meters in length. After a year and a half, five more such cars were developed. The full-fledged train looked futuristic and looked more like a giant metal snake. To test the world's first electric train at the Severyanin station near Moscow, a special section of the route was constructed, which consisted of two circular electrified wooden ball-tracks connected by a branch.
Construction of a track for a ball train.
The tests lasted for several months. They tested the mechanics of movement, stability and safety in general. The carriage could even accommodate two people, however, only lying down. According to Novate.ru, the SHELT prototype could reach a maximum speed of 70 km / h. The result of the tests was an expert commission, which confirmed that the new type of transport is completely ready for implementation and introduction to the masses.
It seemed that very soon the balloon train would receive its first passengers. On August 13, 1933, they even approved a project for the construction of an experimental and operational system, not yet full-fledged trains, but models on a scale of 1: 2. It was planned to build a train with roller skating rinks about two meters in diameter, and increase the speed to 180 km / h. The construction of full-fledged ball trains with a maximum speed of 300 km / h was scheduled for the end of the 1930s. The first route was even drawn up: Moscow - Noginsk, about 50 kilometers long. In the long term, SHELT alone could carry up to 5 million passengers per year. But the construction did not start like that … What was the reason?
Death of an idea
Realizing the full scale of the project, the Soviet leadership decided that the railways still had not exhausted their full potential. People who only yesterday supported Yarmolchuk's idea came to the conclusion that completely remaking the existing railways is an unbearable task for the state. They forgot about the ball train as quickly as they started talking. The creator of the idea tried to fulfill his dream to the last, but ultimately resigned himself and backed down.
Whoever felt about the development of Yarmolchuk, the fact that he was a talented engineer is undeniable. Many of the SHELT developments are used in modern high-speed trains. Unfortunately, today only a few black-and-white photographs and newsreels are left about the ball train.