Continuing the series of articles "Try to explain", previous issues: Try to explain. Backfilled buildings. / Try to explain. Where did sand come from in the deserts? / Try to explain. Where did the photos of deserted cities of the 19th century come from? / Try to explain. Why is there a young forest all over Russia?
The current topic echoes the previous one (about photos of deserted cities), we continue to look at strange photos of the 19th century.
Mysterious trams in Moscow.
What was it?
In numerous photographs of cities in the 19th and early 20th centuries, there are several versions of trams: horse-drawn, without a rod for connecting to electrical wires, and in the usual version - with a rod.
Horses and trams without wires.
If there are no questions with the first and last type of traction, then the trams without wires have seriously disturbed the Internet community … What is the power that drives them?
Promotional video:
No visible devices to move….
Batteries
The level of development of chemical production would hardly allow on an industrial scale to create mass-produced vehicles that allow for a long time (between recharging periods) to transport heavy platforms with people.
A heavy cart turns out.
Cable traction
This option was exactly used, another question - how widely? Between the tram rails, in the recesses, the cables were stretched to which the tram clings. The cables were pulled by stationary engines, along with the tram. Simple and tasteful. Only expensive.
See the device between the rails? It?
Conductive rail
The vast majority of readers are familiar with this option - this is how trains move in the metro. Another rail is laid between the guide rails, on which electricity is supplied, which ultimately feeds the engines of the tram (train).
There is something between the rails …
Of the minuses: the highest risk of shock to pedestrians and the need to build huge transformers, line losses and, accordingly, low efficiency, at a high project cost.
The legendary Nikola Tesla.
Atmospheric electricity
One of the most interesting versions is the use of Nikola Tesla's invention to transmit electricity without wires through repeater towers.
Tesla's experimental repeater.
Some followers of conspiracy theories believe that humanity in the 19th century actively used the method of transmission of electricity developed by Tesla. As proof, photographs of the massive use of antennas (spiers) and buildings similar to Tesla's repeaters are cited. Indicating at the same time that there are no electrical wires in the photo, but there are electrical appliances.
On the right and on the top left, there are many spiers-antennas.
This is followed by conclusions about a worldwide conspiracy to promote and use in the world a more expensive (traditional for us) method of electricity transmission.
In principle, there is nothing impossible in this - without available sources of information (such as the Internet for example), making people forget what happened is easy. They manage to do this even in our time full of gadgets, and even then even more so …
An interesting contrast in the ways of pulling.
It’s just strange, why these cunning industrialists did not see the advantages of cheap energy for the production (and cheapening) of products? Yes, energy companies would have sunk into oblivion, one can see interest in this, but at that time they were not that strong and influential yet …?
Some bloggers, as an argument denying this version, cite the same argument as with the photos of deserted cities (Try to explain. Where did the photos of deserted cities of the 19th century come from?) - the quality of the photos is such that the electric wires simply did not appear, but the poles are !
There are no pillars nearby and no roof bar can be seen …
In my opinion, this argument is not always consistent - these very poles are not everywhere, not all of them are electric, and most importantly, there are no pantograph bars on trams ("horns" on the roofs).
Thus, for all the extravagance, no one has refuted this version for good and should not be discounted.
W he - installation of electrical wires for trams - this is how they look now.
And I'm still wondering why the official historians and experts are silent again, because everything is in the archives! They are taught this PROFESSIONALLY! Why don't they show their deep knowledge in public?
Conclusion: this phenomenon arouses interest, but so far it remains without a clear and unambiguous answer (or I did not find it) - HOW (AND) WAY THE TRAMS RIDED WITHOUT WIRES (and horses)?