Finger of the emperor Nikolay I and JOURNEY FROM ST. PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW

(google translation)

Finger Emperor

      Railroad Petersburg-Moscow, opened in 1851, laid almost in a straight line - the shortest distance between cities verct 598, trunk length - 604. But until recently coherent picture spoiled loop near Mstinsky Bridge - popularly nicknamed "finger Emperor" . According to conventional wisdom joke, Emperor Nicholas I with a ruler drew a line on a map of the future road, but stumbled on a pencil attached to the line and finger in a straight line turned a bend. And indeed, it seems to precisely map the finger.

      But the joke is a joke as well, though beautiful. History Verebinskogo bypass - one of the most complex and unusual areas of highway, is not so simple.

      Let's start with the fact that at first no "finger" was not, the whole line was built almost shortest path. But 186 was less than a mile deep ravine Verebinsky current along the bottom of a small rivulet Verebey. Immediately beyond the ravine began a steep rise in the Valdai Hills. The depth of the ravine is about 40 meters, but behind it is a long long ascent towards Moscow - the next station Torbina is almost 100 meters above Mstinsky bridge.

      The railway was built by the forward direction, which was a mistake due to the lack of normal maps and the will of the authorities - "build right." Through a ravine river Verebi line passed by a unique devyatiproletnomu bridge height of 53 m and a total length of 590 m - the highest at that time in Russia. It was designed and built a young engineer, later known theorist M.I.Zhuravsky bridge construction. He applied the farm of the American system "Gau", but developed a theory to calculate it, with almost the first time in the world made it a continuous all 9 spans. The farm consisted of a wooden belts and braces, strapped with iron cords.

      Experience of the first years of operation showed all the flaws of "direct option." The rise of the ravine toward Moscow was not only the coolest on the entire line - 8.2 thousandths, but very long, protracted. Low-power locomotives of that time could not physically pull the top heavy compositions, they had to disengage in Burge and spend part of 10-12 cars, which were on duty at the site four additional locomotive. During the descent brake cars overheated, lose their effectiveness, and although the straightness of lines saved from the worst effects to Mstinsky bridge train flew sometimes prohibitively high speed. Verebinskaya station was on a slope in front of the bridge that brings a lot of difficulties in its operation.

      With the increasing volume of traffic, verebinsky site became the main "bottleneck line" - not only that the train had to disengage and carry on the rise in parts, but these parts crept upstairs some 20 miles unhappy about two hours!

      Survey Verebinskogo bridge from the technical and Inspection Committee of the Company in October 1874 revealed local obmyatiya wooden beams and planks, and sometimes rot. Verebinsky same rise was considered "very shy for the operation of the road." Brewing for a radical solution to the problem. "To eliminate all inconveniences and hazards Verebinskogo lifting and trying to avoid them when replacing Verebinskogo Mstinsky and bridges in the old place," the Ministry of Railways has asked the Ministry of Finance of Russia with a proposal to produce a "government surveys."

      The main task - to reduce the rate of rise - could only be solved by increasing the length of the route by creating a bypass. It turned out that Verebinsky ravine can be crossed easily, leaning to the north, where it is already on top and smaller. Instead facilities, multi-high bridge, double track line was proposed to lay on a high mound, and river Verebyu pass through the stone chimney. The slope was reduced to 6000th, but the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow was extended to 5 miles. So there was a path that was called "Bypass Verebinskogo rise." Unlike the rest of the road curves on it accounted for 44% of the length of radius 1065 m instead of 1600 m.

      After the detailed engineering design study on the construction of bypass solution was taken at a cabinet meeting Russia in 1876 invited him P.P.Melnikov opposed, however, in spite of its authority, the government is not convinced. The advantages include the ability to avoid circumvention extremely time-consuming and fraught with dangers replacement bridge without interruption of their operation, ie. To. Mstinsky bridge, which begins before the bypass, also built, although close, but again.

      Work on the design and construction of bypass, which lasted from 1877 to 1881, he headed the famous engineer Mostovik, professor of the St. Petersburg Institute of Railway Engineers Nicholas Appolonovich Belelyubsky. This building was the beginning of his practice, and for some reason is not very bestowed his biographers. And yet here he encountered at least two complex engineering problems: construction of a unique mound height of 49 meters across the ravine Verebinsky and construction of bridge piers in line with the deep-water river. Msta first caisson method. Both have been solved successfully. In this Belelyubsky, chief works on the bypass, oversaw all replacement Nikolaev railway bridges

      Besides the mentioned mound with the pipe and the bridge had to perform excavation 273000 kub.sazheney, build 13 small bridges and pipes, 12 crossings, build 17 booths razvezti ballast and sleepers and rails are laid on the entire length of the bypass. We had to build a station class IV with all services and a few houses. It was called the New Verebinskoy, and later simply Verebe. Later, at the request of local residents staged a stopping point in the churchyard Oksochi.

      In 1881, the movement of trains on Verebinskomu bypass was opened, the old "straight" line was dismantled and eventually her trail overgrown trees - so that even leaving it out of the forest, to understand that there once lay the rails could only recess. The map will "finger", which subsequently gave rise to the well-known joke. 120 years, all the trains ran on bypass, and some passengers heart-stopping, when the forest through the windows of the car abruptly ended, the ground broke off down the train and took off on a high mound of Verebey.

      XXI century brought new realities. Line Moscow-Petersburg it was decided to make a high-speed, dropping it on the train at a speed of 250 km / h, with a view to accelerate to 300 km / h. Freight trains are directed to other lines (for example, goods from Moscow to St. Petersburg is now going through the Yaroslavl-Vologda-Cherepovets). In 1996-1999. is the reconstruction of the line - fit a new track being converted ballast layer, the contact network. Was renovated and crawl - as it turned out later, it is in vain.

      Curves plots bypass required to reduce speed. Launched on 1 March 1984 a high-speed train ER-200 is reduced by bypassing Verebinskom speed from 180 to 110-120 km / h. For high-speed passenger traffic and the steepness of the slope is not very important - such reserves traction trains are quite high, but the curves - is another matter, we have to go slowly so as not to fly out of the rut.

      In 2000, just one year after the overhaul of the line, the Ministry of Railways has decided to restore the old paths leading to the forward direction, with subsequent liquidation Verebinskogo bypass. Total for the year was paved mound, built a bridge height of 50 and a length of 550 meters, mounted track and overhead catenary. In autumn 2001 the train went through the old, direct variant. Bypass with stations Verebe and Oksochi and platform 203 km. was dismantled. Mileage on the highway decided not to change, and post "205" in the following is a column "211". Thus ended the 120-year history of "finger Emperor" ...

Historical materials on the construction of bypass Verebinskogo given to works A.S.Nikolskiy.