On December 20, Li Zhi and Tianjin officials gathered on the railway track outside Fanjiazhuang, looking with interest at the latest steam locomotive "Beidou".
After a full six months of research, the motorcycle Su Laosan handed over this time was much more professional. Li Zhi worked hard to remember in the past six months and drew some partial design drawings for Su Laosan. So compared to the last time, he directly put the reciprocating
The ugly shape of the steam engine mounted on wheels. This time Su Laosan built a steam locomotive that somewhat resembled a 19th century locomotive.
The "Beidou" is basically modeled after a steam locomotive from the early 19th century. This locomotive uses a horizontal multi-smoke tube boiler, which has a large heat transfer area and generates steam quickly. The boiler body and firebox are spliced together, and the working pressure of the boiler is
Three atmospheres of pressure. There are two cylinders at an angle to the horizontal line and installed obliquely on the two rear sides of the boiler. There is a pair of moving wheels installed on the front of the locomotive. A crank is installed on the left and right sides of the moving wheel axle at right angles to each other, so that the moving wheels of the locomotive can crank
It can be started from any position.
The exhaust steam of the "Beidou" is ejected from the chimney to induce ventilation and promote combustion. The internal and external firebox and smoke box of the horizontal boiler of this steam locomotive are made into a whole, which further enhances the flow rate of steam.
Compared with the steam engine on the ship, the steam engine of this steam locomotive is highly concentrated and improved, and it can be regarded as the most advanced machine in Fanjiazhuang. The overall weight of the locomotive is nine thousand kilograms, which is four and a half tons, which is significantly lighter than the steam engine on the ship.
The Beidou was parked on the rails, and Su Laosan and three craftsmen kept loading coal onto the locomotive in preparation for the test run.
Li Zhi had three large carriages brought in. The carriages were filled with more than a hundred stones of grain, which equaled a load of almost fifteen tons. This amount of load was equivalent to the load of twenty four-wheeled carriages.
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This was the first time for the onlookers to see a steam locomotive. They all stood behind Li Zhi and whispered, wondering whether the locomotive could pull so much grain.
Li Xing tilted his head and looked at the steam locomotive and said, "Brother, if this car can run, then horse-drawn carriages will be eliminated in the future!"
Zu Dashou looked at the locomotive repeatedly, shook his head and said, "I have never heard of a tin train that can run on its own."
After Su Laosan and others finished transporting coal, they began to burn the boiler of the steam locomotive. Rolling white steam began to spurt out from the chimney of the steam locomotive, which seemed particularly thick in the cold weather in December. After that,
After a while, a steam cloud almost formed over the locomotive.
Seeing that it was almost done, Li Zhi waved his hand: "Drive!"
Su Laosan shouted loudly and pulled down the driving shaft of the steam locomotive. The steam locomotive shook, and suddenly gained strength, and the driving wheel began to rotate slowly.
The moving wheels rotated slowly on the rails, eventually driving the locomotive and carriages forward. Amid everyone's exclamations, the entire train accelerated little by little and started running on the rails.
The horseless carriage started running on its own, and the officials who witnessed this scene were very surprised. They ran forward with the slowly moving train, chasing the smoke-belching monster on the dirt road next to the railway.
Li Zhi was also very interested and ran ahead of everyone to see how fast this locomotive could go.
But how can two legs outrun the train? The locomotive ran faster and faster, and finally threw away all the onlookers chasing after it. The locomotive spewed black smoke and rode away, running at a speed that can only be achieved by a strong horse.
Drive all the way towards the end of the railway.
Unable to catch up with the train, everyone stopped at the edge of the railway, shaking their heads and sighing as they looked at the locomotive going further and further away.
Li Xing was sweating a little from running, wiped his sweat and said: "Brother, this locomotive is too powerful. Its speed is at least seven or eight times that of a loading carriage. So one locomotive can be used as a hundred
Fifty hansoms."
Zu Dashou said: "Moreover, this train does not eat grain or beans. It only needs a little coal to run. A two-wheeled carriage plus a driver costs three or four taels of silver a month. This train only needs a few drivers.
It can be driven, so the transportation cost may not even be one-tenth of the original cost."
Everyone looked at Li Zhi with joy. They all said that this steam locomotive was powerful and they didn't know how much freight it would save for the manor owners in Liaodong.
Nowadays, the construction of the railway network in Liaodong is in full swing. At least 100,000 Henan refugees who fled to southern Shandong were recruited by Li Zhi and sent to Liaodong to build the railway. According to Tianjin Daily, when the spring wheat matures this fall, the first railway will connect Jinzhou and
The railway in Shenyang will be open to traffic.
At that time, wheat from Liaodong will flow into Tianjin like a tide through the railway, and then be sent from Tianjin to various disaster-stricken areas affected by the Ming Dynasty's food shortage.
Of course, by the standards of future generations, this steam locomotive is really primitive. The load capacity is very low, and it can only drag fifteen tons of goods. It can only be said to be the prototype of a train. But for Li Zhi, he can't be too demanding about the first type of train.
Gao, this prototype locomotive already has practical value.
Li Zhi looked at the locomotive running further and further away, nodded and said: "This locomotive is not bad, it already looks good."
"We will reward Su Laosan's team with two thousand taels of silver and let the steam engine workshop fully produce this kind of locomotive. We must produce more than fifty units before the first railway is opened to traffic in July."
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On December 25, amid the loud sound of firecrackers, Li Zhi and his second uncle Li Dao led the beaming managers and directors of major factories into the newly completed "Polytechnic Institute".
This polytechnic is located in the southeast corner of Fanjiazhuang New Town. It has a two-story teaching building with 20 classrooms. There are five five-story dormitories and 250 student dormitories. This polytechnic can accommodate 1,000 students and will become a Li
The cradle of engineers under the collar.
After more than ten years of development, the industrial level under Li Zhi has far exceeded this era. Various factories use a large number of technologies from the 18th and 19th centuries to produce a variety of world-leading products.
If you stick to the old rules and create and produce products according to Li Zhi's invention, you don't need engineers with scientific knowledge. Even the machines of the 19th century are very simple to use and maintain. The craftsmen are trained on the job.
It can basically be mastered in two years.
But Li Zhi put forward higher requirements for each factory. Li Zhi hopes that the technology of each factory can continue to improve and produce better products in a more efficient way.
Li Zhi alone would not have the energy to take care of so many factories and make inventions one by one. Li Zhi needed a group of engineers to help him improve the machines.
Improving machines is not an ordinary job. Ordinary skilled craftsmen cannot complete such a task. This requires engineers who understand science and engineering knowledge to stand up and improve the machines based on their scientific knowledge of science and engineering, and make inventions and innovations.
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Therefore, Fanjiazhuang Institute of Technology came into being.
Li Zhi decided to teach high school level physics and chemistry knowledge in this polytechnic.
After mastering the high school level knowledge of later generations, engineers will have enough theoretical foundation to innovate and improve in all walks of life.
