Miller's line
Encyclopedia
Miller's line was a passenger railway line
in Russia
from 1873 to 1886, run by the Finnish Railways VR Group
. The line ran from Beloostrov
to Sestroretsk
, and was the site of the world's first functional electric railway
.
.
There were plans to build a station
three verst
s (approximately three kilometres) from Sestroretsk, on the bank of Sestroretsk Bay, and also an additional branch line
to the Tarhovsky pier
, where an operational station already existed.
, on an area between Miller's pier
and Sestroretsk rail station
, the engineer
Fyodor Pirotsky
experimented on the adaptation of rail transport
to be driven by an electrogalvanic cell
. These experiments later led to a patent
"For an electric way of transfer of forces on rail and other conductors", that is, for the creation of the first electric tram
.
The experimental area consisted of a site with an extent of 3½ versts (3.73 km), which passed along the sand of beach for a large part of its length, with rail cars travelling distances of over one kilometre.
The system used the rails as conductors
for electricity transmission; one rail carried the direct current
, and the second rail functioned as a return wire
. After establishing the necessary connections on the joints between the rails, the transmission of electricity was successfully carried out.
Pirotsky stated that current
leakage
to the earth
was not appreciable, and the transfer efficiency was calculated to be acceptable. Expenses for the adaptation of existing railways to electricity transmission were determined to be insignificant – from 50 to 100 roubles per verst
.
the line operated four pairs of train
s. They primarily served residents during the summer
period, while in the winter
they were only used by officials.
The recorded volume of patronage was very insignificant because of a disputed tariff
policy of Finnish railways, and ultimately the Miller's pier station
was left idle. As a result the operators appeared to be in a disastrous financial position, and the majority of the proposed plans were left incomplete.
By the mid-1880s the Society of the Sestroretsk railway was definitively ruined, and on January 1, 1886
, the railway was closed.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
from 1873 to 1886, run by the Finnish Railways VR Group
VR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
. The line ran from Beloostrov
Beloostrov
Beloostrov , from 1922 to World War II—Krasnoostrov , is a municipal settlement in Kurortny District of the federal city of Saint Petersburg, Russia, located on the Sestra River, Karelian Isthmus, and a key station of the Saint Petersburg-Vyborg railroad since 1870 at the junction of Saint...
to Sestroretsk
Sestroretsk
Sestroretsk is a municipal town in Kurortny District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the Sestra River and the Sestroretskiy Lake northwest of St. Petersburg...
, and was the site of the world's first functional electric railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
.
Organisation
The private organisation Societies of the Sestroretsk Railway was established to control the railway, headed by Collegiate Assessor Moritz von-Dezen and Titular counsellor Michael Ivanovich Miller. It had been built for the military as the Sestroretsk spur lineSestroretsk spur line
-Sestroretsk spur line:This line has been laid by request of the Russian Ministry of Defence for communication of Sestroretsk armory with strategic Riihimäki-Saint Petersburg railroad in 1871....
.
There were plans to build a station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
three verst
Verst
A verst or werst is an obsolete Russian unit of length. It is defined as being 500 sazhen long, which makes a verst equal to 1.0668 kilometres ....
s (approximately three kilometres) from Sestroretsk, on the bank of Sestroretsk Bay, and also an additional branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
to the Tarhovsky pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
, where an operational station already existed.
Experiments with electrification
In 18751875 in rail transport
- February events :* February 9 - The first train passes through the Hoosac Tunnel in Massachusetts.- March events :* March 24 - The Mayor of Los Angeles, California, approves a measure to allow the Spring and Sixth Street Railroad, a predecessor of the Pacific Electric Railway, to extend its line...
, on an area between Miller's pier
Miller's pier
Miller's pier , is a railway station at the quay in Sestroretsky kurort, Russia.In harbour of Gulf of Finland from boulders the 50-metre dam was dumped.In an operating time the name "Miller's Harbour" was fixed to harbour....
and Sestroretsk rail station
Sestroretsk rail station 1871-1924
Sestroretsk railway station was a railway station in Sestroretsk, Russia handling transportation to northern destinations including Beloostrov and Sestroretsk....
, the engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Fyodor Pirotsky
Fyodor Pirotsky
Fyodor Apollonovich Pirotsky was a Ukrainian-born Russian engineer and inventor of the world's first railway electrification system and electric tram...
experimented on the adaptation of rail transport
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
to be driven by an electrogalvanic cell
Electro-galvanic fuel cell
An electro-galvanic fuel cell is an electrical device, one form of which is commonly used to measure the concentration of oxygen gas in scuba diving and medical equipment....
. These experiments later led to a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
"For an electric way of transfer of forces on rail and other conductors", that is, for the creation of the first electric tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
.
The experimental area consisted of a site with an extent of 3½ versts (3.73 km), which passed along the sand of beach for a large part of its length, with rail cars travelling distances of over one kilometre.
The system used the rails as conductors
Electrical conductor
In physics and electrical engineering, a conductor is a material which contains movable electric charges. In metallic conductors such as copper or aluminum, the movable charged particles are electrons...
for electricity transmission; one rail carried the direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
, and the second rail functioned as a return wire
Electrical wiring
Electrical wiring in general refers to insulated conductors used to carry electricity, and associated devices. This article describes general aspects of electrical wiring as used to provide power in buildings and structures, commonly referred to as building wiring. This article is intended to...
. After establishing the necessary connections on the joints between the rails, the transmission of electricity was successfully carried out.
Pirotsky stated that current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
leakage
Leakage (electronics)
In electronics, leakage may refer to a gradual loss of energy from a charged capacitor. It is primarily caused by electronic devices attached to the capacitors, such as transistors or diodes, which conduct a small amount of current even when they are turned off...
to the earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
was not appreciable, and the transfer efficiency was calculated to be acceptable. Expenses for the adaptation of existing railways to electricity transmission were determined to be insignificant – from 50 to 100 roubles per verst
Verst
A verst or werst is an obsolete Russian unit of length. It is defined as being 500 sazhen long, which makes a verst equal to 1.0668 kilometres ....
.
Closure
In 18771877 in rail transport
-May events:* May 1 - Opening of first railway in Burma , from Rangoon to Prome .-July events:* July 14 - Workers on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad walk off their jobs in an act that is seen as the start of the great railroad strike of 1877.* July 16 - Railroad workers on strike in Martinsburg,...
the line operated four pairs of train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s. They primarily served residents during the summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
period, while in the winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
they were only used by officials.
The recorded volume of patronage was very insignificant because of a disputed tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
policy of Finnish railways, and ultimately the Miller's pier station
Miller's pier
Miller's pier , is a railway station at the quay in Sestroretsky kurort, Russia.In harbour of Gulf of Finland from boulders the 50-metre dam was dumped.In an operating time the name "Miller's Harbour" was fixed to harbour....
was left idle. As a result the operators appeared to be in a disastrous financial position, and the majority of the proposed plans were left incomplete.
By the mid-1880s the Society of the Sestroretsk railway was definitively ruined, and on January 1, 1886
1886 in rail transport
- February events :* February 1 - The Mersey Railway opened to public traffic between Birkenhead and Liverpool by tunnel beneath the River Mersey, England.* February 18 - The Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad is incorporated in Mississippi....
, the railway was closed.
See also
- Sestroretsk spur lineSestroretsk spur line-Sestroretsk spur line:This line has been laid by request of the Russian Ministry of Defence for communication of Sestroretsk armory with strategic Riihimäki-Saint Petersburg railroad in 1871....