Translation of the Textes with Dictionary in Writting

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From the History of Russian Railways

(1) That vast Siberia is so rich in natural resources always causes surprise among the people from Europe and the USA.

(2) Early in the 20th century Siberia attracted the attention of the American magnate Edward Harriman. He wanted the tsarist government to grant him a concession for the construction of a railway that was to begin in Alaska, go through a tunnel to Chukotka, then to Kolyma, Yakutia and Trans-Baikal.

(3) Such a railway would, of course, have been very valuable for Russia but for Harriman's condition. If the line had been built Harriman would have had in his full possession a twelve-kilometer strip of land on either side of the line for a period of 90 years. With the characteristic American energy Harriman would have liked a real bite¹ out of Siberian pie!

(4) Taking into consideration the length of the line (about 6,000 km) it becomes obvious that, had the tsarist govern­ment agreed, Harriman would have got a "strip" larger than the whole of Greece.

Примечание

1) would have liked a real bite - хотел бы заполучить хороший кусок.

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World's Shortest Railroad

Only a few of us may have heard or read about the world's shortest railroad. It ran in northern New York for a distance of seven-eighths of a mile! The rolling stock handling the service included one locomotive, two open coaches and a baggage car. This rolling stock was supposed to carry ten thousand passengers a year, as well as heavy loads of freight. The railroad connected two lakes spanning the unnavigable part of the Marion River. Steamers were to meet the train at both ends of the line and to transfer passengers and freight. In winter, however, with thick ice covering the lakes, the steamers stopped running and, with them, the world's smallest railroad.

Needless to say that other, more efficient means of trans­portation should have been used to handle the traffic all the year round. But at that time the line was considered to economically justify its existence. Indeed, it carried its load successfully for nearly thirty years. And it might have performed its duty for many years to come but for the con­struction of a highway between the two lakes. The result was that the little railroad was out of business.

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Improvements in Passenger Car Construction

(1) Steam heating of cars is believed to have come into use in the eighties of the 19th century practically elimi­nating the danger of fire, even in case of wooden coaches. Besides increasing passenger safety, steam heating made cars much more comfortable, providing even temperature throughout the car.

(2) The early cars are known to have had an open plat­ form at each end, this being especially dangerous in case of train collisions. Later, an enclosed vestibule (закрытый тамбур) was introduced. Its introduction is thought to be another step in increasing safety. The fact is that the introduction of the enclosed vestibule proved to be a very important measure, preventing the cars from damage in case of an accident.

(3) At the beginning of the 20th century, steel began to replace wood in car construction. Engineers understood the use of steel would make the cars much more durable. The steel vestibuled car was found to be rarely crushed even in a wreck. In addition, if properly maintained, steel cars lasted much longer than wooden coaches.

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