Railways are often called steel highways or steel arteries. But many, sitting in a comfortable compartment carriage or in the ground forces, do not think about the fact that the construction, maintenance of these highways in proper technical condition is inextricably linked with the Railway Troops.
The history of the domestic Railway Troops dates back to August 6, 1851. It was then that Nicholas I approved the "Regulations on the management of the St. Petersburg-Moscow railway", according to which 14 separate military workers, two conductor and "Telegraphic" company.
In modern conditions, the Railway Troops of Russia carry out technical cover, restoration and barrage of railways in order to ensure the combat and mobilization activities of various types of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In addition, they are entrusted with the functions of building (both in wartime and in peacetime) new routes of communication and increasing the survivability and throughput of existing railways, as well as performing tasks in accordance with international treaties of the Russian Federation.
We should also mention the bridge. Even building an ordinary small bridge is a problem. And military railroad workers build bridges, which are then used by trains. And they are given years to build these bridges, and literally a few hours, for this there are special machines for driving piles, and there are floating ones that work even in the middle of the river.
And if it becomes necessary to repel a raid on the highway of terrorists or saboteurs, and for this there is the appropriate equipment, special units and everything you need. Military railroad workers know how to conduct technical reconnaissance and mine clearance. That is why they are always among the first to arrive at the scene of accidents and disasters in railway transport. In the summer of 2005 alone, they were three times involved in eliminating the consequences of man-made and other disasters on the territory of Russia. These are railway accidents in the Tver region, in the Krasnodar Territory, and the explosion of the Moscow-Grozny passenger train.
The soldiers are firing from the AK from the body of the "Ural" equipped with railway rollers, and the soldiers cover only the sides of the cargo platform. It can be seen how then the soldiers parachute directly onto the rails and sleepers from a height of 1.8 meters. At the forefront of this battle group is a UAZ vehicle equipped with rail guide rollers. However, it lacks protection.
An analysis of the materials presented makes it possible to assert that the samples shown cannot fully correspond to the equipment that is necessary for the conduct of military operations against terrorists on the railway, primarily due to the lack of small arms that are not inferior in power to the weapons of a potential enemy and appropriate protection … At the same time, the equipment that met the necessary requirements was already in service with the railway troops and could be in the present and in the future.
Vehicles that combine the ability to move on roads, off-road and railways are called "vehicles on a combined drive" in the scientific and technical literature. It is quite natural that much attention was paid to such machines in Russia.
In the Russian Empire, and later in the USSR, territories were developed, as a rule, with the help of railways: inexpensive construction and transportation. At the cost of titanic efforts (BAM, Transsib), the railway workers were able to cover the country with a network of highways from east to west from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad and from south to north from Kushka to Murmansk and Salekhard. The construction of paved roads came second with a significant delay. So, for example, the Far East still does not have a reliable road for communication with the central regions of the country.
These circumstances prompted the designers to think about the creation of vehicles that will be able to move on highways, rough terrain (off-road) and on railway tracks. The Railway Troops experienced a particularly acute need for these vehicles. It should be noted that in the USSR, even in the pre-war and war periods, there were samples of vehicles capable of moving along roads and railways. All samples were created on the basis of armored vehicles, which were mass-produced for the Red Army. The main feature of these armored vehicles was that the size of the wheelbase was commensurate with the railway track. This simplified the development of devices for the movement of armored vehicles on a railroad track.
So, on armored vehicles FAI-ZhD had voluminous rims with flanges, installed on wheels for 30 minutes by the crew. The same amount of time was required for the crews of the BA-6zhd, BA-10zhd, BA-20zhd, BA-20Mzhd and BA-64V vehicles to replace standard wheels with metal wheels (disks) with flanges. The BA-10Zhd had a hydraulic lift used to switch from conventional to railway and vice versa.
Serial production of armored vehicles was curtailed in 1946 shortly after the end of the Second World War. These vehicles were replaced by the BTR-40 and BTR-152, which are distinguished by their increased cross-country ability, the ability to transport infantrymen, equipped with light armor that protects against shrapnel and small arms fire. However, on the basis of the database of armored personnel carriers, modifications were not created with the provision of a railway course.
The situation changed dramatically in the late 1960s with the aggravation of relations between China and the Soviet Union. Within a short time, a military infrastructure was created in the border areas. In the conditions of weak development or absence of a road network in the region, the main emphasis was placed on the use of railways. However, protecting them was no easy task. In a sparsely populated taiga or steppe with rare villages and stations, not only open railway lines were vulnerable, but also a huge number of sidings, tunnels and overpasses. For protection, reconnaissance, emergency transfer of repair teams and motorized riflemen, an effective and mobile device was required.
It was decided to use the basic developments of the war, tested in 1943 on a prototype BA-64G equipped with a device for a railway track. To create a new vehicle on a combined track, the BTR-40 was taken as a basis. One of the main factors in choosing this car as the base was that the wheel track of the car was close to the size of the railway track. This made it possible to use the wheels of the car as propellers while the car was moving on the railroad tracks. At the same time, the speed of a car on the railroad could reach 80 km / h. Front and rear of the car there were folding frames equipped with spring springs and steel frames-rollers located in pairs. The rollers had internal flanges. When pressed against the rails, they prevented the armored personnel carrier from leaving the railway track. To get off the track, the rollers had to be lifted. It took from 3 to 5 minutes to change the course. The prototype was manufactured and tested in 1969. The vehicle was mass-produced under the designation BTR-40ZD.
At the same time, it was decided to build four armored trains for the Trans-Baikal Military District. Each armored train included a reconnaissance company with eight BTR-40ZhD. To transport these vehicles, the armored train had four conventional railway platforms, onto which a pair of BTR-40ZhD was loaded.
In the early 90s, these vehicles served in the Russian Far East. In 2003, 15 BTR-40ZhD in a refurbished working condition was located on the territory of the 38th Research and Testing Institute of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Are similar machines needed today?
It turns out, and not only for military purposes.
The author of a published article in 1997 discussed these problems in Moscow with specialists from the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Railway Troops. It was the time of "local conflicts" that swept across the territory of the Russian Federation. Then it was about the difficulties that the repair brigades of military railway workers faced and the losses among the personnel. After the sabotage, the GAZ-66 was mainly used to repair the railway tracks, the awning of which did not protect against terrorist fire. In addition, the vehicles did not have weapons to repel the attackers.
Railway engineers showed their achievements in the field of creating vehicles with a railway track based on an all-wheel drive vehicle with a 6x6 wheel arrangement, but they were not satisfied with it. The car, shown on August 6, 2005, apparently became the completion of the development started in the mid-90s. The appearance of this sample confirms the need for vehicles with a combined drive with increased carrying capacity, dimensions and weight.
At the same time, it turned out that the previously implemented constructive solutions have exhausted themselves. Keeping the track of automobile wheels close to the railway track, in the event of an increase in the weight of the vehicle, did not provide lateral stability during cornering on highways. A different approach was required. An example of a successful solution to this problem was the development carried out in 1996 by the design department of special equipment of the Gorky Automobile Plant, headed by A. G. Masyagin.
The customer was UGZhD (Department of the Gorky Railway), headed at that time by O. Kh. Sharadze. On the part of the Ural State Railways, scientific and technical support of the project was carried out by Doctor of Technical Sciences Z. M. Slavinsky. The management hoped with the help of the new machine to solve the problems inherent in electrified railways. High electrical tension, difficult weather conditions, wear and tear of electrical equipment are the reasons for the high probability of malfunctions in the electrical network. These malfunctions are difficult to predict, and their consequences often lead to a stop in train traffic. A railroad car carrying a repair team sent after a stopped train may not always get to the place of the accident. They needed a vehicle with a combined motion, which would be able to get to the accident site and deliver equipment for the repair of railway power grids there.
After analyzing the situation, UGZhD specialists, together with GAZ designers, decided that the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier, which was developed at GAZ in the 80s, is most suitable for creating a vehicle as a base.
BTR-80 meets the requirements of cross-country ability to the maximum and has a high speed. The flexible production technology of these armored vehicles makes it possible to adapt its body to accommodate repairmen and the necessary equipment. The wide track of the BTR-80 excludes the possibility of overturning while driving on the highway. However, to install it on the railway track and move along it, an additional drive was needed. The designers proposed two options for solving this problem: an autonomous drive to railway rollers or a drive to rollers from wheels.
The Arzamas Machine-Building Plant, which at that time was headed by V. I. Tyurin. The technical support was provided by A. D. Mintyukov.
To test both drive options, it was decided to make two prototypes. At the initial stage, unrealized military vehicle hulls based on the BTR-80 were used. Holes for windows were cut out in them, and a lifting tower, designed by specialists of the Samara trolleybus repair plant, was installed on the roof. The tower had a platform for 2-5 people and was able to rise to the height of repairing power grids.
Characteristics of the BTR-40ZhD armored personnel carrier
Wheel formula 4x4
Combat weight, kg 5800
Length, mm 5200
Width, mm 1900
Height, mm 2230
Ground clearance, mm 276
Maximum speed, km / h: on highway 78 on railroad 50
Overcoming obstacles: angle of rise 30 ° roll 25 °
ditch width, m 0, 75
Fording depth, m 0, 9
Crew (landing), people 2 (8)
A prototype GAZ-5903Zh on a railroad track. It is clearly seen that a corps from a military vehicle was used, a USSh based on the BTR-80
The autonomous drive of the first prototype was realized by installing a hydrostatic transmission. This solution was proposed by specialists from NATI (Moscow). The hydraulic pump was located in the power transmission compartment and was driven from a transfer case, which, due to the absence of a water cannon, had a selection capable of passing engine power through itself. The hydraulic pump, using pipelines, connectors in the rear wall of the body, as well as flexible hoses, was connected to a hydraulic motor located at the back, outside the body on the flange of the drive gear of the reducer, converted from an armored personnel carrier bridge. The driven axle shafts of the gearbox were connected to the railway track rollers.
This drive variant had a number of advantages. When driving along the railway track, the car wheels did not rotate. This reduced power losses, and the quality of the tread and tire wear did not affect the process of creating traction. However, significant shortcomings were also identified. Only the rear rollers were leading. This reduced the traction characteristics of the car (the existing theoretical possibility of installing a second hydraulic motor in front unnecessarily complicated the design). The high pressure hoses (about 400 kgf / cm2) outside the machine could be damaged while driving over rough terrain. In addition, on the prototype, they could not solve the issue of creating a high-efficiency braking system.
Combined drive vehicle GAZ-59401
During the creation of a prototype with a drive from automobile wheels, GAZ designers studied all known samples with a similar drive. At the same time, they drew attention to the fact that the previous cars had a discrepancy between the direction of rotation of the auto wheels to the direction of rotation of the railway rollers and, therefore, the direction of movement of the vehicle. This discrepancy can cause an accident when the vehicle derails. The process of entering the rails was also significantly complicated. For cars with such a drive, forward movement was carried out in reverse gear. This made it difficult to accelerate and significantly limited the speed of movement. In addition, there was no suspension of railway rollers, which is necessary for a comfortable and safe ride while driving on a railway track at a speed of up to 100 km / h. In addition, previously developed systems necessarily included units for fixing railway rollers in the position of movement on rails (hydraulic locking devices or mechanical stops).
Yu. S. Prokhorov and I. B. Kopylov under the leadership of V. S. Meshcheryakov.
The device works like this. To transfer rotation to the rollers, automobile wheels of the rear and front axles with wide-profile tires of the KI-126 brand are used. The developed lugs of the KI-126 tires provide high travel speed and good maneuverability on paved roads and low-bearing soil.
When driving on roadways, the rear and front frames are pressed against the vehicle frame and secured. At the same time, all structural elements that are necessary for movement on railway rails do not worsen the passability of the machine, since they are above the ground clearance.
Railway track system: 1 - pneumatic automobile wheels; 2 - front and rear frames; 3 - hydraulic cylinders; 4 - fingers; 5 - axes; 6 - railway rollers; 7 - rollers; 8 - driving gears of planetary gearboxes; 9 - driven gears; 10 - carrier; 11 - rubber bushings; 12 - pins; 13 - balancers; 14 - torsion bars; 15 - stops
During setting on the railway track, the car drives into it in such a way that the pneumatic wheels are located with the same clearance on both sides of the rails. After that, the frames are pulled down by hydraulic cylinders, turning on the fingers, and the rollers rest against the rails, raising the vehicle above them. In this case, the drive rollers are pressed against the pneumatic wheels. The outer surface of the rollers has longitudinal trapezoidal recesses.
The trajectory of the rollers when turning the frames intersects vertical planes that pass through the axes of the fingers. Thus, the frames are pressed against the stops by the reaction force R on the rollers from the mass of the vehicle. This ensures that the frames are fixed in the position required for movement on railway rails without the use of additional fixing elements in the structure. In this case, the hydraulic cylinders are not subjected to loads that are associated with movement on the rails. The constant pressing force of the drive rollers to the pneumatic wheels is ensured due to the fact that the axes of the drive rollers, trunnions and pneumatic wheels are in the same plane. When moving on railway rails, pneumatic wheels are located at a height of up to 10 centimeters from the upper level of the rails. This ensures unhindered passage of points and crossings by the vehicle.
The movement along the railway track is carried out by the pneumatic wheels of the vehicle, which transmit the rotation to the drive rollers and then to the rollers through the planetary gearbox. The direction of rotation of rollers and pneumatic wheels is the same. Braking is carried out by the service braking system of the machine through pneumatic wheels. When moving, the balancers, in which the axles of the rollers are fixed (through rubber bushings), can swing on the trunnions, twisting the torsion bars. Thus, the suspension of the vehicle while driving on the rails is ensured. In addition, the rubber bushings reduce vibration loads.
When the vehicle is removed from the railway track, the frames are rotated on the fingers with the help of hydraulic cylinders and are fixed in the upper extreme position. At the same time, the machine is lowered and stands on pneumatic wheels.
This option allowed to reduce the transition time from one move option to another to 2 minutes.
Both samples were tested in various weather conditions. The railway track system was tested in the Nizhny Novgorod region on the territory of the training ground of the Railway Troops, where there were track sections that were extreme in terms of their parameters (turning radius, debris, ascent angle, etc.). Both cars successfully overcame all obstacles.
The second sample on a straight horizontal section developed a speed of 100 km / h. However, taking into account the existing restrictions, it was recommended to operate these cars at a speed of no more than 50 km / h.
Although both samples passed the tests, it was decided to start mass production of the second version: it had a cheaper and simpler design, better traction and dynamics, and a reliable braking system. The influence of tire wear on the performance of the machine was not revealed either.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck during the testing phase. Due to an absurd accident, N. Maltsev, a leading test engineer, is a very responsible, thoughtful and competent specialist, a sincere and intelligent person who could do a lot of good and useful deeds.
For mass production, they took the body of a floating bus-car with a comfortable interior, a ventilation system, easy-to-enter doors, and an increased glazing area as a basis. The car, which received the designation GAZ-59401, was retrofitted with a radio station, which is used on the railway, as well as a special light signaling system.
During the tests, it was found that the machine can be used as a shunting tractor for several cars. Therefore, serial samples were equipped with devices for connecting to standard railroad train couplings.
For the appearance of this machine on a combined drive, a RF patent for an industrial design was issued.
The Gorky Railway in 1997-1998 ordered 15 GAZ-59401, which were distributed to almost all territorial departments of Russian railways.
Unfortunately, the plant was unable to establish permanent communication with the organizations operating these machines. There is no information about their operation. However, this fact also has its positive side. There were almost no orders for spare parts, which means that all systems, primarily the railroad system, are working well. Of course, 15 machines for AMZ, which has a significant production potential, cannot be considered a large number. However, at that time of economic turmoil, lack of government orders and this relatively small number of machines helped the plant and its employees to survive.
But the field of application of machines with a combined stroke could be much wider.
Fire truck on the combined drive GAZ-59402 "Blizzard"
The next object that interested the Gorky railway was a fire engine with a combined drive. The set of this machine included powder fire extinguishing equipment developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Fire Engineering under the leadership of G. N. Kuprin. This equipment was named "Blizzard".
Depending on the performance of the foaming device, the composition of "Purga" includes a number of installations. It can be installed on various carriers, including the VAZ-2121 "Niva" car.
In these installations, pressurized water created by a pump is mixed with a liquid fire-extinguishing agent and supplied to nozzles located inside the shafts. The mixture, when expanding in the trunks, forms flakes of matter that are thrown up to a distance of 55 meters.
Especially for this fire engine with a combined course, a tower installation with four trunks placed in one horizontal line was developed. With the help of the guidance mechanism, all the barrels were simultaneously raised in a vertical plane. The movement of the trunks in the horizontal plane was carried out by turning the entire installation. The operator, who is located inside the installation, had a window placed between the pairs of barrels to observe the terrain.
The tower installation with the Purga system was developed by V. B. Kuklin and B. N. Brovkin.
The pump, which supplied water from a reservoir or cistern, was part of the equipment of this machine. There were hoses that allowed water intake at a distance of 50 meters from the reservoir. Inside the car were a reagent tank and space for five members of the fire brigade.
The prototype of the machine, which received the designation GAZ-59402, carried out demonstrative extinguishing operations many times and was demonstrated at exhibitions.
The design of the machine had the following features:
- wheel arrangement 8x8;
- centralized tire pressure regulation system;
- independent torsion bar suspension of wheels;
- hydraulic shock absorbers;
- Differentials of limited slip axles;
- heat and noise insulation, heating and ventilation systems;
- the system of the railway course controlled from the cab;
- filtering unit;
- self-recovery winch;
- a protected sealed case, which allows you to approach the fire site at a distance of up to 50 meters and extinguish explosive objects;
- a rotary tower installation equipped with a combined fire extinguishing system (water plus a fire extinguishing agent) "Blizzard";
- pump PN-40UA, which is driven by the transmission of the machine.
In addition, UGRD specialists worked out the configuration of the machine for servicing the railway track. It was assumed that this machine will be equipped with a powerful hydraulic manipulator of the LOGLIFT company, which would have a brush-cutting head at the end of the boom, which would allow cutting small trees (trunk diameter up to 50 mm) and bushes in the exclusion zone for the railway track without leaving the car. It also provided for special equipment for the repair of rails, sleepers, tracks, etc. However, the leadership of the UGZD soon came to other people, and the joint work with OJSC "AMZ" and OJSC "GAZ" described above did not continue.
In order for all the original solutions providing a combined move to become more widespread, the following could be recommended.
1. In addition to active sales of mass-produced vehicles based on the BTR-80, it was necessary to study the use of other cross-country vehicles as the base chassis. For example, in addition to OJSC Arzamas Machine-Building Plant and OJSC GAZ, the RUSPROMAVTO holding includes OJSC Automobile Plant Ural. "Urals" have proven themselves excellently on the off-road and roads of Russia. They were also used by the transport service of the Railway Troops. Despite the fact that military engineers proposed their own version of equipping the Ural with a railway system, the device from GAZ, which was tested on the basis of the BTR-80, will also have advantages when installed on Ural vehicles. For the conditions of civilian operation, it is also important that on these machines the width will not exceed 2500 millimeters, which meets the safety requirements of road traffic. Probably, the cost of such cars will be much less than that of the GAZ-59402 and GAZ-59401.
2. For machines with a combined course, created on the basis of the BTR-80, a slightly different future is seen. The railway troops of Russia currently do not have their own combat vehicle. Therefore, the developments of JSC "GAZ" would have come in very handy. Indeed, from the entire family of armored personnel carriers, created by the designers of this plant, it would be possible to create a machine that would best meet the needs of the Railway Troops.
Armored recovery vehicle BREM-K based on BTR-80
Apparently, we need a vehicle with a combined drive, which has a set of equipment for carrying out repair work on the railway track, a crane installation, welding equipment, comfortable conditions for a repair team, with protection and the ability to repel an attack. In this case, a serial armored vehicle BREM-K, retrofitted with a railway track system, could be used. This would eliminate all the disadvantages that appear when using a civilian car as a base one.
The designers of GAZ OJSC many times turned to the leadership of the railway troops with proposals to create a vehicle with a combined drive. Unfortunately, these appeals remained unanswered. But since the issue of equipping the Russian Armed Forces with equipment that has advanced and progressive capabilities and characteristics is very relevant today, interest in the joint work of specialists and leaders of the railway troops, on the one hand, and designers and manufacturers of military equipment, on the other, will increase in the near future.
