The city of Tsaritsyn was a major transport hub at the end of the 19th century, with three railway lines running through it — the Volgo-Donskaya, the Gryaze-Tsaritsynskaya and the Tikhoretskaya. However, for a long time they were not connected to each other. This impeded the direct transit of goods through the city. A major obstacle was the floodplain of the Tsaritsa River, which ran between the terminal stations.
Eventually, in 1897–1899, the Vladikavkaz Railway Company built a connecting branch line between the two railway stations (now Volgograd-1 and Volgograd-2). This was important because it provided a direct link between Central Russia and the North Caucasus. These railway structures are still in operation today.
Between 1897 and 1898, a viaduct — a special one-way bridge over the Tsaritsa River — was built with railway tracks on it. Its height was 22 sazhens, which was a little less than 50 meters, and its length was 70 sazhens, which was about 150 meters. It was an enormous engineering structure, one of the largest in Europe at the time.
This was the reason why the viaduct was often photographed and printed on postcards that were sent from Tsaritsyn to different regions of the Russian Empire. It became one of the attractions of the city. In August 1898 the viaduct was load tested, and in October the construction was completed.
The viaduct consisted of metal structures, which were supported by stone foundations. At present, the remains of the piers of this bridge are under the railway embankment across the Tsaritsa River. The viaduct was filled with earth in after the Battle of Stalingrad.
The exhibit is a reproduction of a postcard “Tsaritsyn-on-the-Volga. Viaduct”. The photograph for the postcard was taken by the amateur photographer Sergey Maksimovich Bushin. The collection also has other postcards with his photos. They show a panoramic view from the bell-tower of Transfiguration, the Tsaritsa River flooding, the steamship pier, the Palace of the director of the French factory, the women’s gymnasium, and the “Concordia” Theater.
Eventually, in 1897–1899, the Vladikavkaz Railway Company built a connecting branch line between the two railway stations (now Volgograd-1 and Volgograd-2). This was important because it provided a direct link between Central Russia and the North Caucasus. These railway structures are still in operation today.
Between 1897 and 1898, a viaduct — a special one-way bridge over the Tsaritsa River — was built with railway tracks on it. Its height was 22 sazhens, which was a little less than 50 meters, and its length was 70 sazhens, which was about 150 meters. It was an enormous engineering structure, one of the largest in Europe at the time.
This was the reason why the viaduct was often photographed and printed on postcards that were sent from Tsaritsyn to different regions of the Russian Empire. It became one of the attractions of the city. In August 1898 the viaduct was load tested, and in October the construction was completed.
The viaduct consisted of metal structures, which were supported by stone foundations. At present, the remains of the piers of this bridge are under the railway embankment across the Tsaritsa River. The viaduct was filled with earth in after the Battle of Stalingrad.
The exhibit is a reproduction of a postcard “Tsaritsyn-on-the-Volga. Viaduct”. The photograph for the postcard was taken by the amateur photographer Sergey Maksimovich Bushin. The collection also has other postcards with his photos. They show a panoramic view from the bell-tower of Transfiguration, the Tsaritsa River flooding, the steamship pier, the Palace of the director of the French factory, the women’s gymnasium, and the “Concordia” Theater.
