The train driver in the courtyard

After more than a hundred seventh and eighth level masters and more than thirty researchers worked hard for more than ten days, the transformation of the Qianjin steam engine was finally completed.

The mud blockage of the water tank of the six-axle coal and water truck was changed to 5-furnace washing blockage. The reinforcing plate of the superheater peephole was thickened to 16mm. The furnace rocking lever was changed to a clamp type.
Improve the layout of the sand spreading air duct to achieve uniform sand spreading. The outer skin of the adjustment valve is lowered by 10mm and the width is reduced by 5mm to prevent excessive adhesion. The weight increaser is changed to automatic control.

In order to facilitate shunting operations, protect against cold in winter and improve working conditions for crew members, front and rear pedals, rear fenders, rear wind horns, coal trough heaters and cold-proof windows are installed.

The modified locomotive can achieve a higher steam supply rate, the superheated steam temperature is increased, the smoke consumption per kilowatt-hour is reduced, and the maximum total efficiency of the locomotive can reach 9.61%.

And the load capacity and speed have been greatly improved.

Subsequently, the Forward steam locomotive passed the valve withdrawal static thermal test, the circular line traction thermal performance test and the line operation test.

The test results show that the Qianjin steam locomotive has created advanced levels of steam locomotives in the world.

After the experiment, look at the recorded experimental data.

Comrade Liu Guozhang, an old comrade in his fifties, jumped up excitedly like a child.

"With this improved locomotive, our steam locomotive technology can finally be at the forefront of the world."

Liu, chief engineer of Datong Locomotive Factory, looked at the data and nodded frequently: "This steam locomotive has reached perfection, it can be said to be the pinnacle that a steam locomotive can reach.

I immediately proposed to the Ministry to mass-produce locomotives."

Deputy Chief Engineer Wang also agreed to carry out mass production, but he was still a little worried.

"Mr. Liu, the Harbin Railway Bureau's Scientific Research Institute is currently researching the ND1 diesel locomotives imported from Hungary.

It is said that an improved model will be developed next year. Once the diesel locomotive appears, will it have an impact on the steam locomotive? "

Li Aiguo was accepting Mr. Dong's congratulations. Upon hearing this, he immediately frowned.

Are there already diesel locomotives in the country these days?
Engineer Dong saw Li Aiguo's confusion and explained the whole story to him.

The matter of diesel locomotives is still related to the Hungarian People's Ministry of Railways.

Last year, the top Hungarian leader visited us and reached a series of friendly agreements with us.

Hungary got the ND1 diesel locomotive from Big Brother and sold it to us in the form of parts.

At the same time, the Hungarian Bell factory took three Bell D.420 trucks to participate in the truck selection road test on the plateau and achieved success.

Hearing this, Li Aiguo exclaimed: "Hungary risked being punished by Big Brother and sold the diesel locomotive to us. This is really generous. It should be called Hungarian Railway."

"Hungarian iron?"

At this time, not only Engineer Dong was surprised, but even Liu Guozhang and Chief Engineer Liu also came over.

“Patriotism, what does this name mean?”

Li Aiguo said: "We call good brothers iron brothers. Since Hungary has such a good relationship with us, we should naturally be called Hungarian Iron Brothers."

Li Aiguo was not exaggerating. The relationship between Hungary and our family has always been very good.

Even after changing the flag, they still maintained close contacts with us.

In later generations, in addition to "Pakistani Iron", there is also the term "Hungarian Iron".

"Xiong'an Iron and Steel. This name is very appropriate and vividly expresses the friendship between the two families." Chief Engineer Liu secretly memorized the name.

He then mentioned the name of Hungarian Iron and Steel on some special occasions, which gained the approval of the upper class.

The nickname "Hungarian Iron" appeared decades in advance.

This is all a story for later.

Li Aiguo is most concerned about the domestic research plan on internal combustion engines.

Dong continued: "Internal combustion engine technology is not mature yet, and due to limited conditions in China, there is no special emphasis on the research of internal combustion locomotives.

However, the Russian experts believe that we should replace our locomotives as soon as possible and suggest that we vigorously research steam locomotives.

It’s just that our passenger diesel locomotive foundation is extremely weak.

After learning about this situation, Hungary. Hungarian Railways initially promised to provide us with technical information of D-type motorcycle diesel multiple units and shipped spare parts of ND1 type diesel locomotives.

Those parts were assembled into six ND1 diesel locomotives, which are now running in the Fengtai Locomotive Depot.

The other one was sent to the Harbin Railway Bureau Scientific Research Institute.

They plan to develop our own internal combustion engine based on the ND1 diesel locomotive.

It is said that there have been results, and the new diesel locomotive has been named "Construction". "

Diesel locomotive technology is more advanced than steam locomotive technology, no wonder it causes Vice President Wang to worry.

But Li Aiguo didn't care.

"Deputy Chief Engineer Wang, the internal combustion engine is not mature yet. It cannot compare to the steam locomotive in terms of power or safety. You are worrying about nothing."

"Too."

Deputy Chief Engineer Wang seemed to want to say something, but he looked at Chief Engineer Liu and didn't say anything.

Liu Guozhang and Dong Gong also looked a little strange.

When Li Aiguo saw their expressions, he immediately remembered some gossip.

Northeast China is the place with the most densely populated railway network in the country and also the place with the most advanced railway technology. The Harbin Railway Science Research Institute is an old railway research institute.

Before liberation, the Harbin Railway Bureau Scientific Research Institute was called the Technical Section of the Engineering Department of the Middle East Railway Administration, and was led and headed by a Russian.

After liberation, it was reorganized into the Harbin Railway Science Research Institute and continued to engage in railway technology research.

Later, in order to vigorously research railway technology, Beijing joined forces with Tangshan Railway College, Baoding Railway Technical College and other institutions to jointly establish the Beijing Railway Research Institute.

One piece of cake now becomes two shares.

Although the two families are members of one big family, there are still gaps between them.

Especially in the past two years, the Beijing Railway Research Institute has received a lot of financial and personnel support and has developed many advanced steam engines and railway technologies.

Although the Harbin Railway Science Research Institute has also made many achievements, it is far inferior in comparison.

In particular, there are many Russian experts in the Harbin Railway Science Research Institute.

In order to respond to the call, Harbin Railway Science Research Institute put all its energy into copying the ND1 diesel locomotive.

At that time, in order to balance the situation, the Ministry of Railways should ask the Railway Research Institute and Datong Factory to make some compromises.

Although both were working towards the development of railway technology, their routes were different, so conflicts arose.

These are all games between high-level officials and have little to do with a train driver like Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo didn't take it to heart.

After the modified forward steam locomotive was successfully put into operation, the improvement team immediately reported the results to the Ministry of Railways.

On September 21, the Ministry of Railways held a small-scale celebration meeting at Xia Gongfu at the south entrance of Wangfujing.

The conference was of a very high standard and was presided over by the legendary Minister Teng of the Ministry of Railways.

At the celebration party, the minister said that the Improved Forward steam locomotive represented the most advanced steam locomotive in the world and might be exported in the future, so a new name should be chosen.

After some discussion, the improved forward steam locomotive was named the Patriotic steam locomotive.

When Liu Guozhang and Chief Engineer Liu heard this name, they all looked at Li Aiguo in surprise.

Several leaders of Harbin research institutes frowned.

Li Aiguo straightened his chest and said, "There's nothing I can do about it. Who gave me a nice name?"

Because during the improvement of the Patriotic steam engine, some disputes arose with the Russians.

Adhering to the concept of making a fortune in silence and in order to save face for its big brother, the Ministry of Railways did not carry out any large-scale publicity.

However, the members of the improvement team were still commended.

The Railway Research Institute and Datong Locomotive Factory were awarded first-class collective merit, and the Changxindian Locomotive Factory was awarded third-class merit.

Members of the improvement team, including Li Aiguo and Dong Gong, were awarded the honorary title of “Advanced Individual in Railway Construction”.

Each of them received a grand certificate, an enamel pot and two bonuses.

After Minister Teng announced the awards, he looked around and asked, "Do you have any other opinions?"

Li Aiguo raised his hand.

Engineer Dong was startled and reached out to pull Li Aiguo's arm.

Are you kidding? How can Li Aiguo have the right to speak in such an occasion?

Before he could do anything, he received Liu Guozhang's gaze and quickly let go of Li Aiguo's arm.

"It's Comrade Aiguo." Minister Teng seemed to recognize Li Aiguo and said kindly, "Little comrade, if you have any ideas, just bring them up."

Li Aiguo stood up and said, "Minister, leaders, I personally think that some non-staff members who have performed well should also be commended.

Although they are not members of our railway system, they have also made indelible contributions to its improvement.”

Li Aiguo then introduced the non-staff personnel who made special contributions to the locomotive improvement work.

Because he comes from the front line, the examples he tells are very detailed.

The leaders attending the conference were moved when they heard that those non-staff members had worked without sleep for days and nights to improve the locomotive, and some of them insisted on working even when they were sick.

Minister Teng nodded and said, "The reminder from the patriotic comrade is correct. Now our railway department is short of talents and often needs help from our brother units.

If we forget what we have done to help others, it will be a disaster.

How about this, let’s give a reward to those non-staff members as well.

Comrade, this is a very good suggestion. Please raise it more often in the future."

The leaders also nodded in agreement.

When Engineer Dong saw this situation, he felt sad.

Minister Teng, a leader who came from the military, was well-known in the ministry for his strict style, but he actually talked and laughed in front of Li Aiguo.

This kid is incredible now.

Some leaders who knew Li Aiguo's background cast envious glances at Liu Guozhang.

Liu Guozhang straightened his chest slightly.

There’s nothing I can do, I just have a good apprentice!

The meeting lasted for more than two hours and it was almost noon when it ended. The Ministry of Railways held a celebration banquet in the banquet hall.

These days celebration banquets are relatively simple, especially for the comrades on the railways, most of whom are former railway soldiers, so they don’t like to be fancy.

The dishes included a plate of pork stewed with vermicelli, a plate of Liling stir-fried pork, a plate of bitter melon and duck, and a plate of Chinese sausage.

There were two bottles of Moutai on each table.

As long as there is wine and meat, it is a good banquet.

After the leaders' toasts, our Li Aiguo also started drinking.

As we were enjoying our meal, a middle-aged man in a gray Mao suit with a badge on his chest came over. He was about fifty years old, with his gray hair combed meticulously and wearing glasses on his nose. He also had a faint air of a superior.

He extended his hand to Li Aiguo and said, "Driver Li, I am Professor Cui Mingde from the Technology Department of Harbin Railway Research Institute. I admire you for being able to develop the Aiguo steam engine."

"Professor Cui, what you said is wrong. I am just a train driver. I just made a few small suggestions in the process of improving the steam locomotive.

The transformation of the Patriotic Steam Locomotive was completed thanks to the collective strength.”

Li Aiguo calmly picked up the handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth, then shook hands with him gently.

Liu Guozhang was just worried about Li Aiguo.

A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Cui Mingde's words were like putting Li Aiguo on fire.

After hearing Li Aiguo's response, he nodded with satisfaction. This kid is becoming more and more mature.

Cui Mingde originally thought that Li Aiguo was just a rough guy, so he used a little trick. After getting caught, he looked a little embarrassed.

He smiled self-deprecatingly and said to Liu Guozhang: "Old Liu, you have a good disciple."

"You must not praise him, he will be proud later." Liu Guozhang smiled like an auntie and pulled Cui Mingla to his seat, "Old Cui, your apprentice is excellent. Who in our railway system can compare to you?

I heard that you now have more than a dozen apprentices, all of whom are highly educated, and two of them are old Russians."

"That's because I am also a professor at Harbin Institute of Technology and I am responsible for recruiting graduate students. Those apprentices don't count."

Cui Mingde looked at Li Aiguo, sighed and said: "Although my disciples have high academic qualifications, they are all people who follow the rules, and few of them have achieved success.

Unlike your apprentice, you improved the Qianjin steam engine right away and won the favor of Minister Teng. You have a bright future ahead of you."

Seeing that Cui Mingde was still adding fuel to the fire, Liu Guozhang changed the subject and asked, "I heard that your Harbin Railway Research Institute has made achievements in improving the ND1 diesel locomotive. It won't be long before you can get a big red flower."

Cui Mingde said: "It is true that we have achieved considerable results. Old Liu, let me advise you that steam locomotives have no future. The internal combustion engine will dominate the world in the future, so your research institute should stop doing useless work."

"Really? Whether a locomotive is easy to use still needs to be verified through practice. If you only know how to hold on to books and rely on books, you will inevitably go astray." Liu Guozhang said lightly.

"The trend! Brother Guozhang, the trend cannot be resisted."

“That has to be in line with the actual situation.”

Liu Guozhang and Cui Mingde seemed to be chatting casually, but the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Especially Cui Mingde was already very angry today.

He was unhappy that the ministry was placing so much emphasis on patriotic steam locomotives.

So he rushed from Harbin to Beijing and met with the leaders of the ministry several times, hoping that the leaders would change their opinions and not deviate from the general direction of developing internal diesel steam locomotives.

However, the leaders in the department rejected his proposal due to practical considerations.

At the minister's insistence, not only was a celebration banquet held, but a decision was also made to mass-produce steam locomotives.

As a result, even if the internal combustion engine is successfully developed, the production plan will be affected.

Now he is still being criticized by Liu Guozhang. If he had not been a professor all his life, he would not have sworn. At this point, an argument has already started.

When the researchers nearby saw the two bosses arguing, they didn't dare to try to persuade them.

The leaders in the department knew that the two had a dispute and would not stop them at this time.

The two people's voices became louder and louder, and for a moment everyone didn't know what to do.

pat.

A wine glass was placed in front of Cui Mingde.

Li Aiguo stood up and poured him a glass of wine: "Professor Cui, I am a rough man, and I admire you professors who have made contributions to the country and the railway construction. Come, I will toast you."

Cui Mingde was a little confused about the situation.

He was fighting with the train driver's master.

This guy rebelled?

But you can't refuse when someone toasts you.

He picked up the glass and drank it in one gulp.

"The Great Wall will never fall, and three glasses of wine are indispensable!" Li Aiguo poured two more glasses.

"The Great Wall really cannot fall down." Cui Mingde thought it made sense and picked up the wine glass and drank two glasses in a row.

"When comrades meet, they drink all the wine. When comrades meet, they drink double."

Li Aiguo poured another cup and handed it over.

Cui Mingde drank three cups in a row and his head was a little confused.

But he had to admit that Li Aiguo was his comrade, so he could only take the wine and drink it all.

"It takes three to make a good man. Don't panic after drinking a cup. We railway workers also need the help of our comrades."

Cui Mingde: “.”

Cui Mingde picked up the wine glass and drank it all again.

He really couldn't hold it anymore, so he covered his glass and said, "Driver Li, no more."

"The east wind blows, the war drums thunder, who is afraid of who when we drink today!"

Well, now that the United States has come up with it, we have to drink it, otherwise we will make a mistake.

Cui Mingde picked up the wine glass and drank it again.

Liu Guozhang originally thought that Li Aiguo's toast was just nonsense.

Who would have thought that his street-smart methods were actually useful.

Cui Mingde, who had just launched an aggressive attack, could only deal with Li Aiguo's toast.

President Teng had been watching from the side, and seeing this, he, who usually had a stern face, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"This train driver knows how to use his strengths to attack the enemy's weak points. This is the style of our railway soldiers."

When the leaders heard this, they looked at Li Aiguo with different eyes.

Li Aiguo suffered deeply from the pain of being forced to drink in his later life. Now he felt double the happiness by inflicting his pain on others.

Especially nowadays people are very simple and honest, they have never seen such tricks.

Cui Mingde gradually lost himself in the toasts that he had to drink, and drank one glass after another.

Of course, Professor Cui Mingde doesn't drink much, so we can't really get him drunk in such an occasion.

Seeing that Professor Cui Mingde had almost finished drinking, Li Aiguo felt that it was enough, so he also poured a glass of wine and toasted him: "Professor Cui, I am a junior, and I hope to get your guidance in the future."

After saying that, he picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp.

Professor Cui Mingde finally got a chance.

He didn't even bother to debate with Liu Guozhang and called his students to help him away.

In the toilet, after Professor Cui Mingde induced vomiting, he said depressedly: "This train driver is a guy who doesn't suffer any loss."

His student smiled and said: "Teacher, you don't need to worry so much, the Hungarian guests will be here in a few days.

According to the previous agreement, we can get a complete set of technical drawings of the ND1 diesel locomotive.

By the time the ND1 diesel locomotive is developed, we will definitely be able to surpass the Beijing Railway Research Institute.

As for the train driver, he is just a rude worker. You don't need to bother with him."

"That's true." Cui Mingde stood up and wiped the corner of his mouth, his face became serious: "Zhen Zhang, you are wrong about one thing. That Li Aiguo is definitely not just a rude worker. If he was really stupid, how could he have built the Aiguo steam locomotive and made me like this?"

"Yes." Cao Zhenzhang realized that he had said the wrong thing and quickly suppressed the smugness on his face.

After the banquet, Li Aiguo had no driving or research tasks, so he rode his bicycle happily towards the courtyard.

After being busy for nearly a month, I can finally relax for a while.

I don’t know if Huang Jing’s driving skills have improved.

Just after noon, the Beijing Institute of Mathematics was quiet.

After lunch, the diligent researchers started working in their respective offices.

"Good news, good news!"

Secretary Liu from the Institute of Mathematics ran into the institute holding the award certificate.

The excited voice broke the silence of the institute.

Deputy Director Zhang pushed open the door of his office and waved at him: "Xiao Liu, everyone is working, be quiet."

Secretary Liu realized his abruptness, quickly covered his mouth, and trotted over.

"Director Zhang, Chen Ziyuan from our institute has been awarded the title of Advanced Individual in the Ministry of Railways."

"Advanced individual?" Deputy Director Zhang was a little dazed for a moment.

Chen Zilan was not from the Ministry of Railways at all, so why did he get the title?

But the big red certificate cannot be fake.

Besides, Chen Ziliao’s winning of the honorary title is not only a glory for him alone, but also a glory for the entire Institute of Mathematics.

This shows that the work of the Institute of Mathematics has practical significance and can make great contributions to the construction of the motherland.

Thinking of this, Deputy Director Zhang immediately raised the matter to a higher level.

"Xiao Liu, notify those researchers to hold a meeting right now."

"Yes!"

The quiet Institute of Mathematics suddenly became lively.

This is the first time that a researcher has received a title from an external organization.

And it is a key department like the Ministry of Railways.

The researchers came to the conference room one after another.

Deputy Director Zhang was preparing for a meeting, but when he looked around, he realized that the main person had not arrived yet.

"Xiao Liu, have you informed Chen of the information?"

"I have notified him. I just went to the boiler room and called him through the door." Xiao Liu said.

Deputy Director Zhang said, "Once he starts doing research, you can't hear anything. How about this? Go knock hard on his door. You must pull him out of the room."

"Yes."

Xiao Liu ran away and brought Chen's information to the meeting room a moment later.

"Secretary Liu, you guys hold your meeting. What does it have to do with me? I still have so many questions to answer."

(End of this chapter)