G. W. Whistler and the Howe Bridges on the Nikolaev Railway, 1842–1851

Abstract

The influence of the American engineer George Washington Whistler on the design of the St. Petersburg-Moscow Railway, called the Nikolaev Railway, is discussed. The line, built between 1842 and 1851 and approximately 644 km long, was the first large-scale implementation of railroad transportation in Russia. Whistler recommended a 1,524-mm (5-ft) railroad gauge, which was accepted by the Tsar. He helped design the railway’s first freight and passenger steam locomotives, and he helped organize the manufacturing facility for the production of locomotives and other rolling stock. Because Whistler had successfully built a pioneering Howe truss bridge for the Western Railroad over the Connecticut River in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1841, he was able to persuade Russian engineers to adopt the Howe form for the Nikolaev Railway’s 64 major bridges. The design of the Connecticut River Bridge inspired the renowned Russian engineer Dmitry Jouravsky to perform over 8 years of study on the Howe form. Jouravsky’s contributions to structural engineering and his design adaptations are discussed in the context of the Connecticut River Bridge.