Construction of the Irkutsk-Baikal section of the trans-Baikal railway: state of research

Irkutsk State Transport University, 15, Chernyshevsky str., Irkutsk, Russia

^* Corresponding author: tretvv@yandex.ru

Abstract

The article considers the problems of railway construction in Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries and finds out the available information on one of the fragments of this grandiose construction in the historical literature. Attention is focused on the construction history of one of the important sections of the Trans-Siberian railway – the Irkutsk-Baikal branch railway, which became the foundation of the Circumbaikal railway. This part of the Great Siberian Railway proved to be a very technically complex construction facility and required significant investments from the state. However, it was not easy to approach to its construction. Its creation was preceded by the work of numerous research teams, selfless labour of designers, engineers, technicians and workers. Thanks to their efforts, our country ultimately managed to establish a continuous rail transportation service and unite the western and eastern parts of Russia, which made it possible to maintain the country’s defense capability during the sudden outbreak of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904–1905. The authors specify the main problems that arise when studying the history of the construction and operation of the Irkutsk-Baikal line. They define the range of sources put into circulation by researchers of the designing and construction processes of this road. It is emphasized that the largest number of sources relate to the creation of the line, while the sources which deeply reflect the line operation are few and fragmented.