JSC "Tver Carriage Works"

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

JSC Tver Carriage Works (TVZ) is an enterprise with a century-old history, but modern production. It is capable of assembling 1,200 railcars of 200 models and modifications per year, which is a record figure for Russia. The company is part of the structure of Transmashholding.

Prerequisites for creation

In the middle of the 19th century, rapid construction of railways began in Russia. More than 1500 km of tracks were introduced annually. However, at that time in the empire there was only one large locomotive and car building plant in St. Petersburg - Aleksandrovsky. He was also involved in the repair of rolling stock. Naturally, its capacities were not enough, and it was necessary to purchase wagons and railway equipment abroad.

As practice has shown, Western European-style carriages were not well suited to Russian conditions. They had an unsuitable design, and were not insulated. Some didn't even have brakes. In the 1890s, the government passed a series of laws encouraging railroad workers to purchase rolling stock fromdomestic companies. Favorable economic conditions were created for the development of this line of business, foreign investments poured into the country.

Birth

1896-23-09 French and Belgian industrialists concluded an agreement with the authorities of Tver on the lease of a plot of land for the construction of the Tver Carriage Works. The city of Tver, located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, was an ideal place for a new enterprise. Two years later (1898-25-08) director Liebka was awarded a certificate for the right to work, this date is the birthday of the plant.

At the time of opening it was one of the most advanced production facilities in Russia. Foreign industrialists were not stingy: the best equipment and tools were purchased, powerful steam engines made it possible to achieve high productivity. The new cars of the Tver Carriage Works were of high quality and enviable technical characteristics. Thanks to the launch of the enterprise, electricity appeared in Tver - one of the steam units provided the townspeople with electricity.

Pre-revolutionary period

By 1899, the first batch of 13 covered freight cars was ready, capable of transporting up to 12.5 tons of cargo each. It was a so-called dual-use product. In case of war, they were easily converted to transport personnel (40 people or 8 horses) or military cargo.

With the onset of the 20th century, the Tver Carriage Works switched to the production of passengercarriages of all possible classes: from double-deckers for migrants going to explore the expanses of Siberia and the Far East to luxurious 26-meter "salon" for the elite, including the royal family. The main products were sleeping cars for high-speed trains. In 1915, the Tver and Riga factories merged.

Time for change

The October Revolution interfered with the company's development plans. In 1918 it was nationalized, and in 1921 it was mothballed. The work of the plant resumed in 1925. Instead of two-axle freight cars, the assembly of four-axle freight cars has begun, which has significantly increased their carrying capacity.

In 1931, Tver was renamed Kalinin, respectively, the Tver Carriage Works was renamed Kalinin. A year later, the construction of a huge workshop, almost a kilometer long, began, where the assembly of rolling stock was subsequently established. By this time, over 6,500 workers worked in the production, and productivity was 10 times higher than in 1913. In 1937 alone, the enterprise produced 418 passenger and 5736 heavy freight cars.

War

After the German attack on the USSR, the plant switched to the production of purely military products: medical supplies, ammunition, mortars. However, the city was soon occupied by the German army, and they did not have time to take out the equipment. Most of the shops were destroyed.

1942-03-01 after a successful counteroffensive, the city of Kalinin was liberated. Immediately it wasapproved a resolution on the urgent restoration of production. By the autumn of 1943, the Kalinin Carriage Works had become one of the largest operating plants in the Central region of the country. 18 items of products for the front were produced here.

Post-war development

Even before the war, the engineers of the Kalinin (Tver) Carriage Works developed a unique comfortable all-metal passenger car for long-distance trains. In 1950, work in this direction was resumed, and already in 1951 the company switched to their production.

The introduction of new products required a major change in the technological process, the requirements for the quality of welding work have increased many times over. Specialists for the first time in the USSR developed a special gantry automatic welding machine for welding roof arches, flooring and side walls.

By 1965, the plant was already producing 11 modifications of passenger cars (instead of one in 1959). On some models, for the first time in the practice of railway workers, air conditioners were installed, which were powered by electricity generated by a special power plant that was part of the train. Such systems were used in the south of the country, mainly in Central Asia.

At high speeds

By the 1960s, the question of increasing the speed of trains was ripe. In 1965, an express train of the Aurora series was built. He was able to deliver passengers from Moscow to Leningrad in less than 5 hours -speeds unimaginable at the time. However, the experts did not stop there. Together with scientists, a project was developed to build a turbojet train driven by two aircraft engines.

The experimental sample has been tested for many years on public routes, reaching speeds of up to 250 km/h. It turned out that he was able to move much faster, but the state of the railways did not allow him to accelerate above a given limit. The data obtained subsequently made it possible to design the express train RT-200, called the Russian Troika. Although its cruising speed was 200 km/h, it was also ideally capable of 250 km/h. This train has become the pride of the factory workers.

Today

In the 1990s, JSC Tver Carriage Works experienced stagnation. The volume of orders decreased many times, but the factory workers found their market niche: for the first time in their history, they began to produce compartment cars, which were previously purchased in Germany. The first model 61-820 was introduced in 1993. Demand for traditional products gradually warmed up: passenger, mail and luggage, staff, freight, special cars, wheel sets, etc.

At the same time, other products are produced. For example, the trams of the Tver Carriage Works travel around Moscow and other major cities of the country.

Since the 90s, work has been carried out on the design and improvement of high-speed cars (over 200 km/h) with a flat body sidewall. Tothe centennial anniversary of the enterprise in 1998, the first sample of model 61-4170 was manufactured. New developments were applied in the design:

• increased strength and durability due to corrosion-resistant steel frame;
• improved smoothness;
• many processes are automated and controlled by a central computer;
• compact toilets installed.

These cars were used in the formation of branded express trains "Red Arrow", "Petrel", "Nevsky Express" and others.

The rail sector is on the rise today. Russian Railways is updating the fleet of locomotives, wagons and special equipment. The main burden of responsibility falls on TVZ as the industry leader. In 2008, after many years of hard work, the production of a new generation of rolling stock was launched. Thanks to the modernization program, productivity has doubled in recent years (from 600 cars in the early 2000s to 1,200 now).

Since 2009, within the framework of cooperation with Siemens Corporation, the development and construction of RIC-coupe cars with a transformable interior has been carried out. These products can be used both on the track of the Russian standard (1520 mm) and the European standard (1435 mm).

Also, since 2009, double-decker cars, new for Russia, have already been produced, which the citizens of the country have already managed to fall in love with. By the way, this is the own development of the car builders from Tver.

Workshops and their descriptions

Tver Carriage Works is one of the few domesticenterprises where they create and build cars for high-speed traffic. Naturally, their production requires innovative technologies and modern equipment. Technological capacities are designed to assemble over 1,000 railcars, with various modifications, including single copies.

Production consists of a number of sections. The main workshops are:

• Car Assembly. Here, the final assembly of railway equipment is carried out from components created at other sites.
• Frame-body, Bogie (manufacturing of frames and bogies).
• Woodworking, Garniturny (production of wooden structures, products, decorative elements).
• Foundry, Forging and pressing, Cold-pressing (obtaining metal structures of complex shapes).
• Small series (performing single special orders).

Auxiliary workshops:

• Instrumental.
• Painting.
• Electric power.
• Boiler.
• Road transport.
• Mechanical Repair.
• Experimental.
• Experimental products.

Tver Carriage Works: reviews

The company is one of the largest employers in the Tver region. A large volume of orders allows us to guarantee decent and timely wages. Employees note high social standards at work. Needy workers are provided with a place in the hostel. Surprisingly, butthe factory lunches are free, and the food, according to reviews, is good. Work at the enterprise is hard, but highly paid. The administration requires strict discipline.

Address of the Tver Carriage Works: 170003, Russian Federation, Tver city, Petersburg Highway, bldg. 45-B.