Iurii Vladimirovich Lomonosov
Encyclopedia
Yury Vladimirovich Lomonosov ( 24 April 1876 – 19 November 1952) was a Russia
n railway engineer and a leading figure in the development of Russian Railways
in the early 20th century. He was best known for design and construction of the world's first operationally successful mainline diesel locomotive
, which was completed in 1924 and went into service in 1925. In the late 1920s, Lomonosov immigrated to Europe and later became a British citizen.
of Russia. His father Vladimir Grigorievich Lomonosov was a former cavalry officer who worked as a judge since 1870. His mother Maria Fedorovna Lomonosova (née Pegelau) was a housewife known for establishing a public library.
In 1887, following the family tradition, Lomonosov entered the Moscow 1st Cadet Corps. However, he then decided to abandon his military career in favor of engineering. In 1893, Lomonosov passed the entrance exam and started his studies at the St. Petersburg Institute of Communications
. After graduation, he worked at Kharkiv Locomotive Plant and then, in October 1898, became assistant director of the depot of the Kharkiv
-Nikolayev railways. In 1898, he started designing and testing locomotives that became his occupation of his life. In 1899, he was offered a teaching position at the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute where he taught a course on the theory and management of locomotives. In the meantime, the Russian Ministry of Communications approved him for the position of Inspector of the Russian State and Private Railways.
. Later, with a group of 100 students he was sent to inspect the Chinese Eastern Railway
s (CER) for the purpose of their reconstruction. During the trip, he visited numerous cites of the Far East
including Irkutsk
, Harbin
, Port Arthur, Vladivostok
, as well as some cities in Japan (Nagasaki
) and China (Beijing
). The results of the expedition were partly reported in a meeting with the Minister of Finances Sergei Witte
, with whom Lomonosov openly talked about theft and corruption at the CER. This meeting reinforced the image of Lomonosov as an honest and uncompromising public official.
During his stay at Kiev Polytechnic Institute, Lomonosov joined the rapidly growing socialist movement and became an avid Marxist. He however, did not join the Communist Party that hindered many of his further appointments after the October Revolution
. As inspector at the Russian Railways, Lomonosov often traveled abroad to get acquainted with experience of the organization of transport in other countries. In November 1902, he attended the International Congress of Railway Transport Engineers, held in Vienna, where he became acquainted with the work of Austrian and Hungarian engineers. In the spring of 1903, he also visited Italy, Switzerland, France and Spain.
In April 1905, Lomonosov defended his habilitation
on the dynamics of locomotives and became the youngest full professor of the institute. In December 1907, he was appointed head of the locomotive section of St. Catherine's railroads. During this period, he became convinced of the futility of steam engines and concluded that the future belongs to the more fuel-efficient locomotives with internal combustion engines. In 1909, he started to design the engine-oil tankers with a friction-based transmission (from the diesel engine to the driving axle). In July 1914, the Ministry of Railways has approved his design and allocated funds for the production of 2 locomotives, but the project was halted by World War I.
During these years, Lomonosov became a recognized authority in the field of locomotive equipment in Russia and headed a department at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute. He had launched the theory of traction locomotives and developed the scientific basis for the exploitation of railways that was summarized in 2 books published in 1912: "Traction calculation and application of graphic methods to them", and "Scientific problems of railway operation ". Together with his students, in 1908 Lomonosov formed the first research institution devoted to locomotives – "The office of the experimentation over the types of engines", which was converted after the October Revolution to the "Experimental Institute of Communications".
sent Lomonosov to the U.S. diplomatic mission, as a representative of the Ministry of Railways. There he learned about the October Revolution
in Russia. In Autumn 1919, he returned to Russia because Americans decided to suspend their sales of engines to the Soviet Russia. In November 1920, Lomonosov was appointed to the Council of People's Commissars as responsible for rail orders abroad. In this function, he went to Berlin where in 1920-1923 he had organized the purchase of German and Swedish locomotives for Russia.
During this time, Lomonosov did not stop his engineering and scientific activities. From 1923 to 1924 he took on a task of creating the first Russian diesel engine with electric transmission. Using his administrative skills, Lomonosov assembled a creative team of engineers and scientists who managed to design and build a prototype as early as in Spring 1924. The locomotive passed all State tests and examinations and in February 1925 was officially listed under number Юэ 001 at the Soviet railways. Although several other prototype designs were constructed much earlier and in different countries, this locomotive is considered as the world's first operationally successful mainline diesel locomotive
, his popularity among the Soviet politicians had declined. During this period, Lomonosov decided not to return to the Soviet Union. He continued publishing books and began working as consultant and a teacher. Several factors, including insufficient knowledge of German and English, his relatively low popularity and Soviet origin, hindered his professional employment since then – Lomonosov hardly ever regained the popularity and work possibilities which he had had in Russia. Between 1927 and 1948, he moved around several countries in Europe and the United States, taking various temporal positions and projects. In Britain, he collaborated with a talented physicist Pyotr Kapitsa
; in particular, they unsuccessfully tried to obtain a patent on an electromechanical brake system of a locomotive.
In 1938, Lomonosov and his wife Raisa took British citizenship. In 1948–50, together with his son Yuri, he went to U.S. to visit friends and then moved to Canada, where he died after a brief illness.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n railway engineer and a leading figure in the development of Russian Railways
Russian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
in the early 20th century. He was best known for design and construction of the world's first operationally successful mainline diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
, which was completed in 1924 and went into service in 1925. In the late 1920s, Lomonosov immigrated to Europe and later became a British citizen.
Early years
Lomonosov was born in 1876 in Gzhatsk (now Gagarin), a town in Smolensk OblastSmolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its area is . Population: -Geography:The administrative center of Smolensk Oblast is the city of Smolensk. Other ancient towns include Vyazma and Dorogobuzh....
of Russia. His father Vladimir Grigorievich Lomonosov was a former cavalry officer who worked as a judge since 1870. His mother Maria Fedorovna Lomonosova (née Pegelau) was a housewife known for establishing a public library.
In 1887, following the family tradition, Lomonosov entered the Moscow 1st Cadet Corps. However, he then decided to abandon his military career in favor of engineering. In 1893, Lomonosov passed the entrance exam and started his studies at the St. Petersburg Institute of Communications
Petersburg State University of Means of Communication
The Petersburg State Transport University is a higher education institution specializing in railway transport. Before 1990 it was known as "Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers"...
. After graduation, he worked at Kharkiv Locomotive Plant and then, in October 1898, became assistant director of the depot of the Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
-Nikolayev railways. In 1898, he started designing and testing locomotives that became his occupation of his life. In 1899, he was offered a teaching position at the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute where he taught a course on the theory and management of locomotives. In the meantime, the Russian Ministry of Communications approved him for the position of Inspector of the Russian State and Private Railways.
Personal life
In May 1897, Lomonosov married Sofya Alexandrovna Antonovich, a daughter of railway constructor A. I. Antonovich. On their honeymoon, the couple visited Germany, Belgium, Britain and Sweden. Their relations became cold toward 1907 when Sophia Alexandrovna went to Switzerland to study medicine, taking their children with her. Her departure put an end to their marriage. Lomonosov's secretary Raisa Rosen took care of his home and later in August 1908 became his wife. They had a son Yuri who was born in Nikopol and worked most of his life in Britain.Work in Kiev
In 1902, Lomonosov became professor of the Kiev Polytechnic InstituteKiev Polytechnic Institute
The National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” is a major university in Kiev, Ukraine.-History:The institute was founded in 1898. At that time it had four departments: Mechanical, Chemical, Agricultural, and Civil Engineering. The first enrolment constituted 360 students...
. Later, with a group of 100 students he was sent to inspect the Chinese Eastern Railway
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or was a railway in northeastern China . It connected Chita and the Russian Far East. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway...
s (CER) for the purpose of their reconstruction. During the trip, he visited numerous cites of the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
including Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
, Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Port Arthur, Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
, as well as some cities in Japan (Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
) and China (Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
). The results of the expedition were partly reported in a meeting with the Minister of Finances Sergei Witte
Sergei Witte
Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte , also known as Sergius Witte, was a highly influential policy-maker who presided over extensive industrialization within the Russian Empire. He served under the last two emperors of Russia...
, with whom Lomonosov openly talked about theft and corruption at the CER. This meeting reinforced the image of Lomonosov as an honest and uncompromising public official.
During his stay at Kiev Polytechnic Institute, Lomonosov joined the rapidly growing socialist movement and became an avid Marxist. He however, did not join the Communist Party that hindered many of his further appointments after the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. As inspector at the Russian Railways, Lomonosov often traveled abroad to get acquainted with experience of the organization of transport in other countries. In November 1902, he attended the International Congress of Railway Transport Engineers, held in Vienna, where he became acquainted with the work of Austrian and Hungarian engineers. In the spring of 1903, he also visited Italy, Switzerland, France and Spain.
In April 1905, Lomonosov defended his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
on the dynamics of locomotives and became the youngest full professor of the institute. In December 1907, he was appointed head of the locomotive section of St. Catherine's railroads. During this period, he became convinced of the futility of steam engines and concluded that the future belongs to the more fuel-efficient locomotives with internal combustion engines. In 1909, he started to design the engine-oil tankers with a friction-based transmission (from the diesel engine to the driving axle). In July 1914, the Ministry of Railways has approved his design and allocated funds for the production of 2 locomotives, but the project was halted by World War I.
During these years, Lomonosov became a recognized authority in the field of locomotive equipment in Russia and headed a department at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute. He had launched the theory of traction locomotives and developed the scientific basis for the exploitation of railways that was summarized in 2 books published in 1912: "Traction calculation and application of graphic methods to them", and "Scientific problems of railway operation ". Together with his students, in 1908 Lomonosov formed the first research institution devoted to locomotives – "The office of the experimentation over the types of engines", which was converted after the October Revolution to the "Experimental Institute of Communications".
In Soviet Russia
In June 1917, the Provisional GovernmentRussian Provisional Government
The Russian Provisional Government was the short-lived administrative body which sought to govern Russia immediately following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II . On September 14, the State Duma of the Russian Empire was officially dissolved by the newly created Directorate, and the country was...
sent Lomonosov to the U.S. diplomatic mission, as a representative of the Ministry of Railways. There he learned about the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
in Russia. In Autumn 1919, he returned to Russia because Americans decided to suspend their sales of engines to the Soviet Russia. In November 1920, Lomonosov was appointed to the Council of People's Commissars as responsible for rail orders abroad. In this function, he went to Berlin where in 1920-1923 he had organized the purchase of German and Swedish locomotives for Russia.
During this time, Lomonosov did not stop his engineering and scientific activities. From 1923 to 1924 he took on a task of creating the first Russian diesel engine with electric transmission. Using his administrative skills, Lomonosov assembled a creative team of engineers and scientists who managed to design and build a prototype as early as in Spring 1924. The locomotive passed all State tests and examinations and in February 1925 was officially listed under number Юэ 001 at the Soviet railways. Although several other prototype designs were constructed much earlier and in different countries, this locomotive is considered as the world's first operationally successful mainline diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
Life abroad
Between 1924 and 1925, Lomonosov lived and worked in Berlin, sending reports on his communications with German locomotive plants. Despite being recognized as the father of the first Russian diesel locomotiveDiesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
, his popularity among the Soviet politicians had declined. During this period, Lomonosov decided not to return to the Soviet Union. He continued publishing books and began working as consultant and a teacher. Several factors, including insufficient knowledge of German and English, his relatively low popularity and Soviet origin, hindered his professional employment since then – Lomonosov hardly ever regained the popularity and work possibilities which he had had in Russia. Between 1927 and 1948, he moved around several countries in Europe and the United States, taking various temporal positions and projects. In Britain, he collaborated with a talented physicist Pyotr Kapitsa
Pyotr Kapitsa
Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa was a prominent Soviet/Russian physicist and Nobel laureate.-Biography:Kapitsa was born in the city of Kronstadt and graduated from the Petrograd Polytechnical Institute in 1918. He worked for over ten years with Ernest Rutherford in the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge...
; in particular, they unsuccessfully tried to obtain a patent on an electromechanical brake system of a locomotive.
In 1938, Lomonosov and his wife Raisa took British citizenship. In 1948–50, together with his son Yuri, he went to U.S. to visit friends and then moved to Canada, where he died after a brief illness.
Further reading
- Heywood, Anthony, "Engineer of Revolutionary Russia: Iurii V. Lomonosov (1876-1952) and the Railways". Ashgate, 2011, ISBN 0754655393