Technology of rails’ production of Nizhnevyksunskiy plant in the first half of XIX century

This article discusses the rails’ production technology of Nizhnevyksunskiy plant in the first half of the XIX century. Using the plans and drawings of the plant machinery, the author examines the spatial organization of the plant, considering consistently all stages of the process of rails’ production. Comparing plans with early descriptions of the plant, preserved in the sources, the author analyzes the changes which were needed to reorient the manufacturing process to produce rails. These include: 1) complete redesign of workshop space; 2) change of technological infrastructure. Much attention is paid to the study of the latest achievements in metallurgy, which have been tested on Nizhnevyksunskiy plant, these include: 1) puddling; 2) use of dried wood instead of charcoal. The article gives a detailed description of the puddling process, provides data concerning the features of the puddling furnaces of Nizhnevyksunskiy and Votkinsk plants, as well as comparative data on the puddling production of four plants: 1) Nizhnevyksunskiy; 2) Votkinsk; 3) Neuberg in Styria; 4) Bergen in Bavaria. The author concludes that the process of puddling in its characteristics at the Nizhnevyksunskiy plant was slightly different from the best plants in Germany.