Prince Khilkov: the path from stoker to Minister of Railways

In a conversation about the formation of the railway in the Russian Empire, several names are mentioned - this is Professor Shcheglov, who claimed that the economic development of the country depends on this type of transport, and the Cherepanov brothers with their first piece of iron at the plant, and, of course, Nikolai the First, and the Czech engineer von Gerstner, and Alexander the Second in his time. At the same time, Khilkov's name is rarely mentioned or completely hushed up. Meanwhile, Prince M.I. Khilkov made an invaluable contribution to the development of Russian railways. Through his efforts, almost the entire territory of the country was covered by a network of rails and sleepers, which affected the economic development and defense capability of Russia. A great man and great are his deeds!

Prince Khilkov is a liberal, a passionist and a traveler

Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Khilkov was destined for the typical fate of a hereditary nobleman: tutors, service in Moscow or St. Petersburg, a profitable marriage, a good state position and honor. They say about such people – born with a golden spoon in your mouth, live and rejoice! That would have been the case, but at the age of 25 Khilkov changed his life abruptly on his own. The abolition of serfdom and liberal free-thinking sentiments in the upper class prompted the young prince to reconsider his lifestyle. He distributed land to serfs, left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and went to travel and work in America! The country perfectly suited the passionary Khilkov. It experienced rapid economic growth, actively developed in different directions and was a place of opportunities - literally everyone could build a career there and achieve any heights, if there was a desire. Prince Khilkov got a job as a worker in an English company that was engaged in the construction of railways. An unprecedented thing – a prince and a simple worker! Further more, trains and the railway so captured and carried away Khilkov that he got a job as a stoker on a steam locomotive. The hard and dirty work did not frighten the prince, it was as if he set out to make his way to important people for the railway from the very bottom, from the simplest and lowest-paid positions. After working as a stoker, Khilkov received good recommendations and became an assistant engineer, then a locomotive engineer himself. The prince, who received a brilliant education in Russia and was close to the Empress' family, worked as a locomotive engineer and was happy! Then he worked his way up to the position of the head of a large calving in the Transcontinental Railway. America gave Khilkov the opportunity to become rich and famous, but he had already outgrown this stage and aspired to the new and unknown. The prince unexpectedly refuses a smart offer to work in America and leaves for England. And there he starts from scratch again – he is a locksmith at a factory for the construction of steam locomotives. Khilkov, like a sponge, absorbed everything - how to build a railway, how to design steam locomotives, traction features and everything-all the important details and trifles. Having spent 9 long years abroad, Khilkov thoroughly learned the railway business, has been in many guises - from a simple worker to an engineer and head of department, experienced the subtleties and nuances of the railway direction on his own experience. It's time to return to Russia. However, here Khilkov again took the longest and most difficult path. At first, the prince was content with a small position, gradually moving up the career ladder, until in 1895 he became Minister of Railways of the Russian Empire.

Prince Khilkov's contribution to the development of Russian railways

Khilkov, as Minister of Railways, made an invaluable contribution to the development of Russian railways. During his reign, the length of railway tracks doubled, cargo turnover increased. There has never been such a growth rate in Russia anymore and there is not today. Khilkov actively developed Siberia, Transbaikalia, Central Asia, the Urals, i.e. the most important areas for industry. The Circum-Baikal Railway, the development of Transbaikalia, the Trans-Siberian Railway, access to the Yellow Sea are only a small part of Khilkov's achievements. Features of the development of railways in such regions are very difficult terrain and harsh climatic conditions. It was impossible to make rash actions here, to make wrong decisions. But the experience of working from a stoker and a machinist to a minister helped Khilkov to correctly navigate this simpler. He soberly and accurately assessed the opportunities, costs, benefits. If we recall that at that time not everyone supported the development of distant territories and the construction of railways in general (it was believed that horse traction was better, more reliable and cheaper than steam locomotives), we need to add serious administrative work to prove, convince, take responsibility, motivate. For example, there was a case on the Circum-Baikal Railway: the driver stopped the train and announced that moving on was just madness and the locomotive would derail. Khilkov could have given an order, threatened, forced to do it, but instead he took the driver's place and expertly guided the train through a difficult section. By his example, he showed that it was not in vain that engineers calculated traction and traffic safety! Mikhail Ivanovich Khilkov was sharply different from the typical bosses of that time, for whom only the result or even a simple report to the emperor about the work done was important, and then let it burn at least with fire! Khilkov achieved the opening of a school for the training of railway workers, improved the life and working conditions of workers, took care of the creation of good stations. Khilkov's memory is immortalized in several places. Firstly, a bust of the prince and a Memorial obelisk were installed in Sonkovo at the burial site, in the churchyard of Golovskoye in the Sonkovsky district, where he rests next to his wife. Secondly, in the places where he lived and worked, there are memorial plaques in St. Petersburg and Krasnoyarsk, and monuments at the Kazan railway Station ("To the Creators of Russian railways") and at the Slyudyanka station of the Irkutsk region. Is it a lot or a little? Probably not enough, but such was Khilkov himself, a hero who did not like to advertise his achievements, a real hard worker and a very smart person who cares for Russia.