北洋交通部铁路技术委员会标准化工作述评

An Account and Assessment of the Department of Transport Committee for Railway Technology

中国铁路建设因历史沿革而缺乏统一的技术标准,对全国铁路事业的长远发展造成障碍。清末詹天佑主持了统一铁路技术标准的工作,但因辛亥革命而中断。1918年北洋政府交通部设立铁路技术委员会,集合国内外铁路工程技术专家,历时近5年,制定了13项《国有铁路规范》,为我国统一铁路技术标准工作之始。规范公布之后,得到了切实的贯彻实施。铁路技术委员会隶属于北洋交通部,为其成功实现标准化工作的目标提供了强大的动力支持,但同时又因北洋政府更迭和交通总长易人而导致其历史命运提前终结,最终沦为政治斗争牺牲品。本文以文献为基础,梳理了清末民初中国铁路技术标准由纷乱趋于统一的过程,特别是北洋交通部铁路技术委员会的工作,揭示了该过程的艰难与复杂性,得出的结论是该项技术标准化工作以中国铁路人才的培养和实践经验的积累为基础和前提,同时受到了西方列强和国内政局的较大影响。

Chinese railway constructions had a lack in unified technology standards due to historic reasons.In late Qing, Jeme Tien Yow led the work of unification of railway technology standards, but the work was interruptedby revolution of 1911. In 1918, the Beiyang Department of Transport set up the Committee for RailwayTechnology, which assembled railway experts home and broad and spent 5 years in working out 13 specificationsfor national railways, and this marked the beginning of China’s unification of railway technology standards. Thespecifications were practically carried out after being published. The Committee for Railway Technology wassubordinate to Beiyang Department of Transport, which offered strong support for its aim. However, due to thesuccession of governments and ministers of Transport in office, the Committee was terminated ahead of time andbecame the victim of political struggles. Based on texts, this paper probed the process of China’s railway technologystandards going from chaos to unification, disclosed the complexity and difficulty of the process. The author argued that the technology standardization work was based on the cultivation of Chinese railway talents and the accumulation of practical experience, and also affected by the western powers and internal politics.