The problems in Franz's eyes are not problems in the eyes of people of this age.
From the analysis of construction cost, the biggest gap between the four sets of standards is only 1.2%, which means that the construction cost of the railway is not the main factor affecting the decision.
If you think about it, the gauge of railways in this era is generally relatively large. The first railway gauge of the Russians was 1829mm. Later, in order to make money, the bureaucrats listened to the suggestion of American engineers and changed it to 1524mm.
How much is the cost savings from shrinking from six feet to five feet
Saving 3% on the budget, of course, with the style of the Tsarist bureaucrats, it must not save much money in the end.
The standard gauge is marketed by the British to the world. John Bull has introduced the law since 1846. Since then, the 1435mm system has become the standard gauge of the British mainland and colonies.
However, India soon became an exception. The standard gauge could not meet their transportation requirements. The British were pragmatic and would enlarge it. Therefore, most of the railways in India are 1676mm standard, and there are naturally many other messy gauge railways. .
After nearly a hundred years of hard work by the British, the 1435mm system did not become an international standard gauge until the mid-20th century. The original purpose of Niuniu was to promote the British technical system.
Whether there is a purpose to limit the freight capacity of mainland countries is unknown. Franz does not believe that John Bull would be so kind.
With the technology of the mid-19th century, the freight volume of broad-gauge railways exceeds that of narrow-gauge railways, and the safety and speed are much higher, which is completely different from the 21st century.
Later generations rely on technology to solve the problem of train stability, and the freight capacity and speed of narrow-gauge railways have been improved, which is impossible in this era.
Railway maintenance costs, in fact, are about the same. After the railway is built, the structure is exactly the same, the difference is only the length of the sleepers, and it is unfounded to say that the maintenance of the narrow-gauge railway is simple.
The question of floor space is completely nonsense. Whose railway does not leave isolation belts on both sides, should it still use the land under the train
… (Don’t talk about it, it’s almost a popular science)
"Your Majesty, since we want to unify the standards, it might be better for the Holy Roman Alliance to unify the standards together, gather everyone together, and formulate a common standard," Metternich suggested.
"Is there enough time, our railway has already started construction?" Prime Minister Felix asked with concern
"No problem, the railway construction has just started, and a decision will be made within a year, and it will not affect the construction." Railway Minister Stein replied.
The railway construction in this era is really slow, and the demolition is only starting now. After the completion of the excavation, the excavation and the filling, the subgrade construction cannot be reached without a year or two of effort.
"Then pull everyone together, and the Ministry of Railways is responsible for selecting an optimal plan, as our opinion, try to persuade everyone to implement it together.
If there is an endless dispute, take out these sets of standards and let everyone vote. Anyway, these plans are suitable for Austria. ' Franz said indifferently.
"Then 1676mm, this standard can already meet our needs, and the safety is also guaranteed." Stein quickly gave the answer
As for international railway standards, is there such a thing in this era? Who admits it
You must know that when the British were building the Western Railway, they found that their standard system could not guarantee safety because of technology.
Once the Holy Roman League establishes a new standard, then the future international railway gauge standard may become two sets.
If nothing else, the railway standards of the South German state have been unified. Will Prussia follow or not
If they do not follow up, the two sides will be separated economically; if they follow up, the standard system will be unified in Central and Southern Europe, and the influence will undoubtedly be huge.
As an emperor, many things had to be considered political and military. For example, now, if the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Maozi unify the railway standards, Franz will be counseled immediately.
Not to mention the reason, we all know that any country must be cautious when it is neighbors with wooly bears. Even if you are allies, you should be on guard.
During this period, all the major powers in Europe actually seemed to be somewhat strong outside the country, and Austria was no exception.
The national strength of the British has also not reached its peak, India has not been completely eaten by them, Australia and New Zealand still have indigenous forces, South Africa has only established some strongholds in the coastal areas, Southeast Asia is in progress, and Egypt is still dominated by the French. The Great Colonial Empire has yet to complete the puzzle.
The French are busy with internal struggles, while the Russians' internal contradictions have only been suppressed and are only waiting to be detonated by external forces.
The Kingdom of Prussia has to rely on foreign wars to transfer social contradictions, and its internal reform has just started. On the surface, its military strength is good, but its domestic economy is weak.
Spain continues to decline, and social reforms have not yet started; the United States, far on the ocean side, is still an agricultural country with a population of just over 20 million in this era, and its main economic income is the export of cotton. The contradiction between the North and the South has already emerged.
Thinking of this, Franz suddenly had an idea, do you want to find an opportunity to engage in South Africa
South Africa is so big, the British only established colonial rule on the coast, and the inland areas are still unclaimed land. Except for the Cape of Good Hope, the British did not pay attention to it at all.
Now the British are very busy, and they can't take care of more areas in Africa. There are so many points of entry. If they join in now, they may be able to divide a piece of meat.
If it really doesn't work, start with Namibia, then occupy Botswana, and play a marginal ball; or start with Tanzania, occupy Zambia and Zimbabwe, and enter the hinterland of South Africa from the inland.
It’s pretty good in theory, but it doesn’t seem to be very reliable in practice. The African continent in this era is not cute at all. There are a lot of diseases, poisonous insects and beasts. If you want to colonize this place, you must be prepared to suffer a high mortality rate.
Theoretically, it is not very high. As long as you are careful and keep the mortality rate within 10%, there is probably no problem.
It's okay to say this. If you really implement it, you will find that everyone is not so brave. Who is willing to take risks in the past
Except for incentives, such as the discovery of gold mines in South Africa, everyone suddenly becomes brave, and diseases, poisonous insects, and wild animals are nothing.
Sadly, when gold was discovered, it was not Austria's turn. Unless it is occupied in advance and then joins forces with the Boers, it is impossible to grab the British at all.
Reason is reason, and as soon as this idea comes out, Franz can't get rid of it.
Anyway, it’s still a long time before South Africa discovers gold. It’s a big deal to support the African colonial faction in the country and let them go there first to establish a stronghold.
By the time the Anglo-Boers War broke out, Austria would probably have risen to prominence, and at that time, whether it was supporting the Boers to cause trouble for John Bull, or joining in and sharing a share, they would all need a foothold.
The timing of the action must be chosen, preferably when the British are overwhelmed, and suddenly start to cause an established fact.
The international law of this era is that whoever occupies the land without the owner first owns it. The premise is that it can be preserved.
It's still early, so don't be in a hurry. Franz is not a person who acts blindly, and now it seems that he still wants to promote the construction of the Suez Canal.
Austria does not have the ability to dominate this canal, but it is still possible to become an international co-managed canal with a little encouragement.
When the Suez Canal was dug in history, the British government was fully opposed to it, they believed that the canal would threaten their maritime supremacy.
The British people believe that the canal cannot pass large ships, and the shares of the canal company are almost uninterested in the UK.
On the contrary, it sold well in France. The Canal Company also suffered from insufficient funds and stopped work in the middle, which almost turned into an unfinished project. Finally, it was successfully completed under the negotiation of the Rothschild family.
Historically, the canal has been open to navigation since 1869. For such a long time, the Austrian navy has almost gained weight.
Others are not guaranteed, and it is still possible to become a shareholder of the canal.
Historically, France could not bear the pressure of the British, and was forced to give up because of financial problems. If it becomes the French-Austrian joint leadership of the Suez Canal, the result will be different.
How to do it, Franz had a headache. The relationship between the great powers is very complicated. Everyone cooperates and stabs each other.
Join forces here today, and do another battle in another place tomorrow.
If you want to reduce conflicts, unless you are like the Russian-Austrian secret agreement, everyone gets what they need, and the sphere of influence is clearly agreed in advance.
As long as it is impossible to imagine, Austria can make concessions to Russia, and that is everyone's core strategy not to conflict.
Franz also knew that as soon as the Russians' strategy was launched, they would be besieged by Britain, France, and the Ottomans. Mao Xiong's national strength could not support this long-term war of attrition, and failure was inevitable.
Unless Britain and France took the initiative to invade Russia, Austria would be drawn into the war under the influence of the Covenant. Just open the map and know that unless Russia leads the fight, it will be difficult for Britain and France to attack Russia.
Obviously, this kind of thing can't happen again. Austria can only choose a big country as an ally, and the two or five boys who sway from side to side can easily be shot to death.