Günter Dinhobl (Hrsg.): Sonderband 7. Eisenbahn/Kultur – Railway/Culture (2004)
IV. Die Eisenbahn-Technik / Railway-technics - Manfred E. A. Schmutzer: Iron Rules Rule Iron Rails. Cultures and Their Technologies
Manfred E. A. Schmutzer A railway is a one-dimensional technology of transport due to the fact that the steering system is externalized in contrast to boats or cars which for a long time had an externalized power system. From this perspective it becomes clear that the entire system of rails and power supply is but one single mechanism spread out over space.21 Mobility thus became enchained, directed and industrialized. The Emergence of New Space and Time The basic advantage of the comparatively low friction of rail transport at times becomes a disadvantage. Because of this railways are restricted in their capability to ascend steep elevations. The deficiency is usually overcome by planning railroads accordingly. Tunnels, bridges and long serpentines result from this. Railroads are also not very flexible when taking turns. This requires much space for serpentines and makes straight lines by all means preferable. For safety reasons the joining of rails must be very precise, in order to eliminate severe bumps and similar discontinuities. From all this results a distinct experience of spatial transfer. The contemporaries of the railways* adolescence accumulated due to these peculiar properties’ novel perceptions and experiences of space and of time. This new mode has not yet found its final form, as high-speed “Shinkansen’”s and “TGV”s are still capable to provide new experiences for those using them for the first time. The characteristics of railways mentioned above dissected the environment, lifted the passenger above the irregular surfaces and secluded him from the natural surroundings. Contrary to the experiences of previous times the traveler found himself in a new spatial environment separated from the natural one. This closed space possessed very specific qualities different from the usual ones, being filled with fumes and smoke, accompanied by the rhythmic sounds of the minor bumps where rails combine and recurrent swings of the wires of the telegraph when looked at through the windows. Novel velocities and segregation, smoothness and linearity created a unique experience of space. This newly segregated space was soon re-designed and re-fumished inside the coaches to cater to the requests of the wider social system. One obvious outcome of this development was the need to standardize time, which particularly in Europe heretofore was a colorful patchwork of local clocks. Time zones result from railway necessities as well as standardized track gauges, the system of signals, couplers, air brakes etc. 21 Cars are différent to this mode of organization. Here power and steering become encased in one object. 314
