“Tram of 2 horsepower with 5 letters”: crossword clue and history of horse-drawn tram

You are trying to guess a crossword puzzle where “2 horsepower tram with 5 letters”? The answer is simple - it's horse-drawn. But behind this short word lies an entire era of urban transport, which preceded electric trams. Horse-drawn railway (or horse-drawn railway) was the first mass form of public transport in many cities of the world - from St. Petersburg to New York. It was pulled by real horses, not motors, and that is why the power of such a “tram” was measured in horsepower.

Today the word “horse tram” is almost forgotten, but in the 19th century it was a revolutionary invention. Imagine: instead of dirty and slow omnibuses (horse-drawn carriages on wheels), there were rails along which carriages with passengers ran. Speed - up to 12 km/h, comfort - wooden benches, and the “engine” - a pair of horses. Why then was it called a tram? The point is that the term "tram" (from English tramway - “rail track”) initially referred specifically to horse-drawn trams, and later switched to electric analogues.

In this article we will not only give the exact answer to the crossword puzzle, but also tell you:

• 📜 How the horse-drawn horse works and why its power is exactly 2 hp.
• 🏙️ In which cities of Russia and the world did she work (spoiler: in St. Petersburg until 1910!)
• 💰 How much did the fare cost and who could afford it?
• ⚡ Why horse-drawn trams were replaced by electric trams - and where you can see them today

Answer to the crossword puzzle: why “horse tram”?

So the correct answer is horse-drawn. This word consists of 5 letters, denotes a horse-drawn railway, and the power is 2 horsepower corresponds to the strength of two horses that pulled the carriage. But why not just one horse? It's a matter of weight: a standard horse-drawn carriage weighed about 2–3 tons, and with passengers - even more. One horse simply could not cope with such a load, especially on climbs or in wet weather.

Interestingly, in some cities they used four-horse teams for heavier carriages, but the classic horse-drawn carriage just ran on steam. The horses worked in shifts: every 2–3 hours they were replaced to avoid overwork. But the speed depended not only on the strength of the horses, but also on the quality of the rails. On flat areas the horsecar accelerated to 10–12 km/h, but on turns or downhill I had to slow down.

By the way, the word "horse-car" came from the word "horse", and in some countries it was called differently:

• 🇺🇸 In the USA - horsecar or horsecart
• 🇬🇧 In the UK - horse-drawn tram
• 🇫🇷 In France - tramway hippomobile

Why doesn't "tram" fit in the crossword puzzle? Because the classic tram is an electric transport, and the horse-drawn tram is its “great-grandfather”. If the question had stated "electric tram", the answer would be the word "car" or "motor", but not 5 letters. The key here is in the mention horsepower.

How a horse tram works: the anatomy of a “horse tram”

The horse-drawn carriage looked like a small wooden carriage on wheels, but with one key detail - rails. It was they who reduced drag and allowed horses to carry more passengers. Let's look at its structure element by element:

Horse-drawn feature: no engine. The driving force was horses, and they braked using a lever that pressed wooden blocks to the wheels. Some models even had hand brake for emergencies. Passengers boarded through open areas (like in modern trams), and payment took place directly in the car - the conductor collected the money and issued tickets.

Do you know how many horses worked on one line? For example, in St. Petersburg on the line Nevsky Prospekt - Vasilyevsky Island worked at the same time 50 horses, which changed at special “stable stations”. Horses for horse racing were of a special breed - strong and hardy, often Percherons or Oryol trotters.

Horse-drawn carriage in Russia: where and when did it run?

The first horse-drawn horse in the Russian Empire appeared in 1863 - this was the line in St. Petersburg from Admiralty to Zagorodny Prospekt. The initiator was an entrepreneur F. A. Pirotsky, but the idea came from Europe, where horsecars were already operating in Paris and London. In Moscow, the first line opened later - in 1872 (from Theater Square to Zatsepa).

Interesting fact: in St. Petersburg there was a horse tram profitable business. For example, in the 1880s, one line brought owners up to 100 thousand rubles per year (at that time this was a lot of money!). The fare was worth it 5 kopecks per trip, which was affordable for the middle class but not for the poor. For comparison, a worker earned about 20 rubles per month, so the horse-drawn horse was a luxury.

Where else in Russia did the horse tram work?

• 🏙️ Odessa - since 1880, one of the longest lines (12 km)
• 🏙️ Kyiv - since 1891, connected Podol with Pechersk
• 🏙️ Warsaw (then part of the Russian Empire) - since 1866
• 🏙️ Riga - since 1882, worked until the 1900s

The last horse tram in Russia closed in 1917 in St. Petersburg - it was replaced by electric trams. But in some cities of the world (for example, in Melbourne, Australia) horse-drawn horses have been preserved as a tourist attraction to this day!

Why were horse trams replaced by electric trams?

By the end of the 19th century, the horse-drawn horse became outdated transport. Here are the main reasons for her disappearance:

1. Low speed — maximum 12 km/h versus 20–25 km/h for electric trams.
2. Horse addiction - the animals were sick, tired, and required food and care.
3. Hygiene — horse manure accumulated on the streets (in New York in the 1890s it was removed 200 workers daily!).
4. Expensive - maintaining horses was more expensive than electricity.

The first electric tram in Russia appeared in 1892 in Kyiv (engineer F. A. Pirotsky, the same one who launched the horse-drawn car!). It immediately showed the benefits: quieter, faster, cleaner. By the 1920s, horsecars had disappeared almost everywhere except in some provincial towns.

But there was also romantic side: many missed the horse-drawn horse. Horses, ringing bells, a leisurely rhythm - this became a symbol of the “good old days”. In the literature the horse-drawn horse is mentioned in Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Kuprin as part of the urban landscape.

Where can you see a horse-drawn horse today?

Do you want to see with your own eyes how the horse-drawn horse rode? Here are a few places where it has been preserved:

• 🇦🇺 Melbourne, Australia - the world's largest network horse trams (operating since the 1980s as a tourist route).
• 🇺🇸 San Francisco, USA — historical horse-drawn horses on the line Powell-Hyde.
• 🇷🇺 St. Petersburg, Russia — the Museum of Urban Transport has a restored carriage.
• 🇬🇧 Dover, UK - a small tourist line.

In Russia there are no full-fledged operating horse-drawn horses, but sometimes on holidays (for example, City Day in St. Petersburg) organize retro trains with horses along historical routes. If you love vintage vehicles, these events are worth seeking out!

How much does it cost to ride a modern horse-drawn horse? For example, in Melbourne a ticket will cost $10–15 for the trip, and in San Francisco - $8 (children ride for free). It's more expensive than a regular tram, but you get a unique journey into the last century.

Listen to the conductor's story|Take a photo of a team of horses|Feel the shaking on the wooden seats|Learn how brakes work without electricity-->

5 little-known facts about horse-drawn horses

1. The horse-drawn horse was a “social elevator”. There were no class divisions in the carriages, so rich and poor traveled together - this was an innovation for the 19th century.

2. Horses wore "shoes". In order not to slip on the rails, their hooves were shod with special rubber pads.

3. Horse-drawn cars caused traffic jams in New York. By the 1890s, there were so many of them that traffic in Manhattan almost stopped—this was one of the reasons for the transition to electricity.

4. They tried to improve the ferry. In the 1870s appeared steam trams (with a power of up to 20 hp), but they were noisy and dangerous - they often exploded.

5. In Japan, horse trams operated until the 1970s. In the city Nagasaki the last line was closed only at 1972 - this is a longevity record!

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about horse riding

Now you not only know the answer to the crossword puzzle, but also understand how two horsepower changed the cities of the 19th century. The horse car became a bridge between horse-drawn transport and modern trams - and perhaps someday you will be able to ride its modern equivalent!