水清淺
上世紀初,火車尚屬稀奇事物,杭州建造了浙江第一條鐵路——江墅鐵路。據書刊回憶,當年沿線的老杭州人,每有蒸汽火車途經時,總在鐵軌兩旁驚奇地看著那龐然大物隆隆而行,嘴里發(fā)出嘖嘖之聲。
江墅鐵路早已不復存在,如今我們只能在遺址公園內懷想當年的盛況。初秋一個下雨的午后,筆者在遺址公園管理員兼講解員劉美玲志愿者的陪同下,開啟了一段尋蹤之旅。
一
江墅鐵路遺址公園在杭州拱墅區(qū)的登云路和金華路口,這是浙江近代工業(yè)進程、百年鐵路事業(yè)發(fā)展的一個縮影。遺址公園內新建有高高的鐘樓,新鋪有長長的鐵軌,鐵軌上停放著老式的火車頭。其中,最具本色的,應當是按照歷史原貌復建的半東方半西方式的拱宸橋候車室,充滿緬想懷舊的濃郁風情。
鐵路初期的候車室沒什么暢達宏偉,不具備時代特征,現在復建,是作為陳列館。這里面的內容不僅有關于江墅鐵路的文字和圖片的詳細介紹,而且有鐵路發(fā)展各時期的鐵軌、枕木、道叉、銅鐘、信號燈、車頭喇叭、修理工具和地圖、火車票、員工制服等珍貴實物,以及火車模型,展陳布置得合理且有藝術性。
看著這些滿滿當當、富有年代感的展品,又聽著劉美玲的串講,江墅鐵路幾十年的歷程仿佛就展現在筆者眼前。
風雨飄搖的19、20世紀之交,西方列強加緊了對中國各種資源的大肆掠奪。1898年9月(光緒二十四年),晚清政府以向英商怡和洋行借款為由,再次接受英國提議的在中國修建包括蘇杭甬鐵路在內的5條鐵路的要求并簽約。
消息傳出,社會震動,人們要求廢除不平等條約,一批愛國人士和進步青年多次提出抗議:“我們的鐵路,為什么要西方列強修建?”并于1905年7月成立浙江首個商辦鐵路有限公司,聘請掛職兩淮鹽運使的立憲派人物、浙江蕭山人湯壽潛為公司總經理,發(fā)動了一場影響遍及全國的保路運動。迫于民情輿論的壓力,晚清政府同意收回鐵路筑路權。
1906年5月,湯壽潛等人為了早日籌措到修建浙江鐵路的資金,打出“工商各界、縮衣節(jié)食、勉盡公義”的口號,鼓動各界人士積極認購股份。其時,浙江南潯人劉錦藻、龐元濟,德清人周慶云等民族資本家紛紛解囊成為主要股東。社會民眾像工人、商販、農民、伶人、苦力以及僧道,甚至乞丐等,也加入了認購股份的隊伍。由此可見,老百姓對中國人自己修建鐵路非常支持。
二
浙江鐵路有限公司最初設想和江蘇共建蘇滬杭甬之間的鐵路,但因資金有限,最后決定先在杭州市區(qū)內造一條連接錢塘江與大運河的鐵路。
說起這鐵路走向的故事,頗有意思。專家曾提出兩個備選方案:第一是繞西湖而行,第二是沿杭州老城墻而行。因前者須越過萬松嶺,沿線要遷許多墳墓,牽扯面浩大,同時也勢必破壞西湖景觀,所以,浙江鐵路有限公司選擇了后者,即從江干的閘口出發(fā),沿南星橋、清泰門、艮山門抵湖墅的拱宸橋,共5個站點,取名“江墅鐵路”?,F在我們能否猜想,如若選擇第一種方案,西湖會是哪般模樣?杭城會有哪種格局?
1906年11月14日,江墅鐵路終于在萬眾期待中動工;不到一年時間,全線竣工;1907年8月23日,運營開通。江墅鐵路全長16.135公里,坦坦蕩蕩,沒有山川阻隔,但在當時確是杭州乃至浙江一件很了不起的事情。為紀念通車的日子,遺址公園特意在原貌仿造的候車室即陳列館的門楣上方,增設了顯眼的“1907.8.23”數字。
再說一個車站的故事。1909年,江墅鐵路和杭嘉鐵路(杭州至楓涇)聯(lián)通。有一次,湯壽潛的女婿馬一浮從外地乘火車回杭,到家大大超出預計時間,這并非火車晚點,而是因為從清泰門站步行進城的路途太長。馬一浮說,杭州的火車站都設在城外,要是趕早班、末班火車,非常不方便。女婿的話促使岳父思考:為什么不能把火車站設在交通便捷的城內?
很快,湯壽潛把這一想法向朝廷稟明,得到批復后,立即組織人員以最快的速度把清泰門站移到了老城門處,江墅鐵路也隨之改道。因為這是杭州唯一的城內的火車站,便稱之為“城站”,一直沿用至今。
江墅鐵路一度成為杭城最主要的交通線。辛亥之后,孫中山來杭州考察,三天的停留中,他專門踏勘了江墅鐵路,并全程乘坐火車體驗。資料顯示,1937年前的拱宸站,年進出旅客近60萬人次。
三
1944年,侵華日軍把江墅鐵路艮山門至拱宸橋段的鐵軌拆得一根不剩。拆除后的鐵路路基改筑成了馬路,即現在的紹興路。筆者萬萬沒想到,常常經過的紹興路,70多年前竟是滄桑歷史的一部分。
使用至今的江墅鐵路艮山門至閘口段,在抗戰(zhàn)全面爆發(fā)之前已連接、歸入滬杭鐵路、浙贛鐵路。新中國成立后,留存的火車站各自承擔使命:閘口站作為貨場使用,現在已搬遷,部分用地改擴建為閘口白塔公園,里面有若干遺址遺物;南星橋站是編組站,如今成了貨運站;城站一直是杭州火車站,雖有多次重建,但保留著舊跡遺痕;而艮山門站從來未變,是車輛的調度樞紐站點之一。
歷史就是用來回望的。2006年,江墅鐵路遺址公園在江墅鐵路終點站的地方開始打造,2008年10月建成開放;2013年1月,遺址公園內的陳列館正式對外開放。
筆者到遺址公園采訪的那個下午,滂沱大雨不曾停歇,然而這并沒有澆滅游客的熱情。短短兩個多小時,志愿者劉美玲接待了五六撥客人。她是一名退休英語教師,自陳列館開館以來,每個周三至周日,從早上九點至下午四點半,一刻不離地等候,見證了陳列館從冷冷清清到熱熱鬧鬧的過程。
劉美玲告訴筆者,目前自發(fā)前來參觀的市民占絕大多數,外地組團來的游客也不少,部分大中小學校常會組織學生過來,一些鐵路工作者和專家學者常來調研考察。最令劉美玲欣喜的是,每個月她都會接待到十批左右外國游客,而這正好可以發(fā)揮英語專長。老外關注江墅鐵路,讓劉美玲很意外,好多時候,她會向老外補充介紹大運河和湖墅的歷史文化。儼然,江墅鐵路遺址公園已成為杭州對外展示的一個窗口。endprint
走出陳列館,天色漸暗,遺址公園里仍有情侶在中國現代化進程中作為轉折點標識的蒸汽火車頭旁拍照留念。是的,這條長中國人志氣的江墅鐵路被后人牢記在心。
The first railroad in Zhejiang province was a city railroad just outside the now-nonexistent city wall of Hangzhou, but back then the old city was small. The 16.135-km railroad began operating on August 23, 1907. At one end was Jianggan District and at the other was Gongshu District, and that is how the railway was called Jiang-Shu railway.
Early in the 20th century, most people in Hangzhou had never seen a train. Back then, people would stop moving and stand gaping at a locomotive with a long train of cars chugging past, roaring and letting off steam. The city railway as a whole system is no more. It has long since merged into a much bigger system.
In July 1905, Zhejiang Railway Company came into being in Hangzhou to build railways in Zhejiang. The company was headed by Tang Shouqian. In May 1906, it began to raise funds from the public. The right to build a railway in China didnt come easily. The right had been given away to foreigners before. But the right came back after the whole nation rose to protest. The public in Zhejiang contributed enthusiastically. Major stockholders included some business tycoons, but ordinary people bought stocks, too, including factory workers, merchants and peddlers, farmers, entertainers, laborers, religious people, and even some beggars.
Zhejiang Railway at first wanted to join hands with Jiangsu Province to build a railway that would connect Suzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo. The initiative was put on backburners because of inadequate funds. Less ambitious, the company decided to build a railway that connected Qiantang River and the Grand Canal of China, at either side of Hangzhou. Two blueprints were prepared for the first railway. One was to build a railway that circled the West Lake. The second plan was to build a railway just outside the city wall to the east. The first plan was soon given up, as the railroad would have to climb up a hill and a lot of tombs would have to be relocated, let along the possible damage to the scenic lake zone.
Construction started on November 13, 1906. In less than a year, the railway was concluded. The railway had five stations from south to the north: Zhakou in district on the northern bank of Qiantang River, Nanxing Bridge, Qingtai Gate, Genshan Gate, and Gongcheng Bridge at the northern end where the Grand Canal started.
In 1909, Jiang-Shu Railway connected with Hang-Jia (Hangzhou-Fengjing) Railway and allowed Hangzhou residents to travel to Shanghai by train. One small inconvenience of the railway system was that the five stations outside the city wall were not easy to access for local residents inside the city. After the approval of the central government, the route was slightly modified and a new station was built inside the city. It was called City Station. Though the original station structure has been rebuilt several times since then and though the city now has a brand new and much spacious passenger railway hub in the northeastern part of the city, the small and convenient station in the heart of the city remains in operation and it is still called City Station.endprint
For decades, the railway was a major transport route of the city. The historical data indicates that Gongcheng Bridge station alone registered nearly 600,000 departures and arrivals in 1937. During his three-day visit to Hangzhou after the 1911 Revolution, Dr. Sun Yat-sen inspected the railway and took a ride through all the five stations.
During World War II, the section of the railway between Genshan Gate and Gongcheng Bridge was dismantled by the Japanese occupiers. The section from Genshan Gate to Zhakou is still operational. Before World War II, the railway had already connected with Shanghai-Hangzhou (Hu-Hang) Railway to the north and with Zhejiang-Jiangxi (Zhe-Gan) Railway to the southwest. Zhakou Gate Station was used as a cargo and warehouse terminal for a long time. Part of the station is now White Pagoda Park. Nanxing Bridge Station is now a freight center. City Station remains in downtown Hangzhou as a passenger center. Genshan Gate Station, a few kilometers north of the City Station, remains as a switching yard.
Though whats known as Jiang-Shu Railway is long gone, the Jiang-Shu Railway Park in Hangzhou honors its past glory and memory. The park sits at the site of the original Gongcheng Bridge station. It opened to the public in October 2008. In January 2013, an exhibition hall on the site began to receive visitors. Nowadays, it attracts quite a few visitors. Most visitors are local and many are school students. It also attracts experts and historians. Averagely, about ten foreign tourist groups come to visit the park every month.endprint