On March 16, 1892, a fire occurred in the village of Pochuyevo in the Kaluga province, destroying numerous buildings. However, the most significant damage was the loss of the research laboratory of Pavel Mikhailovich Golubitsky, an inventor who played a key role in the telephonization of railway communication in the country. As a result of the fire, important scientific developments and blueprints were lost, temporarily slowing the progress of telephone communication in the state.

In the Russian Empire, the company Bella was responsible for the implementation of telephones, but it was often criticized for the limited range of signal transmission, which did not exceed 10 kilometers. At the same time, Pavel Golubitsky, a graduate of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Moscow University, developed a multipolar telephone. He discovered that the quality of communication deteriorated due to the influence of the magnetic field on the center of the telephone diaphragm.

Golubitsky significantly improved the microphone by adding two conductive plates separated by carbon powder, which allowed overcoming the limitations in signal transmission distance. He also enhanced the telephone apparatus itself by combining the microphone, earpiece, and telephone into a single device that is still used in landline phones today.

Golubitsky's main achievement was the telephonization of railway communication, which made it possible to call directly from the carriage to the stations and depots. The principle of operation was simple: one conductor from the device in the carriage was connected to the ground, while the other was connected to the telegraph wire, thus establishing communication. This solution proved to be economically advantageous, and Golubitsky's telephone served as the primary means of operational communication on the railways for a long time. However, the spread of this technology across the country was limited due to the strong influence of the Bella company at the royal court.