SOVIET RAILROADS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020101-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 2, 2002
• Sequence Number: 101
• Publication Date: April 23, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2002/07/12: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600~RIW1-3
_ CLASSIFICATION SLCRT;T/SECURITY 1Nr OI WTTON
PLACE 25X1 A
ACQUIRED
ACQUIRED BY SOUR
Line Des~.rir,tj.on
NO. OF ENCLS.
)LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1o When I last tr?~Treiad between Omsit and Scerdclvsk th
railroad was singie-tr?ac1:ed: but I cannot recall whether ;?rer`.
through Tyiuneri or K rgano In July 195=. the S vi:d2ctrs;c' Kazan.-
Arzamas'- 4osCOw line w' s a]5^ singles tracked. i I' tat'. t; d no
electrification along any parts of the above 1anec5? ;Hs.-r...
most of t.h-,. U,-a,'_ industrial rogir:a in and around t;ne Chelyabinsk;
Sverdlovs': and 1Jizhne Tagil area had e.tectr i,. rai.iroad 1i.ne ,
2 I cannot, to!-Le the airer~tge dist? n.-e in eitticr kiIomoters
or tin1e,, Crave led between sidinrr:ro 1~i wE V r',? it seems to me that
there were quite a number of them and T thirric that t.tie distan::r
between s dir:g, s Past nu -eiy have been less than 5..' ki om eters,
Ne;_r I_cn traction
3. I not ed no t'.onat I'll ?:,tloD of T',AF Lines or branches, doub.l;--
tracking, or ei.ecl.rlfi.cation along the OnLo!LtiVer'd1C"5K and rr)O
Sverdlovsk ltasaa .Arz 1ma5~Mcscc~r lines mere biee
electrification in the Ural industrial area. bat I r anot give
any information on the extent.,, t.yper or location of any ct
this lwrork0
0 ASSIFICATION
SECRLI'!SECURITY TNFOFMAT~ -`N
DISTRIBUTION
Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020101-3
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
 Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020101-3
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
-2-
4. The condition of the roadbed and track was excellent and every
attempt was made to maintain the railroads in the best of condition.
Rails, ties, spikes and ballast, which consisted of sand covered
with gravel, were checked constantly and any repair work
needed was carried out quickly.
5. While traveling on the above-mentioned line I observed repair
work being done on rails and ties on several occasions. I recall
one instance when my train was held up for five or ten minutes
while a section of rail was replaced.
6. Stacks of ties, coated with tar, were in evidence at frequent
intervals along the railroad lines. Repair crews, many of whom
were women, were seen frequently on all. the lines which I
traveled,
Rolling
7. I observed many types of freight cars, including tank cars, box
cars, flat cars, gondolas, and refriee:ator car's, and they all
seemed to be in very good condition. I can give no additional
information except that there seemed to be more metal used,
particularly on the sides of flat cars, than before and during
the war- . ( In to the condition of the eel ling stock I
would again like to emphasize the strict discipline exercised on
the railroads) . Although practically all the freight cars
which I observed were four-axled, I vaguely recollect having
seen some five or? six-axled freight cars but cannot recall the
location of the additional axles. I cannot recall seeing any
new cars but I. feel that any new cars would quickly assume the
appearance of old cars because of the extent to which all
rolling stock is used.
8. I observed many cars standing idle on sidings but I. think they
were awaiting shipment or transshipment inasmuch as the great
demand for freight cars precludes any rolling stock standing idle
and unused for any great length of time. There were very few
open cars which were empty and there was no way to find out
whether the covered cars were loaded. Most of the open cars were
loaded with lumber and some of them had automotive vehicles,
tanks, turbines, and artillery, but I cannot recall types,
location or quantity of these items. The present trend is to
ship tanks and other military equipment in covered cars or at
night ,
9. The only types of locomotives which I say'; were steam and
electric, the latter in the Ural industrial region only. I think
that most of the locomotives were fairly new, ten years or less.
T ra_?f)10. Rail traffic was very heavy on all. the lines which I traveled,
particularly those lines leading in and out of Moscow, but I
cannot estimate the amount of traffic for any given length of
time or distance, At no time did I observe any bottlenecks;
in fact, the railroad system is one of the most efficient
branches oi' Soviet industry from the point of view of schedules,
maintenance and traffic. No freight train congestion was en-
countered on any of the lines, or on the approaches to Moscow,
Omsk, Sverdlovsk or Brest. I cannot recall any unusually heavy
eastbound freight traffic on any part of the Sverdlovsk-Omsk line.
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020101-3
 Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020101-3
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
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Operation of Trains
11. upon arrival in Brest I was transferred from the Soviet train
onto a German train bound for Berlin. Brest was the only place
where a change of trains was necessary. The only comment I can
make on thie transfer is that the German train seemed to be
quite old. I noticed no third rail or a standard F>Topean
gauge track running parallel to the Soviet wide gauge track
on the line between Brest and the Polish frontier.
12. I observed no rolling stock with unusual wheel arrangements
or any installation where car wheels or trucks might be
changed in the vicinity of Brest.
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
Approved For Release, 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020101-3
25X1A