RAILROADS/MATERIALS USED/MAINTENACE PRACTICE/ INDICATIONS OF LACK OF USSR ASSISTANCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500470006-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 27, 2011
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: April 28, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/01/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500470006-1
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SUBJECT Railroads/Materials Used/Mai;itenance Practice/Indication
of Lack of USSR Assistance
11115 DOCUM[NT CONTAINS INFORMATION AIIECTINO THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OI TNC UNI TCO STATES. ?I THIN THCMCANINO Of TITLE I., SECTIONS 111
AND ISA. DI TNC U.S. CODE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR NCVC?
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTNONI'ZED RENSDN IS
DATE D I STR. f{ April 54
NO. OF PAGES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
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1. It is virtually impossible ,;o describe specific Chinese railroads in terms
of ties, ballast and rails because local conditions, wartime destruction,
sabotage and frequent cannibalizing have prevented the maintenance of fixed
standards.
2. There are two principal types of ballast on Chinese railroads. One is rock
from cuts made for the right of way and the other is gravel from nearby
riverbeds. Convenience has been the determining factor in choosing between
the two. Hence most roadbeds will be alternately of river gravel and rock
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from cuts.
3. There is great )nfusion in the ma-,ter of ties. Before the Japanese occupa-
tion, government standards called for ties of good quality Oregon pine. These
all the inci al lines, and some of them were creosoted. 0
7 F__ The Tsingtao-Tsinan line 50X1-HUM
originally had steel ties. owever these were found unsatis-
factory and replaced by wooden ties. Some Manchurian ties were used on certain
lines. During the Japanese occupation all building and maintenance required
the use of locally made,pine and spruce ties. In addition to being extremely
irregular in size, these were not treated in any way and the average useful
life was about two years. there was no creosote treating plant 50X1-HUM
in China.) Nevertheless these oca continued to be used on many lines
ince imported ties were not
available in sufficient quern y hem. Despite the irregular sizes 50X1-HUM
of local ties, the spacing was according to the regulations for standard sizes.
1. The rails used on Chinese railroads came from several different foreign coun-
tries. They varied between 75 and 100 pounds, but all sections were approxi-
mately 12 yards long. In general 100-pound rails were used for the major lines,
but frequently lines had different weights of rail because the tracks had been
U.S. Offlclale Only
CONFIDENTIAL
LDISTRIBUT 10VO 151 ATE -x ARMY -X NAVY AIR - Ref R - 17
onents of the Departmante or
ll:
t
genco comp
e
This report is for, the use within the UBA of the In
Agencies indicated above. It is not to be transmitted ov,ereeae without the concurrence of the
originating office through the,Aeeietarit Director of the Office of Collection and Dissemination, CIA,
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/01/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500470006-1
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/01/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500470006-1
CONFIDENTIAL/US OFFICIALS ONLY
torn up and hastily relai ea. a of the rails used in China
were purchased secondhand so that ages were seldom
known. no rails have ever been scrapped. Instead there
has been a continual process of moving worn rails (some of them 30?4O years
old) to secondary lines and sidings. This has contributed to the confusion.
the usual maintenance practice on Chinese railroads was to have
12-15 man crews permanently assigned to each 5 km itretch of'track. These men
were supposed to live near the mid-points of their sections so that any spot
requiring attention would be within easy walking distance. The crews were
equipped only with tools for hand labor - shovels, picks, etc. Each crew
member did periodic duty as a track-walker. In addition. 'co the regular main-
tenance crews, who were kept constantly busy, each division (usually about
1.50 km) had one or two special crews of 20-25 men. These were primarily for
emergencies and were equipped with jacks, etc, but were not nearly so mechanized
as their US counterparts. There were usually one or two mobile cranes per
division to handle derailed rolling stock.
6. The article on Chinese railroads in thel issue of Time, if true, indi-
cates that the Communists have so far done little but carry on the work started
by the Nationalists. The Laipin-Chennankwan line only required the relaying
of track on an existing roadbed. Work on the Chungking-Chengtu line was well
along Much of the construction work on the Paochi.-Tienshui line
had been done, including several tunnels and bridges. Some construction also
had been done between Tienshui and Lanchow, as well as a little surveying of
the route west of Lanchow. Most of the other projects had also been planned
by the Neti.nnalists. The article indicates hat the USSR has not yet
given the Communists much assistance. Trained personnel were already available
since most of the Chinese technicians stayed on with the Com,:unists. For
instance only two Chinese technicians left the Pei ing-Tientsin
RR system organization, and one of those later returned. (this system
included the lines to Paotow, Shanhaikwan and Kupeikow.)
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/01/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500470006-1