ELECTRIFICATION OF CZECHOSLOVAK RAILROADS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600350226-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 22, 2011
• Sequence Number: 226
• Publication Date: October 6, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600350226-2
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
UUMH B HAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPOR1
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY Czechoslovakia
SUBJECT Transportation - Rail
HOW
PUBLISHED Weekly periodical
WHERE
PUBLISHED Prague
DATE
PUBLISHED 20 Aug, 30 Sep 1949
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSI
OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF ESPIONAGE ACT SO
U. 5. C.. 31 AND 32. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE RIVA LATION
OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON 15 PRO-
Kiel TED BY LAW. REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
Prace a Vynalezy.
DATE DIST. 4 Oct 1950
NO. OF PAGES
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
ELECTRIFICATION OF CZECHOSLOVAK RAILROADS
Prace a Vyne.lezy, 30 Sep 49
Plans for the electrification of the Prague-Ceska Trebova line, 165 kilo-
meters, and Zilina-Spisska Nova Ves line, also 165 kilometers, are now almost
fully prepared. These two lines are burdened to the limit; the former, parti-
culai.y, cannot stand any greater concentration of traffic, although it is
needed. Conditions can only be improved by electrification. On the Prague-
Ceska Trebova line, 160 steam locomotives are in use or in full readiness to
move trains between Pragua and Moravia. Such a high number of locomotives is
necessary primarily because they move relatively slowly and start even more
slowly. A 3,000 horsepower steam locomotive may produce less power than ex-
pected, and its speed usually does not exceed 60 to 80 kilometers per hour.
The express from Prague, on the other hand, starts slowly and gains full
speed only somewhere near Bechovice, after losing at least 10 minutes of
valuable time.
Rapid starting affects transportation so greatly than 100 electric lo-
comotives will suffice to replace the 160 steam locomotives on the Prague-
Ceska Trebova line. The saving in coal will be considerable since the trans-
formation of coal into electric power directly in a power plant and the dis-
tribution of the electricity will result in smaller power losseerthan burning
coal in steam locomotives. It has been estimated that 3 millibn tons of coal
can be saved annually by electrifying all the 12,000 kilometers of the rail=
road lines in Czechoslovakia.. All these lines cannot be electrified in the
coming years, since on some lines conditions are not suitable.
However, the two above-mentioned lines can be electrified immediately.
This project alone will save two long, full coal trains a day.' Direct cur-
rent at 3,000 volts will be used to power the locomotives, as in the JSSR,
Poland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Italy, Belgium, and elsewhere. This-is the
most modern system. It is estimated that the investment will amount to 5
million crowns for each kilometer of railroad line. This figure includes
everything necessary for the conversion of a steam railroad line into an
electric line, including locomotives and converter stations.
STATE NAVYNSRB
ARMY AIR I^J FBI
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1949
DISTRIBUTION
-T
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CONFIDENTIAf " fiL :~' ` ?r1 p
The locomotives will be produced domestically. They will have 3,500
horsepower and will be almost 14 meters long. They will cost about 10 mil-
lion crowns each and will require 100,000*man-hours to produce. The early.
consumption of current will amount to 200 million kilowatt-hours on the
Prague-Ceska Trebova line and 60 million kilowatt-hours on the Zilina-
Spiseka Nova Ves line, which runs through a mountainous area and reaches
an elevation of 900 meters in Strba.
The electrification of both lines. will not result in a special load on
the power plants, the number of which will i:-.rease by the end of the Five-
Year Plan. -- Edvard Cenek
Prace a Vynalezy, 20 Aug 49
The Tabor-Bechyne line, built by F?:antisek Krizik in 1902, is the oldest
electric rail line in Czechoslovakia, The electrification of railroads in
Czechoslovakia was determined in principle in 1924 by the Cabinet, which ap-
proved the electrification of the Prague-Pilsen line. The Ministry of Rail-
roads had decided that 1,5 00-volt direct current would be used.
The construction of overhead power lines and subsidiary stations was begun
in 1926. The first stage included the lines leading from Wilson Station in
Prague to Smichov, Vrsovice, Liben, and Vysocany. Six locomotives for shunting
and for light freight trains, four locomotives of the 436.0 series for heavy
freight trains, and six locomotives of the 466 series for express and passenger
trains were ordered. The first stage included the electrification of 25 kilo-
meters of railroad lines and 70 kilometers of power lines. A subsidiary sta-
tion with an output of 3,000 kilowatts was established and supplemented in 1929
with another station which had an output of 4,000 kilowatts. Experimental power
production was begun in 1928.
The second stage of electrification was to include the Smichov-Zdice line,
and the local line to Beroun was to be motorized. This would have shortened
the travel time of the local trains by about 30 percent. Execution of this work
was postponed because of lack of finances. Work on electrification of the Prague
railroad stations, which was only a part of the larger plan, was independently
completed for the sole purpose of eliminating smoke at Wilson Station.
Four storage-battery locomotives continue to be in operation at Wilson
Station. They can Wove to the freight sections of the station which are not
equipped with the overhead power line These locomotives are also used for
shunting in Masaryk Station, which was excluded from the electrical network.
The Five-Year Plan c4lls for the electrification of the lines with the
heaviest traffic.
ciently to enable the use of electric locomotives and electric rail motor cars
on long-distance lines.
The express locomotive, Series 466.0, produced by the Skoda Works, has
four driving axles ahd two idling axles. It has an hour rating of 2,000 horse-
power at a speed of 70 kilometers ner hour. and a maximum speed of 100 kilo-
CONFIDENTIAL
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The electric freight locomotive, Series 436.0, produced by the Cesk-
omoravska Kolben-Danek state enterprise, has an hour rating of 1,720 horse-
power at a speed of 36 kilometers per hour. Its maximum speed is 60 kilo-
meters per hour O:akan Peukert
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