CONDITION OF LOCOMOTIVES IN RBD COTTBUS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A000900010007-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 26, 2002
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: April 14, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2003/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA000900010007-4
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
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COUNTRY East.Germany
SUBJECT Condition of Locomotives in Cottbus
REPORT No.
DATE DISTR.
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NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMBIT No. RD
THE SOLE FVAWATIONS IN THIS WORT ARE DUINITNE
THE APPRAISAL OF COMM IS TEMATIM.
2 5X 1 X molt Icsr SEE RE+-sISEr
souRCE:
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1. The Reicbsbahndirektiof Cottbus has controlover 324 locomotives of all
types and sizes, of which, at present., 140 are awaiting repair-or under
going repair.. The percentage of locomotives out.of action, amounting to
43 *2, Is representative for the whole. of the MR. Percentages of dead.?
engines vary from - 40 to 50 percent in -other Reichsbabnd_irektionen..
2. It is established Chet the totallocomotive inventory, including Soviet strategic
reserves.. is 3500 engines.
3. The Reiehsbahnd irektion is forced by. the Soviet Control Coffi=dssion to maintain
a reserve of 58 top-notch locomotives; these can not be used for ordinary
Auasian requirements, but. only,. ondirect order of the SCC. At present, most of the
reserve is on a deadtrack at Bahnhof Klinge on the Cottbus-Forst-Line. The
locomotives not stationed at rlinge are scattered throughout Bahnbezirk
Cottbus. A group of 30 of the 58 locomotives is known as column 10. The locomotives
of column 10 are sometimes used to pull troop and reparations trains in transit
traffic via Poland to Brest-Litovsk if no . other engines . can be provided by the rail-
road a minitration. However, a.-reserve of 12 engines is.maintained at:all times..
The re)Berve pool i.s in good condition, but deterioration has started because
the enginesare stored.-outside for protracted periods.
4. One hundred twenty locomotives in East Germany are maintained as astrategic
reserve under the supervision of Reichsbahndirektion Berlin. The locomotives.,
however, are physically maintained.. at Frankfurt/Oder.
5. The transit point into Poland for almost.. all Rawl= military traffic is
Frankfurt/Oder, others are located.at Greifswald, Pasevalk/Grambov/Stettin
and .orka. The last is used for. reparation. trains only.
6. The following,materials are needed in the East German locomotive repair
program,
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a. Seamless; heat resistant, boiler tubing. (Heizrohre?) -
b. Wheel rims-, steel (Baadagen). Present wheel rims are so soft
that reworkIng,of them is.necessary.after two.or three months' use.
Ordinarily. a` heel rim -will last two -to- three _years.
7, Breakdowns and deadlining of locomotives are. also . caused by failure of rubber
parts, such as air and. high pressure hoses. -Replacement.of these parts
is difficult. If stock is.obtained, it is .usually of such poor quality. that it
lasts : only for a -very .short time .
8. At. intermediate inspections (Zwischenuntersuchung L3), for the past four
months, it has become necessary to:replace burned-out boiler tubes with old
tubes on which new. ends have been wedged. Thus failures-of boiler tubes. frequently
delay , traffic. within the DAR. Since bearing,metal is.almost.unobtainable,
hot boxes.are frequent on both locomotives and other rolling stock. The railroad
directorate is also experiencing a shortage -of sheet metals.of all gauges. I.Z,2
steel of WestGerman_special alloy,,which is highly. heat resistant and-rust-proof.,
is particularly scarce- The greatest shortage exists in. . sheeta..with the following
dimensions, 12 x 3,000.x 6,OW-millimeters, These sheets.are needed to repair
the fire boxes-of Type 52 locomotives, produced.by.the Germans prior to 1945
but still much in. use in East Germany. Many delays occur when fire boxes
.made out=of copper sheeting have to be repaired. A new method has been developed
whereby the upper half of the.fire box is repaired with .steel brazed to the lower
half of the fire box; the latter is usually'subject to-less wear. This method,
however, is not . entirely successful as the bond between copper and steel breaks,
particularly on high speed-engines which are subjected-to high temperature ranges.
Approved For Release 2003/08/06 : CIA-RDP80-00810A000900010007-4