SOVIET FREIGHT CAR SERVICE RULES AND PRACTICES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000200810002-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 18, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 15, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release a_50-Yr2014/11/04:CIA-RDP82-00047R000200810002-7
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
COUNTRY Estonia (USSR)
,
19550X1
DATE DISTR. /Slay
SUBJECT oviet Freight Car Service Rules and Practices NO. OF PAGES
2
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PLACE
NO. OF ENCLS.
ACQUIRED
(LISTED BELOW)
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DATE
SUPPLEMENT TO
ACQUIRED
REPORT NO.
DIM OF IN
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ANS 7041 OP TN( VA. OODI, AS ANORDID, ITS NNNNNN IMO* Al NOVI.
LATINO ar ITO CONTORTS TO OR NIORIPT ST AN 0NAUTNORIORD tttttt II
PISKIIITIO ST LON. ?NI tttttt MOTION DP TRIO PONY IS P4011111710.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
Rail S stems Repair of Cars
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1. There are about 50 ra way)systems in the USSR. Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania all
had one system each, whereas certain larger_eenters of population would have more :than
one system. Leningrad, for instance, has two systems known as the Leningrad System50X1
and the October System (named after the October revolution). There was a Northwest
Railway System, a Southeast Railway System, and, of course, many others. The Minister
of Railroads in -Moscow supervised all the systems. In 1923 the USSR bought approximately
500 locomotives from Sweden. These passed through Estonia
Many of these locomotives are still in use. There are two factories building locomo-
tives and cars in Leningrad. The largest of these i5 the Butilov factory
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2. Ordinarily, every owning system is responsible for the repair of its cars. Cars are
automatically checked every five years at a designated place. If a car breaks down,
it may be taken to the hearest roundhouse, Every roundhouse has facilities for simple
repair work. Each system is broken into precincts. Repairmen from the precinct in
which the car broke dawn are sent out to make repairs on the spot if the car cannot be
moved. If a car belonging to -a system other than the owning system breaks down,,re-
pairs will be made by the system in which, the car is locat. -ee ene ownint,
will be billed. There is no difference in the extent and effectiveness of repairs
made by the owning system and repairs which may be made when a car is on another system.
This is truepof course, only if proper spare parts are available.
Operation of Cars
3. Between World War I and World War II, coupling:, on all cars were changed to the
automatic type used in the US. The train dispatcher of each system must see that
1800 hours his cars, or an equivalent number of cars belonging to other systems, are
back in his own system. Cars axe freely interchanged between systems so long as each
system has its proper number of cars back in its own system by 1800 hours. If, however,
cars are delayed in unloading or for some other cause are not back in their syste71 at
the specified time, the system in which the car is located will have to pay the awnia,,,;
system for its use. Payments between systems are made on a monthly basis and the1-. the e
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patchers are very careful to see that their books are pretty closely balanced at e 50X1 ,
end of the month. Ordinarily, the time allotted to unload a car is eight hours. Of
course, during the period from 1941-44 cars were
loaded on a 2)-i--hour basis and Each s;tstem has
many dispatchers. A dispatcher and assistaats,usually have a precinct aliout 150
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CLASSIFICATION
CONFIDEiiTIALISECURInY INFOMAT:OU
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DISTRIBUTION
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/11/04: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200810002-7
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/11/04: CIA-RDP82-00047R000200810002-7
CONFIDENTIAL - SelcuRewy Le70.1
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Where are certain exceptions to the somewhat free eeceneee o cer, betveee systems.
Refrigerated cars and oil ears have special inportance. The se ears are handled
much more carefelly and special red freight sheets are used for the refrigerated
cars in contrast to the white sheet for the regular freight car. On the red sheet
is shown the exact time of arrival, time taken in loading, etc. the dispatchers
are very careful to see that these cars are back in their own system by 1800 hours
each evening since demurrage on these cars is much higher then on reedier freight
cars. If no load can be found for a car in another systeml it will be sent, back
empty and not held up for a load. Cars will not be sent back to jic owning system
with a load under their norm. They will either be fully loaded or empty. A minimum
is charged for each loaded car and if a car has, say, only 10 tone instead of a
maximum 40, it will be charged for a normal load. Another reason cars are not sent
back partially loaded is that the owning system will have more of Its care tied up
in unloading operations than would be the case if the cars were sent back empty. An
exception to this rule was the loading practices of the army who would often leave ,
a car half loaded if another one was brought up before they were finished loading '
the first one.
5. Cars may be temporarily transferred from one or more eystems to another system to
meet regional traffic peaks at the discretion of the Ministry of Railroads. 73r
instance, if the Ministry of Agriculture needed additional cars in a particular 50X1
location during the harvest season, the Agriculture Minister would, ask the Minister
of Railroads for the cars and the Minister of Railroada would assign them.
6, The only penalty for keeping cars beyond the permitted time,
payment of demurrage
It was the same in all of Estonia.
to some extent on different types of cars; for
the refrigerated cars, and the oil cars have a
freight cars.
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af 4ft +Um.
The demurra 50X1
example,
of course, does vary
example, the heavy platform oars,
higher demurrage than the regular
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7. There is little outward difference between cars of railway ownership and cars
assigned to induetries. The cars are often disguised to keep everyone from knowing
vtat cars were assigned to a particular industry. Certain Zar:t,os ca.� plants would
Le given code names., such as Red Star, and the code. name would, bc placed n. the cars
used, by the plants. The general public, however, would not know at code name de-
signated a particular plant.
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CONFIDENTIAL - sEctar.rr Itax:a4.1ATi0N
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/11/04 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000200810002-7