RAILROAD MAINTENANCE FOR 25 KILOMETERS SOUTHEAST FROM MAJAIKIAI/MAJAIKIAI TOWN DESCRIPTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000300260003-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 3, 2013
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: August 14, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/11/04: CIA-RDP82-00047R000300260003-6
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COUNTRY
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRE
DATE OF
CLASSIFICATION cONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
Lithuania - USSR
DATE DISTR. /
Railroad Maintenance for 25 Kilometers Southeast NO. OF PAGES
from Majaikiai/majaikiai Town Description
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NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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Aug 1953
2
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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1.
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the railroad line
from Majaikiai (56 20' N 22�20' E) to a point about 25 kilometers southeast of Majaikiai.
2. Thl- railroad line was originally built by the Russian Government before World Mar I.
In i 'c the railroad gauge was changed to the narrower German size. Up to the time of
June of 1940)the gauge was not changed again. 50X1
3. Ther wv�a three tracks at the depot in Majaikiai with two pairs of tracks leading
northeast, two pairs of tracks leading northwest and two pairs of tracks leading south-
east. A small locomotive service yard was located about one-half kilometer southwest
Of the railroad depot. This yard performed only minor inspection and repair service
for locomotives. It had a small roundtable and serviced six to eight passenger locomo-
tives and eight to ten freight locomotives each 24 hours. Every locomotive that passed
through Majaikiai was sent to the locomotive service yard for inspection. The locomo-50x1
tives were all of the coal burning, steam driven variety.
4. On the line running southeast from Majaikiai, there were
only two mall bridges, The first was located about five or six kilometers from
Majaikiai and was about six or seven meters long. It passed over a small one-meter creek
which provided storm drainage for the area. The second bridge was located about 12
kilometei's from Majaikiai and was also six or seven meters long. Both were built in about
1920 with concrete foundations and steel supports.
5. The railroad bed was originally prepared with, and was maintained with, about one-half
meter of gravel mixed with a little clay to give cohesion, covered with a leveling layer
of cracked stone. The bed was about three and a half meters wide. The gravel came from
a big gravel pit located at Stauliac which was connected to our railroad line by a
small service line. The ties were two and a half meters long, 16 cm wide and 12 cm deep.
The pine ties were cut and tarred at a factory in Kaunas. The average life of each tie
was about ten years. They were placed one-half meter apart, center to center. When the
track was originally laid by the government six-inch spikes had been used. After 1920
German bolts were used for all repairs so that in 1940 there were very few spiked rails.
The rails were received from Germany The longest rail
I ever saw was 25 meters long, 50X1
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY INFORMATION
DISTRIBUTION
Neal.
OFtR EV
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/11/04: CIA-RDP82-00047R000300260003-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/11/04: CIA-RDP82-00047R000300260003-6
CONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY INFORMATION
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50 men 25 kilometers of track. 50X1
this was approximately average for all of Lithuania, Of course, sections of track that
had many curves or heavy traffic had larger crews. five groups 50X1
of ten men, These groups were responsible for minor maintenance of five kilometers of
track each and the groups were combined for heavy maintenance problems, The only tools
we had belonged to the railroad and consisted of such things as shovels, sledge hammers,
wrenches and other hand tools. Sixteen men were required to lift a rail.
The signalling system used was the standard European-type but I don't remember exactly
where the signals were located or the method of operation. 50X1
There was no damage to the railroad line in the battles during 1939-1941. I have not
heard how the railroad line fared in the battles in 1944.
There was no loading, or unloading, or storage from the railroad trains in Majaikiai.
The passenger and freight trains continued through Majaikiai after exchanging locomotives,�
..
The total population of Majaikiai was about five thousand, divided about .40%
Catholic - and 60% ' Febrew, between whom there were good relations up to the time
of the occupation by the Soviets, There was no industry in Majaikiai. There were 50
or 60 small merchant stores and a number of farmers,
1. There was no city water or city sewer system.
n. Homes located near the center of town were of two stories and those near the edge of
town one-story. There were more brick houses than wooden ones. The two-story houses
were covered with metal sheets and the one-story houses were about evenly divided
between tile and shingle roofs. There was one two-story hospital in town but I do not
remember the number of beds or doctors there,
3. The streets in town were mostly covered with five-inch stone cubes. Up to 1940 the
roads outside of Majaikiai were no more than dirt paths. In 1939 the government
ordered construction of seven to eight...meter wide gravel roads connecting the cities
and villages. In 1940 a half meter of gravel was used in constructing these roads and
in 1941 another half meter of Gravel was added. Up to 1940 there were only 15 to 20
automobiles and five to ten trucks in Majaikiai.
1. Communists were hated in Majaikiai� for the following reasonss
(a) Soviet refugees had told us how horrible CommunismAras.
(b) At the time of the occupation the Communists discharged the railroad employees
and did not provide a means for them to obtain their livelihood. This affected
almost all the people in Majaikiai,
(c) When the Communists invaded Majaikiai they were received in a friendly manner by
the Hebrews and on the advice of the Jews the CossannidteAeported mapy_non.;.Jews
who were never heard from again. Later, the Jews were treated as badly as the
rest of the population,
end -
CONFIDENTIAL/SECURITY INFORMATION
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2014/11/04: CIA-RDP82-00047R000300260003-6