INFORMATION CONCERNING THE KIEV-POLTAVA SECTION OF THE SOUTHERN RAILROAD SYSTEM

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP82-00047R000400510006-4
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
December 27, 2016
Document Release Date: 
May 2, 2013
Sequence Number: 
6
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
June 17, 1954
Content Type: 
REPORT
File: 
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PDF icon CIA-RDP82-00047R000400510006-4.pdf278.81 KB
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filth eAl. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/02 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400510006-4 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 11417C)FthAATIC)14 FIE:PC)FIT COUNTRY USSR SUBJECT Information Concerning the Kiev-Poltava Section of the Southern Railroad System PLACE ACQUIRED 50X1 DATE ACQUIRED BY SOURCE DATE OF INFORMATION TRIO DOCumENT CONTAINS 10400150TION APPOOTINO TRI RATIONAL OgfERSA Or Tole 001110 114710, 0170111 Tog OCARINA OF Ting 191 SECTIONS 703 ANA 794, Or TOO U.S. 10011, A. AMANDAO. ITS T500I51$11105 04 SM. LAT1on or ITS CONTENTS TO OA RICAIPT Or AR oRAOTHOSIISO PARSON II roo01911To eV LAS. Tot KKKKKK UOT1OR OF IRIS FOSS 19 ER901017E0, SOURCE 50X1 11.10911.71RiniMMINGIMII{ DATE DISTR. /7 Jun 1954 NO. OF PAGES 3 50X1 NO. OF ENCLS. (LISTED BELOW) SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT NO. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION 1. Wood ties were used exclusively on the Kiev-Poltava line, pine being used predominately and a small amount of oak* Oak ties were generally considered too expensive for overall use, All ties were delivered untreated and were creosoted by railway employees, They Were not- 'pre-bored for spikes nor were they pre-adzed for tie plates. Because most of the ties were green wood, much damage was done to them while being installed. The tips were of such poor quality that the average life was but three to five years, One factor that reduced the life of the ties was the fact that the roadbeds were made up of a mixture of sand and clay which held the moisture and caused the ties to rot quickly. This was true of both pine and oak ties. The condition of ties was checked regularly by section crew and a yearly overall inspection was also made. The replacement rate was usually about 25% for main lines (averaged about four hundred ties per kilometer Per year). This was not true of secondary lines and sidings where replacement requirements were disregarded and ties were replaced only if urgently needed. As a result, there were many accidents and derailments on secondary lines and sidings. 3; Officially, ties were not graded; however, the railroad would select the best ties for the main, heavily traveled lines and use the rest on sidings and secondary lines. In selecting the main line ties, the railroad looked for those with a minimum number of knots, a width of 25 centimeters and at least a thickness of 15 centimeters, However, if such measurements could not be.met from the ties delivered to the railroad, they would use whatever Was available, The ties would be spaced about two-thirds of a me-t4r apart on thel main lines or two ties each one and one-third meters. ,There were approximately 1,500 ties per kilometer on the main line and an average of 1,400 to 1,500 per CLASSIFICATION SECRET DISTRIBUTION ?FT 50X1 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/02 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400510006-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/02 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400510006-4 5.EICRET -2- kilometer on the secondary lines and sidings. 4, Rails WPre. d.ivied into P:mr?clm,P.,se; type 2-4, type 2, type 3, and type 4. The latter, type 4 was an olO, preeRevolution-madeeail and was not found very often. Type 3 was a short, light rail on which production was discontinued or limited in vantity in the early 1930's.with the introduction of the new, heavier locomotives of the S type. Type 2 was used on secondary lines where traffic was a little heavier than ordinary and on some lightly traveled main lines. Type 3A, however, was the heaviest and best rail and was used on main lines exclusively depending on the type of locomotives used (that is, the heaviest) and the density of traffic, an unable to recall specific weights and measurements of rails, but as an average, rails were about 24 paces long. Each rail was stamped with the date of manufacture, plant name, the weight, as well as the type, 5. The technical norm set for the life of a rail was 25 years. However, there was a-nigh percentage of defective rails and the average was lower than 25 years. Another factor which reduced the life spar was the introduction of heavier engines and train loads. When rails were removed from main lines as unservicable, they were usually installed on secondary lines and sidings, where the: were permitted to remain indefinitely since there was no technical norm and traffic was much lighter. I never heard ofrerolled rails being used. Rails wore flat .very quickly (about two years) en the main lines because of ? the rapid introduction of newer, heavier engines. 6. Coal was the only fuel. used on. the Kiev-Poltava line. The amount CI' fuel consumed depended on. the -type of locomotive used and the lead of the train. The most. common type locomotive_ used on the freight run was the Joseph Stalin whicheveighedp I believe, about 50 metric tons without tender. - The distance from Kiev to Poltava wee about 307 kilometers and the trip, including stops, took between 10 end 15 hours. While the technical speed norm was 15 km, the actual speed was beten 30 and 35 kmph, To pull ail averaae train of about 75 cars and a.gx0 weight, including locomotive of 2,400 metric tope, about one car load, of y.al was consumed for the trip between Darnitsa and Poltava.. .Qne: cox' Ifja* eoal weighed about 1,800 metric tons. ?I would like to point out that .anyemore than 75.. loael.ed cars or ai ! iced heavier than 2,400 mt for a train proved to be too difficult to switch and handle. Likewise,. an empty train of Mote than two hundred cars was too cumbersome to handle, The average passenger train had. from 12 to 15 cars, on the Kiev-Poltava-run. Various types of locomotives were used but being lighter and smaller than freight locomotives, they used less fuelp While, the technical speed norm for passenger trains was: 60 kmp'eG the actual speed was about 75 kmph. I am not familiar with actual fudl. consumption figures. Om the whole the degree of utilization of loco- motives was very low. Attempts to alleviate the situation were made by trying otheretypes Of fuel, heavier loade (trains), extension or lengthening of sidings, Use of beavier:rails, and, to improve the coordination of all traffic. However, -all attempts to improve alwaye failed to produce the expected results. ,ea 7. The KievePoltava section,was-, rot electrified as of 1943 nor wereany diesel locomotiveeetsed. For. nignalingo? the ,telegraph and manual (zhezlovaya) system. were'used. There was one major bridge, of about 20 spans (single track),,over the. Dnepr liver at Kiev. It was about one kilometer .in length and about:20.:Veters above the water,- This particular bridge was destroyed duringliOrld:War 11, Below Darnitsa two tunnels were started just before WorldWarai-underthe Dnepr. WO4: wAS stopped on them during the ware never heard of the Germans doing anything with them. .8. The hump was used at Poltava and about five freight trains were made up . daily, -A total of 28 to 32 freight. trains .passed through Poltava --as an average around 1940. Being a. ."home depot", there were about 115 _freight locomotives at. Poltava, six switehind locomotives?and 15 passenger, locomotives. Freight, locomotives were of the-"Shch" and "Ekho" types and passenger.... locomotives of the "S" and"Stalin" types. 9. The line was divided into two sections, track madntainance and repair service. Veen had two sections about 150 km long and each had about five hundred wor'kers, divided into repair teams. Each team had a technician. foreman and between 10 and 15 workers. Only about one half of the workers SECRET 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/02 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400510006-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/02 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400510006-4 SECRET were qualified. qualified Thieves due in part to the several "purges" the railroe systems went through plus the fact that punishments were severe for infractions of rules and failure to accomplish required norms, causing a large turnover in workers. This, turnovertinlabor was solved in 1940 by freezing workers to their jobs 755.224 755224 755.51 334N 234N " 334N -end- 755.35 755.35 755.2t1 234N 334N 34N 755.51 234N 755,81 234N 755.223 234N 7557'( 3314N 755.223 334N 75.321. 334N 761,114 334N 761 .306 334N 762.4o6 334N SECII:60" 50X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/02 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400510006-4