Re: Strategic Reserve.

["Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au>]

Janos Ero <erojr@spammail.cern.ch> wrote in message
37CCC855.43426125@spammail.cern.ch">news:37CCC855.43426125@spammail.cern.ch...
> David Bromage wrote:
> >
> > Exnarc wrote:
> > > Of cause after you returned all these mythical steam engines to
service with
> > > the Strategic Reserve of stored steam fitters, you could un thaw your
> > > Strategic Reserve of Qualified Drivers and Firemen.
> >
> > The Soviet army had thousands of troops to do just that. They had entire
> > engineering divisions trained to regauge track in captured territory to
> > 5' gauge and operate trains over it.
>
> I am not sure this is true. (Well, I have no closer info about the Soviet
> strategic planning). But they forced all East European allied countries
> to buy from their 2000HP diesels (first as Class M62 in Hungary). These
> were all normal gauge locos but they were also built in broad gauge
> version with a regauging background. Thus I would rather guess that
> for their startegic plans they intended to use normal gauge trains
> with all those Soviet locomotives they sold everywhere in Eastern Europe.
>
> AFAIK most Soviet freight cars were also capable for regauging,
> but don't forget that the Soviet clearences were considerably
> higher and a bit wider than the European ones! Thus to allow
> running Soviet trains (other than flatcars) they also would
> have to rebuild many bridges and tunnels!
>
> BTW the very first of these locos, the MAV M62,001 is still operating!
>
> Janos Ero

Janos,

Please be more carefull with your snipping, I appear to be getting the
credit for one of god's announcements.<g>

Bob. (Not god).