A report on a German train rail used in the winter on the Russian Front, from Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 24, May 6, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

NEW-TYPE GERMAN MOVABLE RAIL Railroads are one of the major means of transportation and as such play an important part in military operations. On the Russian front the problem of rail transportation is complicated by the fact that German rolling stock is designed to standard-gauge track, while the Russians use the wide gauge. To meet this difficulty, one of the principal functions of the Todt organization* in Russia has been the alteration of Russian trackage. The following report on a new-type German rail is therefore of interest. A press correspondent recently returned from a visit to the Stalingrad front, reports that he noticed on a siding a new type of movable rail used by the Germans to increase the siding capacity of the particular station indicated. These rails are described as "U" shaped channel irons, simply placed on top of the frozen ground and bolted end to end. There were no lateral supports. The correspondent was unable to give measurements, but he stated that the interior width of each channel rail was sufficient to permit the wheel of the railway car to roll freely, and that the weight on the wheel was supported by the flanged end which normally carries no weight since it is inside the rail. The cross-section shown indicates approximate relative dimensions. Since the ground was frozen at the time, there was sufficient support for the rails placed in this manner, but it would seem that some kind of ballast would have to be provided in summer or wet weather. * Semi-military construction corps.

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