International Railroad Discussion > News Item - New Rail Line in Middle East - C. Asia

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rail-linking-central-asia-persian-gulf-opened-094136901.html

Who's motive power are they using?

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

During WWII the US Army Transportation Corps built a railroad in that area, and ran it with MRS-1s. It was used to supply the Russian army. Gerry

The railway the USA built in Iran during WW2 was from the Persian Gulf north to central Iran near Tehran. It was standard gaugue but hilly and curvy and old by current standards. This railway, without consulting maps right now, is different. It has to involve a gauge change 5 feet to Standard gauge at Iranian border.

If China really wants to have a fast rail route to Europe it should work with Kazahkstan and Russia and Belarus to convert one of several parallel five foot gauge routes to standard gauge and be done with it. Pick the one with the LEAST local traffic. It would be shorter and quicker than the other routes suggested in this forum or proposed by various governments.

GPutz Wrote:
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> During WWII the US Army Transportation Corps built
> a railroad in that area, and ran it with MRS-1s.
> It was used to supply the Russian army. Gerry

The railway in question was built just before the war; the line south from Tehran was operated first by the British and later by the US, and was gradually upgraded to handle additional tonnage. A portion of it ran with RS-1's* which were rebuilt/built with three axle trucks. The MRS-1 was later.
[ * I don't believe that nomenclature was in use at the time.]

Best, SZ