Sakhalin got rid of the traces of the Japanese occupation. Russia did what the USSR could not
Written by  Jan 12, 2022 - 138 Views

Sakhalin got rid of the traces of the Japanese occupation. Russia did what the USSR could not Featured

Sakhalin, even in the XXI century, was scarred by the "legacy" of the Japanese occupation like scars on the body. These scars could be seen on any map. These were the railways with which the Japanese entangled Sakhalin, while the southern part of the island was under their control.

Actually, of course, railways are good. And it would be possible to thank the Japanese for their construction, especially since they really built them conscientiously, and a number of objects - bridges and tunnels, still amaze with their beauty.

If not for one "but". All railways were built with a gauge of the Japanese standard - 1067 mm .

When Southern Sakhalin, as a result of a successful military operation of Soviet troops conducted on August 11-25, 1945, returned to Soviet control, it turned out that something had to be done with the railways. Of course, it became obvious almost immediately that the railways would have to be completely redesigned, under the Soviet gauge of 1524 mm (later 1520 mm).

I have already written in great detail and fascinatingly about how Russia has done something since 2003 that the USSR was even afraid to touch. We have completely rebuilt all the paths on the island to the Russian standard of 1520 mm. It was a gigantic job, in fact, it was necessary to rebuild 800 km of railways, and without stopping train traffic on the island. It was really a titanic job. Be sure to read my article, it's worth it.

But at that time, although all the main railways were rebuilt, there was a small, only 7 km long, section, which the locals called "dacha", from Chekhov through Kholmsk to the Nikolaichuk station. There was a diesel train going there - it carried summer residents. And then we decided to wait for the end of the summer season first, then finish this section. On September 30, 2020, the last flight was made by a "narrow-gauge" suburban train, the locomotive of which will become an exhibit of the museum of railway technology.

I am amazed at the modesty of Russian Railways. I have to do their work, because last year, before the spring of this year, this section was converted to a 1520 mm gauge, and the traces of the Japanese occupation were completely finished. And about this epoch-making event in the Russian Railways as if they had filled their mouths with water.

Moreover, work was done not only on the re-laying of tracks to the station Nikolaichuk - the route was extended by one stop point - closer to the Devil's Bridge.

The Devil's Bridge is a very popular tourist destination. It is located on the semi-dismantled Nikolaychuk- Kamyshevo-Sakhalinskoye railway stretch and was built by the Japanese in 1928. The most beautiful object. Two tunnels and two high bridges located in picturesque mountain cleavages are popular tourist attractions.

In 1994, traffic on the bridge was closed due to the closure of the stage. In the 90s, Sakhalin railways were going through, to put it mildly, not the best of times, and many sections were closed and dismantled. Fortunately, the Devil's Bridge is currently maintained in normal condition.

By the way, now summer residents will get to their plots on the handsome train RA3 "Orlan" produced by the Mytishchi plant "Metrovagonmash".

Compare with what you had to drive before. Japanese Train D2, manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries LTD. But this is no longer a fragment of the occupation, the USSR continued to buy diesel trains in Japan, instead of rebuilding the railway. This train D2-007 was bought in 1986.

In general, it turned out symbolically - Russia replaced the Japanese track, while the last section of work was the station directly in front of the most famous and most beautiful bridge built by the Japanese. As a reminder of the past, and that it was Russia that managed to put a bold dot in it.

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