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M o s c o w - B e i j i n g
In 1954, still the time of Soviet-Chinese friendship, the Russian train Moscow - Beijing and Pyongyang started by the way of Manchuria, with change of bogies at Zabaikalsk. It consisted of the new light-green Russian sleepers 0-T. It is not known if the diner initially did run through to Beijing. The passengers at that time were under strict control by the secret service and one of them, the Berlin lawyer Dr. Reinhold Knopp, told the author a story: His traveling companion, a Soviet General, did not dare to start a conversation as long as the car's conductor was close by, for he was the KGB informer. On the new, shorter Transmongolian line the Chinese train Beijing - Moscow was inaugurated in 1959, with its better service competing with the Russian one. Initially superb menus were served in China. The sleepers and diners were built in Eastern Germany between 1955 and 59. And one of the first Chinese DF diesel prototypes, a derivative from the Russian TE3, hauled this train in China. Change of gauge initially was at Tsining, China, and only later, possibly from 1966, at Erlian on the Mongolian border. Also the Transmongolian line was dieselized from the beginning with Russian broad-gauge twin-engines TE2. After the clash between the Soviets and Mao, this was the strategic line to China, with drastic controls on the Chinese border, but also on the Russian-Mongolian frontier. The third line to China, via Almaty (Alma Ata), Alashankou and Urumqi, was delayed by the Russian - Chinese hostilities. In autumn 1992 the "Genghis Khan" opened up passenger services, but no through train Moscow - Almaty - Beijing appeared. At least a train Astana – Urumqi started in 2008 (according to Railway Gazette Intl.). At that time Moscow continued to be connected with Almaty by the train “Kazakhstan”, with Toshkent by the “Uzbekistan” and with Bishkek by the “Kirgizia”. The Russian and the Chinese trains Moscow - Irkutsk - Beijing generally run once weekly. There are additional trains Moscow- and Irkutsk - Ulaanbaatar and there had been through cars to several places in Mongolia, possibly military bases. A service Moscow - Eerentsav - Bayantumen in eastern Mongolia obviously disappeared at the end of 2003. The longest run had the mail train (without passengers) Kaliningrad - Vladivostok. Number 2/1 "Rossiya", the successor of the pre-war Kurier 2/1, was the most important train among the Moscow - Vladivostok expresses. But from 1994 "Rossiya", its new cars now painted red/blue, no longer offered a daily departure. Nevertheless in the 21st century it continued running as well as the once-weekly express Moscow – Ulaanbaatar – Beijing, on two other days Moscow – Ulaanbaatar only, and the once-weekly Moscow – Zabaikalsk – Beijing/ Pyongyang “Vostok”, its new Russian cars being painted red/blue. And there are less prominent trains, too, experienced in 2007 by Heiko Mueller and Matthias Schulze: They took a train from Huahote in China to Ulaanbaatar, during the 11 hours’ stop at Erlian filled with traders and their merchandise, continuing the trip in Mongolia with 20 cars. Another day they took a train departing from Erdenet in Mongolia, consisting only of a M62 type engine and one Russian sleeper, at Salkhit coupled to the express Ulaanbaatar - Moscow. In 2007 the Russian ambassador started a discussion with USA and Canada about the possibility of a Bering Strait tunnel for rail and pipeline at an estimated cost of 50 billion dollar, but the USA and Canada were not interested (according to the German magazine Brandeins, July 2008). Nevertheless Russia published the proposal. Express 4 1988 (March 29 from Moscow Yar.):
Traction, with 15 changes of locomotives: ChS2 and ChS4T (25kV0, VL60P/K and VL10 (3kV d.c.), diesel TE3 from Ulan-Ude on SZD; MTZ diesel TE2 from Naushki, 2M62M Sukhbaatar - Ulaanbaatar/-Dzamin Uud, TE2 to Erlian; KZD diesel DF4 and from Datong NY7 diesel-hydraulics. Westbound on Qinglongqiao ascent two NY7. Express 20 Moscow - Harbin - Beijing/ Pyongyang, in April 1988 (according to Dr. W. Wunderlich) 12 changes of SZD electric and diesel locomotives, from Zabaikalsk KZD diesel (1005?), from Manzhouli two DF3, from Angangxi 0115 (?), Harbin - Beijing BZ 3000 class. SZD cars, green. Express 1 Rossiya Vladivostok - Moscow in August 1966 (according to Dr. Fritz Stoeckl) between Skovorodino and Petrovski Zevod still steam (P36 and L, five engine changes), Ulan Ude-Slyudyanka P 36, Kirov-Danilov steam. SZD cars green/light green, later red, then green. Express 2 Rossiya Moscow - Vladivostok, Sept. 1987, from Moscow 20 cars, 17 changes of locomotives (electric and diesel), series ChS7, ChS4, ChS2, VL60, VL10, VL80, 2M62 (according to Leopold Prinz zu Schaumburg-Lippe). Express 4 Khabarovsk - Tikhookeanskaya (boat connection to Yokohama), summer 1966: 1 Bagazhnyi, 3 Mest 36 or 38, 3 Mest 16, 1 Restoran, 4 Mest 36 or 38. Traction SZD diesel TE3, later M62, then electric VL60 or VL80. During steam age Ye. SZD cars green. New Soviet express passenger steam locomotives after 1924:
Also freight engines class L (2-10-0) hauled Siberian expresses. "Drug" was a Czech "present" for Stalin. The heavy 4-6-4 and 4-8-4 classes, planned since 1946, were not built. Among the German locomotives taken over were the 4-6-2 class TS (ex03 and, according to Hesselink also the streamlined 0310 ). Locomotives from Finland and Poland were requisitioned. Dutch 3700 (4-6-0) served at Daugavpils (according to Hesselink). Hungary supplied the 4-8-0 class TM (like the Hungarian 424), used in Ukraina.
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