Bessarabia Rail Conversion?

[DarkHorse2]

A little confused about the treatment of the Bessarabian rail network.

From what I understand, Romania had converted the rail network to standard gauge prior to 1940.

In the early 1920s, as Moldova had united with Romania, the tracks were converted to standard gauge. In the interwar years the Basarabeasca-Cantemir and Revaca-Căinari lines appeared.

1918: There was only 657 miles (1,057 km) of railway; the main lines converged on Russia and were broad gauge. Rolling stock and right of way were in bad shape. There were about 400 locomotives, with only about one hundred fit for use. There were 290 passenger coaches and thirty three more out for repair. Finally, out of 4530 freight cars and 187 tank cars, only 1389 and 103 were usable. The Romanians reduced the gauge to a standard 56.5 inches (1.44 m), so that cars could be run to the rest of Europe.

Soviet Union did not convert it back to broad gauge until after World War II.

After World War II Moldova became part of the Soviet Union and the rail network reverted to broad gauge.

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Given, the Bessarabian rail network was of standard gauge at the onset of Barbarossa, I would expect a similar treatment be afforded as what exists for the Baltic States.


see also:

Report of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR to the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks - I.V. Stalin , Council of People's Commissars of the USSR - V.M. Molotov and the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR - K.E. Voroshilov
https://www.alexanderyakovlev.org/fond/ ... oc/1010681

Information of the NKVD of the USSR I.V. Stalin , V.M. Molotov , L.M. Kaganovich on the mobilization preparation of railway transport
https://www.alexanderyakovlev.org/fond/ ... oc/1011363

[K62_]

This sounds plausible, but I don't see any direct evidence here. The closest I see is a line in Beria's report where it says "В плане перевозок не указан род подвижного состава, размеры погрузки превышают на 100 тыс. вагонов размеры выгрузки, не предусмотрены перевозки по Литовской, Латвийской и Кишиневской дорогам", which could mean the situation was similar to the Baltic area. But further down it also says "Железные дороги не выполняют плана постановки в запас НКПС паровозов. Особенно это относится к дорогам западных областей Украины и Белоруссии, а также Винницкой, Юго-Западной, Белорусской, Западной и Кишиневской. На этих дорогах запас паровозов составляет 70–75 % плана", which seems to imply that the locomotives were interchangeable with the rest of the system (and thus broad gauge). Is it possible that the Romanians converted and/or built it to standard gauge during the inter-war period, the Soviets converted it back to broad gauge during 1940-1941, and then the Romanians had to convert it again to standard during 1941-1944, before the Soviets took over again?