Narrow Gauge Railway of the Shakhtyorsk loading and transport department

The first lines of a narrow gauge railway near the current cities of Shakhtersk and Uglegorsk were built at a time when South Sakhalin was occupied by Japan . The main purpose of the narrow gauge railways was to deliver coal from coal mines to seaports. In addition, a narrow gauge railway served a paper mill in Uglegorsk and several other enterprises. The narrow gauge railway had good technical equipment for that time. The Japanese used almost free labor in the construction - forced Koreans. There was at least one multilevel intersection with the road, which at that time was almost unthinkable for domestic narrow-gauge railways.

In 1937, construction of the 1067 mm gauge railway line (according to Japanese “wide gauge” standards) began from Ilyinsk station to Shakhtyorsk. The next 5 years, a significant amount of work was done, an embankment was poured over almost the entire length of the future highway, the rails were partially laid. But in 1942, the Karafuto authorities decided to preserve the construction. A tunnel with a length of about 400 meters was built between Uglegorsk and Shakhtersky on the future 1067 mm gauge railway. In August 1945 , after short fierce battles , the cities of Uglegorsk and Shakhtersk were captured by Soviet troops. Soon, South Sakhalin was annexed to the USSR . The narrow gauge railway was transferred to the balance of the newly created Uglegorskugol trust. In subsequent years, it received significant development. The Uglegorsk-Shakhtyorsk section was built, running through the tunnel. Most likely, the track was soon changed from 762 mm to 750 mm .

Later, in the city of Shakhtyorsk , the Shakhtyorsk loading and transport department was formed. All the narrow-gauge railway lines were transferred to SHPTU, except for those sections south of Uzlovaya station (in the city of Uglegorsk and its immediate vicinity). These sections of the narrow gauge railway were managed by the Uglegorsk Pulp and Paper Mill. The narrow gauge railway carried out a significant amount of freight traffic, in the most stressed section, from the Shakhtyorsk station to the 8th kilometer station, there were two main routes. The main cargo was coal mined by mines, in addition, timber for mines, various materials and equipment were transported. In the section from the port of Uglegorsk to the pulp and paper mill, timber was transported in assortments (balances), finished products (paper). There were two locomotive depots on the network - in Uglegorsk , near the Central Processing Plant, and at Shakhtyorsk station.

In the 1960s, steam locomotives were replaced by MD54-4 motor locomotives, TU4 and TU5 diesel locomotives, and in the 1970s, TU7 (TU7A) diesel locomotives became the main locomotives. There was no passenger traffic on the narrow gauge railway at that time, the inconvenient geographical location of the lines prevented the organization of passenger traffic, as a result of which passenger trains could not withstand competition with buses. On the narrow gauge railway there was at least one passenger carriage PV40 and a dining car — the cars were used to transport railroad cars. In the 1990s, the situation of the narrow gauge railway deteriorated, the volume of traffic decreased significantly. The second path was dismantled in the Shakhtyorsk section - 8 km. Mining vocational school was eliminated. Zheleznodorozhnik JSC was established on its basis, and later, Lokomotiv LLC. Transportation on the narrow gauge railway in the city of Uglegorsk was reduced to a minimum. The rolling stock belonging to the Uglegorsk Pulp and Paper Mill was partially transferred to Shakhtyorsk and partially sent to scrap. In 2005, the Uglegorsk Pulp and Paper Mill was finally closed, all the lines of the narrow gauge railway in Uglegorsk were dismantled. In 2005, the Uglegorskaya mine was also finally closed, and the section of the narrow gauge railway from Shakhtyorsk station to the mine was demolished.

As of November 2017, the railway was dismantled due to the closure of the mine.

As of 2006, the following traction rolling stock with identified numbers was available at the Shakhtyorsk depot:

Locomotives

• TU4 - No. 1841 (as of 2013 decommissioned) ^[1]
• TU7 - No. 0690 (converted into a snow blower)
• TU6D - No. 0138 (used for delivery to the line of railway and for repair work)
• TU7 - No. 1938, No. 2681
• TU7 A - No. 3020, No. 3054, No. 3148, No. 3185

Wagons

• UVS-22
• Platforms
• PDB cars are used for coal transportation.
• Snow plow

• Narrow-gauge railway on the "Site about the railway" by Sergey Bolashenko
• Information about the URD in the Encyclopedia Younger Brother (Neopr.) . Archived January 31, 2013. IP steam locomotive site
• Lokomotiv LLC transportation of coal from the mine by rail 750mm
• LLC "UK" Sakhalinugol "" - the largest producer of thermal coal in the Sakhalin region