Stalin's failed GULAG: The Trans-Polar Railway (Construction No. 501)
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- čas přidán 8. 12. 2022
- The Trans-Polar is also referred to variously as Dead Road, and Stalinbahn, is an incomplete railway in Northern Siberia. The railway was a project of the Soviet Gulag system that took place from 1947 until Stalin's death in 1953. Construction was coordinated via two separate Gulag projects, the 501 Railroad beginning on the River Ob and 503 Railroad beginning on the River Yenisey, part of a grand design of Joseph Stalin to span a railroad across northern Siberia to reach the Soviet Union's easternmost territories.
The purpose of the railway was threefold: to facilitate the export of nickel from neighboring Norilsk; to provide work for thousands of post-war prisoners; to connect the deep-water seaports of Igarka and Salekhard with the western Russian railway network. With the Soviet industry relocated to western Siberia during World War II, it was seen as a strategic advantage to use the northward-flowing river systems to deliver supplies to Arctic Ocean ports. Salekhard was on the Ob River, downstream from Novosibirsk and Omsk, and Igarka was on the Yenisei. Connecting these two rivers was beneficial for transferring goods between cities and regions.
A rebuilt section of the railway between Nadym and Novy Urengoy on the east bank of the Nadym River is still in operation, as is the extreme western section connecting Labytnangi and the railway to Vorkuta. The section from Salekhard to Nadym is planned to be rebuilt, including a new bridge over the Ob to connect Salekhard to the rest of the Russian railway system via Labytnangi.
Me and my friend Kenji hitchhiked along the Trans-Polar Railway and explored some of the abandoned labor camps located next to the railway. We started out our journey in Novyy Urengoy and finished it in Salekhard. Along our way, we visited 2 forced labor camps of GULAG.
Enjoy!
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Very interesting, thanks for the video. It's great that someone still keeps making videos in English about out-of-the-beaten-path Russia. Politics notwithstanding Russia is an eternally fascinating country.
Only because so many people died there for nothing...
Fascinating how many westerners speak of the soviets with fascination and enthusiasm.
Think about what usually happens when a westerner speaks the same way about the "Naughtzis"
@@robertwouterlood9994 *If these people had not died there, then the entire Russian nation would have perished, as a culture, and as a whole universe that is unlike anyone else in the world, the Western cannibals did not manage to realize their Hitler plan or Churchchel’s plan to destroy Russia as a state and Russians as a nation!*
@@FriendlyCroock except Soviets didn't want to genocide an entire nation for territorial expansion, so kinda apples to oranges there
I have to commend you for creating these fascinating videos of railways in remote parts of Russia, and for your excellent commentary on their origins. This is really interesting material so keep up the good work!
I have to be honest, if I lived in one of those small provincial towns/villages with a lot of stray dogs I'd be known as the local nutter because I'd take them all in
ok flanders
Taking in a large group of dogs is nothing like a large group of cats, I’d strongly advise against it. You would go broke feeding them and if they’re strays they won’t be housebroken.
@@Sniperboy5551 i know, i had 9 dogs at one point
I would quickly MOVE to a nicer climate.
My policy?
I only live where there are palm trees.
Cold grey weather sucks.
You'd fall over one day and get devoured though, I suppose it's a personal choice if on balance it's worth it 😄
Thank you for making this video. This infrastructure is not going to last forever and its good to have it documented.
Very interesting episode, looking forward to learning more about these obscure and long forgotten soviet projects
For an old guy that was reading everything Solzenhitsyn had translated into English in the 1970s in Scotland and also loves railways,that was really interesting. Thank you guys.
@@philiprufus4427Solzhenitsyns is a weak writer. Better read Shalamov and Mamin Mibiryak.
Loving these mini documentary episodes - really interesting! 👍
This channel is so quality. This guy literally hops trains and educates us at the same
Concerning the other rails, besides the Bochum one:
The rails at 23:58 (Nadezhdinsky Rail factory) was made in Serov, Sverdlosvk oblast. That is in the Ural region East of Yekaterinburg. Before 1939 the town was called Nadezhdinsk and it had a large steel factory, 20% of all rails in the Soviet Union were made there. Later the town got renamed after some Bolshevik revolutionary. The rail was not made in Norilsk, where today there is a metallurgic factory called "Nadezhda". The town of Norilsk didn't exist in 1923.
The other one from the Yugostal factory "Stalin" (югосталь = Southern Steel) must be from Taganrog on the Asov Sea. Taganrog is very close to Mariupol on the Ukrainian side. Both towns have steel works, already since before the October Revolution.
Very interesting video. I live in Alaska and am very interested in all Arctic regions. I suspect those rails manufactured in Germany in 1906 were removed from Germany as reparations after WW2.
haha as reparations absolutely NO. russian special engineer forces called "trofieyne bataliony" just robbed everything what can be useful from occupied territories and send it to russia. in western Poland they took about 10000 km of railway lines, of which about a half never had been restored. they even took electric railway equipment (tractrion wires, engines, substations, powerplants) which cannot be use is ussr due to another voltage. All that was scraped after few years storage in open filed - only small parts returned to DDR (communist-owned German Democratic Republic, est Germany), paid with new railway cars.
That is very possible, though the reperations were not that high and Russia manufactured plenty of steel by that time itself.
It should be noted, Russian railway has a wider spur than European/British/American/Chinese 5'8.5". For the rails itself, that doesnt matter, but at least the sleepers from Germany would have been useless to Russia.
Standard gauge is 4ft 8-1/2ins. Russian gauge is 1520mm just under 5ft. It’s enough to make rolling stock incompatible but functionally much the same.
Approximately 25 years ago, walking in these mournful places. I found a metal lining under the railway rail. It was labelled... Made in Texas. U.S.A.
That would make sense
Отличный сюжет, отличная камера и монтаж. Настоящий урок истории. Спасибо. Great narrative, excellent camera and edit. A real history lesson. Thank you.
Steel railroad bridge over the river was riveted. Can’t imagine installing bridges in such a remote location and living in a labor camp for years. Tough dealing with the weather while building the northern railroad
I'm guessing the bridges would have been built by actual bridge builders, and most of the forced labor used for manual labor building rail grade, etc. Unless they could find enough military or political prisoners with ironworking experience.
Very good sleuthing over difficult terrain, unfavorable weather conditions and sketchy transportation. Thank you for your efforts and the interesting information.
Did you see that Lada's roofliner tho? Corinthian leather has nothing on that masterpiece.
Aaaaa! In the last couple minutes of the video, you're right outside my apartment! I'm an English girl who moved to the Arctic alone because of my passion for nature and tundra. I've been a big fan of yours for a long time, so cool to see you here! Welcome to Salekhard
Imagine the horror of being one of Stalin's slaves in such a place. Nice video work,
11 an 17 years my both grandparents did. They met in Siberia, and my uncle was born there. Stalin was dead, but they still were not allowed to return.
my great grandfather was in a forced labour concentrarion camp in nazi germany
It’s good to see volunteers preserving the memory of the camps. We need to remember such things as a warning to the future. ❤
Slaves? Labour was paid, healthcare was provided - unlike US prison system.
@@tempejkl and each person got a cuddle from Uncle Joe at the end of their volunteering session!😂
Your videos are so interesting,I do not think that many people would know the information you shared with us
Keep up the good work
The rails from 1906 were coming from Germany, Bochum is a German town in the Ruhr region. The rails were part of post war reparations.
Not only the rails were sent from Germany but also tens of thousands of Germans who were also included in the so-called "prisoners". Although we know that in the USSR people were a resource like oil, gas, coal, and human life can be burned on the inhumane projects of a tyrant.
@@Homo_Sapiens8bln After what the Nazis did on Soviet soil. The pay was very low. Germany should be grateful to Stalin for being a communist. And that's why I didn't grind it to powder.
@@artembolyak117 so you think evil should be returned with evil? Both dictators were evil and caused the death of millions of normal people like you and me. There is no point in comparing things like this.
@@nebelparderde4503 Stalin is't evil. Your position is like of a little boy.
@@artembolyak117 If you think the killing of at least 12 million people isnt evil then our talk is no longer useful to both of us.
Thank you for researching and filming this, top job!
Very interesting video Excellent Narration as usual . Your hard work is appreciated & Congratulations on your Arctic circle crossing !
Love this channel! Learning about so many rail roads that are new to me.
Да ты молодчина! И эту мою мечту осуществил! Я как прочитал в своё время о стройке железной дороги там, так и всё мечтал там побывать.. Но кишка тонка.
Очень-очень благодарю за съёмку и подробное распедаливание. Огромный тебе RESPECT и огромное уважение всем людям, которые там полегли.
You are so intelligent and truly produce extremely high quality content that is easy to digest. Thank you for all you do!
Thank you for this fascinating video. I feel a deep sense of grief for the suffering of so many thousands of human beings imprisoned and forced to work for years in soul destroying conditions.
Speechless on what to say about the connection to Norilsk....Thank you for learning and teaching me what is reality from news and media!!!!!
What amazing sights, thanks for another awesome video. I hope to see a lot more!
What a great tour of this part of the world, you tell a great story.
thank you so much for this video. this project is so important and such a beautifully tragic part of history often forgotten. would love more videos on its history, the cities involved, and the ideas of the soviets in constructing it. stay safe out there and god bless.
what is beautiful about this part of history?
@@chaigonjenkins in my opinion, any attempt to connect a country through rail, is beautiful. i included tragic because of the slave labor used and the deaths that occured. or perhaps you didnt read my comment in full.
@@DarkRuins I think you are an idiot, I obviously read your comment in full, however the railway connection is not the point of the project, rather, the slave camps. So I don't see the beauty. Proof that it was all about the slave camps is that the rails weren't repurposed to "connect the country through rail"
@@chaigonjenkins calling anyone an idiot is very unhealthy and uncalled for. I hope you find the help you need to release your anger.
The real tragedy of Stalin's time is that the world's reactionaries weren't ALL locked up.
really upping your production value! great video man
Vagabond this Is one of your best. A fascinating insight into a subject of which I previously knew nothing.
Best channel on CZcams. Keep up the great work Mr. Bond.
The hardship that went into building that railway is hard to even imagine. So brutally cold and isolated, and the prisoners were poorly clothed, sleep deprived and hungry. I'm glad some managed to get out.
Sakha republic and chukotka are full of mountains range,extremely cold and few population so i think it's not impossible to build railway between sakha to chukotka and nowadays there are no highway link between 2 federal state only mud and small road
Oh yes pity the murders, rapists, Trotskyists and foreign spies.
Buhu
@@SMGJohn What a load of horsesh!t.
@@tropicalpalmtree
You fiddle kids too? You better hope I do not find you in real life.
@@SMGJohn Stop projecting.
Fascinating content. Thanks and may you continue for a long time.
Класс! Мертвая дорога меня всегда интересовала, а тут еще и VAGABOND
Лайк не глядя
Canadian 'Foamer' here - the green Diesel engine at 10:00 resembled the old CN colours...
Enjoyed the video, guys. Cheers and Respect.
The locos look a bit like EMD G12.
Hah! How about the tractor company or the Green Bay Packers football team?
I like your uniquely interpreted pronunciations. There’s always a few per video that really stand out. Adds some uniqueness.
(and thanks to subtitles I can always find out what word it is meant to be)
Project 501 was what is today part of the Northern Latitudinal RR. Have you seen evidence that there is work going on on this part of the NLRR (Nadym-Salechard)? Have they started to construct the bridge between Labytnangi and Salechard across the Ob river? There is some info on the web on the NLRR but apparently nothing that is really up-to-date. Thanks again for your excellent reports. I enjoy watching them immensely. What you are doing is pioneering work. Cheers!
Construction of the bridge near Salekhard has not started yet, as well as reconstruction of Nadym - Salekhard stretch. It's entirely ruined.
@@ivantrainsLIVE Thanks so much for you reply and good luck for your future trips. 😄😄😄
Finland, Sweden and Norway have multiple towns and cities directly on top of the Arctic circle as well though...
Hello my friend.Im watching for a long time to your videos and they are very good and well documented.
Keep the good work.
Vielen Dank für diese interessante Reise !
What incredible history! Your video is just amazing!
Really interesting and very well documented guys 👍🏻🏴
You go gulag
Great video keeping the memory alive the memory of those darker times in history.
bro you are so great, wish I could travel and see all the wild special places. keep it up!!!
Hey people,
im late to the video but i have Interesting information (at least i hope).
At 16:13 you can see a rail with the writing B.V.G Bochum 1906. B.V.G stand for ,,Bochumer Verein für Bergbau und Gußstahlfabrikation'' (can be translated with Bochum Association for Mining and Cast Steel Production). As Vagabond got right Bochum is a city in Germany. So how does this rail come to Russia you ask? I will explain!
After the Nazi lost the war the soviets wanted some kind of reparation for their big losses. So because there was not really a lot they could take they would take everything they could get, for example Rails. They would dismantle the rail and send them to anywhere they where needed. Well it seems that the rail in the video was needed in Stalins Trans-Polar Railway. So there is a very big chance that once German Locomotives with war goods rolled over this rail! Isnt it fascinating?
Thank you so much for producing such an interesting video in English. It must have been a terrible place to be sent to one of those camps , thank goodness there are people who give their time to saving them .
Great videos! Be safe and keep on truckn!
Very impressive and wonderful to be on the journey with you...minus the mosquitos and other hardships. Seriously though, very educational and inspiring.
Absolutely fascinating; thanks very much!
Amazing Video! Very different from the others so far. Really liked it!
Thank you so much for your videos
Good to see history being preserved on video , and sites by local volunteers being restored .
Excellent video,you deserve many more subscribers.
Thank you very much for this video! We have many upon many videos and information on the Holocaust camps but absolutely nothing on the gulags!
Awesome videos!!! Keep it up, you are an inspiration!!
great video, loved it... keep traveling.
Great video, really interesting, thank you so much ! Приветствую вас из Женевы, Швейцария.
Excellent Thankyou 👍👍
Спасибо за создание видео. Приятно видеть, что люди интересуются историей... хорошей и плохой.
I followed along your video trip using Google Maps satellite view, looking for all the places you stopped from Nadym to Salekhard. Was unable to find the bridge that was sunk in the river, all the others I found, as well as the 2 labor camps. Thanks for the journey!
So interesting to learn more about the heritage of your country.
brilliant video!! thanks for this!!!!!
Awesome video once again, very interesting too 👌
Nice video thanks for sharing
Really great, thank you for a look at a really interesting area
Outstanding job on this top rate
Excelent video, thank you!
All of yer videos are fucking great. Yeah, returning to a monument from different direction years later closing a loop, history, scenery, insight, and taking us along for your rides - thank you!
wow what a journey, would love to do travelling like that ! great video!
Nice to see your adventures, I would like to do that but now I'm to old. Enjoy your youth and health time passes to fast. Love your videos 👍👏🙋♀️🕊🐨
"We have made it to the middle of nowhere.".......best line in the video!
Parallel to the Sorrowful construction site 501, there is a automobile road. The guys were driving in passing cars.
25-30 years ago (when there was no road for cars) you could only walk forward or backward on the railroad and it was a Big Adventure. Walk for 320 kilometers. Throughout the journey you will not meet people. They don't live there. Only if you are lucky will you meet a hunter or a fisherman.
I ran across your channel by accident, but I'm happy I did. Excellent! Beautiful scenery, interesting commentary with just a hint of danger. I do have a suggestion for easily defeating the over head security cameras. It's actually quite simple. I noticed that most of the wagons you ride in are either empty or have coal as cargo. Take a photo looking straight down and have a bed roll made with one side lithographed with the photo of an empty wagon and the other side with coal. That way when the camera looks down all it sees is the empty trailer or coal, depending on what you're riding in.
Issue is: that doesn't work should the car be fully clean if the picture was taken of a dirty car or vice versa.
Thanks, friend, interesting.
I can imagine the cost of maintaining the line (if fully built) would be crazy expensive.
such a great channel. cheers
Love the abandoned places!!
Thank you very much for this very interesting subject, best regards from the Netherlands.
Great Video
Good video, very interesting story behind the railway.
Very interesting, thank you
when i was working in Siberia, we made an excursion to a Gulag and the railway, or at least what was still left over, which was not much.... and we were told what the conditions for both working and - living -were there..
Thank you for such an engaging film, full of interest and facts. Very educational to those of us living outside Russia about its history.
Well done VAGA BOND 008!!!.YAY EPIC MANN
such fascinating landscapes. really love the tundra hope to be able to visit one day
great upload.
It's difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of cold, misery, hunger and death suffered by those poor souls constructing another one of Stalin's failed vanity projects. He is easily in the top ten of the world's most evil dictators, yet still inexplicably admired by some. Thanks for your great work in reaching these inaccessible places. Russia is such a fascinating country.
He can't be in top 10, he might be on 11, the top 10 are easily occupied by the slave holding American presidents or the colonizers government of Europe, who totally removed the native Indian population or who brought fellow humans of different skin color to US and made them work nearly 20 hours a days for centuries or who cut the hands of poor Congolese people or who cause man made famine in Bengal killing multiple millions of people or who basically loot rape torture pillage the global South. If you think white life lost under Stalin is more important than the brown and black lives lost under the Americans and Europeans it's a different matter.
@@copiumdealer1 King Leopold was a monster to the Congolese, but the rest of your list are broadly misrepresentations of the truth.
@@R.-. "misrepresentation"? How? You think i made it all up? The colonizers and colonised lived together just like in fairytales? Also do you believe the American propaganda that natives and the colonizers somewhere in new England were happily merry making, exchanging gift and calling that day "Thanks giving day"?
@@copiumdealer1 Your comments imply the reality was one extreme or another, when in fact it was neither. Also your comments are clearly biased against specific white Europeans. Slavery and recurring conflict were endemic to most human societies (contrary to the myth of the noble savage), many histories are unrecorded, but the most brutal slave owners in history were not white Europeans. Much of the world was more barbaric before European settlers arrived, as was Europe itself in pagan times.
Lmao Putinist troll masquerading as an american Sjw🤣
loved this video, super interesting
Brutal history.
Fantastic adventure
Very amazing, interesting and sad at the same time...what a place!!!
Super!
12:37 ‘northern nothing’, very inspiring words making me want to explore the northern part of Russia even more.
another epic video 👍
really interesting. tkssss
I would surmise that the bridge is as big as it is because the river swells after heavy rains or after snow melts.
outstanding
Wow!
Very interesting.
Awesome! I went to a dead end of this railway near Nadym and took a nail back home :) The worst were the moskitos :D We were also at the same camp as you, but saw some Stalin memorials there as well :).
Great videos. Cheers from germany.
What a tourist location! Cold, wet, muddy. What more could you ask for? Great video though.
Russia is a horrible place to live.
Even in Moscow, there is only about 10 hours of sunshine in the month of December.
Cold, grey, damp, muddy, not my style.
@@TheBandit7613t is 7h 10 min of "sun" at the moment, in reality it is less because sun is very low. But it is not the whole year thing, some people really dig (pun intended) deep snow and occasional -30 degrees weather
Fascinating history 👍
Very intresting!