Part Deux

When a train moves from China into Mongolia, it's necessary to change the wheels, or bogies, in order to accomodate the difference in rail gauges between one half of Asia and the other. So it is with life. Sometimes to move forward requires fundamental changes in how we propel ourselves.

Well, there’s a new low. I’m quoting myself.

Chisinau’s central train station is one of those improbably beautiful buildings. Unfortunately, my camera was packed away and I can’t share most of it with you. Here, however, is a nifty snap of the main platform.

Notice anything unusual? Here’s a different angle:
Have you figured it out yet? Look closer. Here’s one more:
Now, if you’re highly observant, you can clearly see that here in the Republic of Moldova, the sistance between the rails is exactly four feet, eleven and five-sixths inches. And, as everyone knows, the standard gauge for most of Europe is four feet, eight and one-half inches. So, you know what that means? Exactly. On the ride from Chisinau to Bucharest we’ll be Changing the Bogies!


The need for a bogie change on entering the sphere of Russian influence is generally ascribed to Tsarist paranoia. It was believed that foreign invaders would have a more difficult time supplying their troops given an incompatible rail system. The reality is that Russian (broad) gauge was developed before a universal standard applied. Even so, Hitler proved this wrong when he broke the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with his invasion of the USSR. Nonetheless here for your amusement is a brief documentation of the process.

After a customs and border check on the Moldovan side, each individual car is lifted up by means of these powerful jackscrews.

The car is lifted, and the bogies are wheeled out and replaced.


Truth be told, it’s an excruciatingly boring process. I wasn’t able to document it very effectively in China as it happens on that route at 2 in the morning in a poorly lit hanger. While there’s a certain exquisite boredom that comes from sitting on a moving train, there’s something far worse about sitting in a train that is not moving. Still, I have to admit, in spite of the length of the process the 14 hour journey back to Bucharest was pretty fun, mostly for sentimental reasons. The second class sleeper cars are identical (almost. These ones are blue. Russian ones are green.) to those used on the Trans-Siberian railway. Thanks again to Mr. Stalin for producing a rail car without operable windows in the staterooms. I also missed the dour provodnitsas and the flies. But then again, I'm not much of a four star hotel guy.

Next time: Beach Break.