The Salekhard-Igarka Railway, Siberia, Russia

Construction of the Salekhard-Igarka Railway began in the summer of 1949 under the supervision of Col. V.A. Barabanov. The 501st Labor Camp began work eastward from Salekhard, while the 503rd Labor Camp pushed westward from Igarka. Plans called for a single railway line with 28 stations and 106 sidings. It was not feasible to span the 2.3 km Ob River crossing or the 1.6 km wide Yenisei River crossing. Ferries were used in the summer, while in the winter the trains spanned the river on ice with specially strengthened crossties.