14 Hours on a Soviet/GDR Sleeper - Chisinau to Bucharest

I stepped back in time to take a 13-hour train journey (that turned out to be an hour longer) between Chisinau, Moldova and Bucharest, Romania. The train is often said to be the last Soviet sleeper in Europe, although it was actually manufactured in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). What an epic journey this was!

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

Thanks for watching everyone! Check out my other videos from Moldova, including Pridnestrovie (Transnistria), as well as the continuation of this epic railway journey from Budapest to Berlin.

[@smallworld-4445]

Memories... used the train back in 2022, and they really upgraded it since then. Power in the compartment, and a bar was not offered. Fun thing: If you have the first or last room, someone comes in while the wheels get changed, removes the carpet, opens a hole and takes out some metal splnts to free the wheels. You can see the guy in your video too. Great experience, would go again.

[@tonyhay8946]

Bringing back nightmares. Went on that route Aug 2023. 38C outside, more inside, the hottest place I’ve ever been. I can adamantly state, never again.

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

Yikes. I made sure to take this journey in March, given how many videos I had seen online about suffering passengers over the summer months. I feel for you!

[@flymode5320]

Loved the video mate, Soviet time really was something else, super interesting and nostalgic, cheers from Portugal!

[@jdu7729]

Hey ho! Let's go Folklore and Rock'n'roll Pleacă trenul! Unde esti? Chișinău - București

[@shwabb1]

The first thing I thought of when I saw this video in my recommendations

[@danielvanr.8681]

​@@shwabb1You're not the only one! 😂😊

[@danielvanr.8681]

Great minds do think alike! Salutări din sectorul 6 Bucurestiului ! 😊😊🇷🇴🇷🇴🇷🇴

[@mickclayton1485]

Nice to hear the radio ID once again.

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

Glad to see a comment from someone who remembers it!

[@LostieTrekieTechie]

"Strick internis" ~ strictly forbidden. I think it's saying do not use the toilet while in a station, because it's presumably the kind of toilet which is basically a hole in the floor.

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

Happy to have this mystery finally solved!

[@danielvanr.8681]

_Strict interzis,_ even. :) French speakers will be able to relate to _interdis._ 😊😊

[@PrestonLPR]

Ammendorf kupé sleepers are very comfortable and I have slept much better on such carriages (pro-tip: in summer open the window) than on modern high-speed RZD carriages with air conditioning. Changing the bogies is pretty straightforward. On a journey from Bistrita to Tirgu Mures (both in Romania) in the 1980s, I could see the ground while travelling, the problem was that I was on a bus at the time. Ah, the good old days! Maybe I should head over to Moldova to remember the travels of my youth. Keep moving, my friend, because a rolling stone gathers no moss.

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

Thanks for the comment! I agree, they are remarkably comfortable.

[@annelisegray4862]

My interest peaked for this train since Trenulețul

[@boweandrew3]

They also switch the wheels and railway couplers, the Moldova trains uses a Soviet SA3 knuckle coupler buffers and 1,520 mm 4ft 11 and some inches almost 5ft gauge 1,524 mm Guage and central and Western Europe use buffer and screw turnbuckle couplers and 4ft 8 and a half inch wide gauge

[@andysm1964]

Great vid.. when in Chisinau last week(April 20th 2024 ), visited the that lovely station, clean no litter and the fish-tanks,i`ll have to take this rail trip..well done pal

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

Ah yeah, I should have focused more on those fish tanks. You were there just about six weeks after me.

[@andysm1964]

@@RevolutionaryRoads1984 lol first time i`d seen fish tanks at a rail station ..yes this April just gone

[@realdragoleo]

Great video! 😊

[@kevanhubbard9673]

I've been on that train and good to know it's still running.

[@EA00000]

Is like step back in time 😀

[@danielvanr.8681]

2:30 _"The monument was built in honour/recognition of the liberation of Moldova from German-Fascist occupation."_ --- to be a bit more exact. 😊😊 Salut din sectorul 6 Bucurestiului ! 🇷🇴🇷🇴

[@matof1428]

Aha, Eurovision train 😊

[@BaboSorany]

Why so warm? The train is heated by coals

[@jetblackjoy]

You should try a night in platzkart to get true experience

[@valentinchiriac9117]

"Pretenia" means friendship.

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

Yes indeed. I knew that, but I suppose I didn't say so during the video. :) Thanks for watching!

[@victors4333]

Interesting!

[@willhovell9019]

Suggest that you take your mum with you for the next trip

[@EA00000]

It use to be like this between Ukraine and Poland but now the Ukrainian tracks are extend to first station in Poland and that the end for Ukrainian train and passengers transfer to Polish train 😀 is much faster !

[@abbevogler2619]

7:00 The loo must be kissed!

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

Good Lord, noooooooo. ;)

[@rrajan5476]

cANDIDATE TO JOIN EU!!

[@nygelmiller5293]

To R Rajan. Oh, no ! Don't get fooled! Just because a country has problems, doesn't mean something else is better! At vleast they have their nationality, and their freedom!

[@RaduRadonys]

So what? Is the EU so select that it's too good for Moldova? And I'm saying this as an EU citizen.

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

I address this in another video about Chisinau. Have a look!

[@user-me8qr9eo4k]

Very boring video you just made fun of there poverty

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

I never did that, though I have to wonder if you actually finished the video if you thought it was boring from the beginning. I think I made pretty clear that this train was a remarkable experience despite being an 'old school' ride to Bucharest. Honestly, it was significantly better than riding an Amtrak train in my native country (the United States). If I wanted to make fun of terrible infrastructure, I didn't need to look further than the U.S.

[@vovixs.567]

Why did you use the soviet melody "My homeland is WIDE" for Moldova?:)

[@spannaspinna]

It used to be Soviet

[@RevolutionaryRoads1984]

I use the old Radio Moscow interval signal for all of my videos from the former USSR, just as I use the Radio Berlin International interval signal for my videos from the former East Germany.