diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/blobstore/BlobReuseExistingNodeAllocation.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/blobstore/BlobReuseExistingNodeAllocation.java
index 76c0bbf8bf9..2c4655bc143 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/blobstore/BlobReuseExistingNodeAllocation.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/blobstore/BlobReuseExistingNodeAllocation.java
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ public class BlobReuseExistingNodeAllocation extends NodeAllocation {
                     try {
                         CommitPoint commitPoint = indexGateway.findCommitPoint(shard.id());
 
-                        if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
+                        if (logger.isTraceEnabled()) {
                             StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(shard + ": checking for pre_allocation (gateway) on node " + discoNode + "\n");
                             sb.append("    gateway_files:\n");
                             for (CommitPoint.FileInfo fileInfo : commitPoint.indexFiles()) {
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ public class BlobReuseExistingNodeAllocation extends NodeAllocation {
                             for (StoreFileMetaData md : storeFilesMetaData) {
                                 sb.append("        [").append(md.name()).append("], size [").append(new ByteSizeValue(md.length())).append("]\n");
                             }
-                            logger.debug(sb.toString());
+                            logger.trace(sb.toString());
                         }
                         long sizeMatched = 0;
                         for (StoreFileMetaData storeFileMetaData : storeFilesMetaData) {
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/robin/RobinEngine.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/robin/RobinEngine.java
index b5ea73a9066..9ee97656e48 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/robin/RobinEngine.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/engine/robin/RobinEngine.java
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ public class RobinEngine extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Engine,
             }
 
             try {
-                translog.newTranslog();
+                translog.newTranslog(IndexReader.getCurrentVersion(store.directory()));
                 this.nrtResource = buildNrtResource(indexWriter);
             } catch (IOException e) {
                 try {
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ public class RobinEngine extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Engine,
                     AcquirableResource<ReaderSearcherHolder> current = nrtResource;
                     nrtResource = buildNrtResource(indexWriter);
                     current.markForClose();
-                    translog.newTranslog();
+                    translog.newTranslog(IndexReader.getCurrentVersion(store.directory()));
                 } catch (IOException e) {
                     throw new FlushFailedEngineException(shardId, e);
                 } finally {
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ public class RobinEngine extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Engine,
             } else {
                 try {
                     indexWriter.commit();
-                    translog.newTranslog();
+                    translog.newTranslog(IndexReader.getCurrentVersion(store.directory()));
                 } catch (IOException e) {
                     throw new FlushFailedEngineException(shardId, e);
                 }
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/gateway/blobstore/BlobStoreIndexShardGateway.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/gateway/blobstore/BlobStoreIndexShardGateway.java
index 68b2226c626..83dd4252da9 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/gateway/blobstore/BlobStoreIndexShardGateway.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/gateway/blobstore/BlobStoreIndexShardGateway.java
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ public abstract class BlobStoreIndexShardGateway extends AbstractIndexShardCompo
                 expectedNumberOfOperations = translogSnapshot.totalOperations();
             }
         } else {
-            // if we have a commit point, check that we have all the files listed in it
+            // if we have a commit point, check that we have all the files listed in it in the blob store
             if (!commitPoints.commits().isEmpty()) {
                 CommitPoint commitPoint = commitPoints.commits().get(0);
                 boolean allTranslogFilesExists = true;
@@ -749,11 +749,6 @@ public abstract class BlobStoreIndexShardGateway extends AbstractIndexShardCompo
         }
     }
 
-    private void writeCommitPoint(CommitPoint commitPoint) throws Exception {
-        byte[] data = CommitPoints.toXContent(commitPoint);
-        blobContainer.writeBlob("commit-" + commitPoint.version(), new FastByteArrayInputStream(data), data.length);
-    }
-
     private boolean commitPointExistsInBlobs(CommitPoint commitPoint, ImmutableMap<String, BlobMetaData> blobs) {
         for (CommitPoint.FileInfo fileInfo : Iterables.concat(commitPoint.indexFiles(), commitPoint.translogFiles())) {
             if (!commitPointFileExistsInBlobs(fileInfo, blobs)) {
@@ -818,9 +813,13 @@ public abstract class BlobStoreIndexShardGateway extends AbstractIndexShardCompo
                 name = name.substring(0, name.indexOf(".part"));
             }
 
-            long currentGen = Long.parseLong(name.substring(2) /*__*/, Character.MAX_RADIX);
-            if (currentGen > generation) {
-                generation = currentGen;
+            try {
+                long currentGen = Long.parseLong(name.substring(2) /*__*/, Character.MAX_RADIX);
+                if (currentGen > generation) {
+                    generation = currentGen;
+                }
+            } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+                logger.warn("file [{}] does not conform to the '__' schema");
             }
         }
         return generation;
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/Translog.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/Translog.java
index 49b7e763cbb..02815fff8d0 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/Translog.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/Translog.java
@@ -64,6 +64,12 @@ public interface Translog extends IndexShardComponent {
      */
     void newTranslog() throws TranslogException;
 
+    /**
+     * Creates a new transaction log internally. Note, users of this class should make
+     * sure that no operations are performed on the trans log when this is called.
+     */
+    void newTranslog(long id) throws TranslogException;
+
     /**
      * Adds a create operation to the transaction log.
      */
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/FsTranslog.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/FsTranslog.java
index 9c4e7213df3..03d951dc8b8 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/FsTranslog.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/translog/fs/FsTranslog.java
@@ -104,6 +104,23 @@ public class FsTranslog extends AbstractIndexShardComponent implements Translog
         }
     }
 
+    @Override public void newTranslog(long id) throws TranslogException {
+        synchronized (mutex) {
+            operationCounter.set(0);
+            lastPosition = 0;
+            this.id = id;
+            if (raf != null) {
+                raf.decreaseRefCount();
+            }
+            try {
+                raf = new RafReference(new File(location, "translog-" + id));
+            } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
+                raf = null;
+                throw new TranslogException(shardId, "translog not found", e);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     @Override public void add(Operation operation) throws TranslogException {
         try {
             BytesStreamOutput out = CachedStreamOutput.cachedBytes();