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Additionally, C&O took some HW baggage/express cars and modified them into 56 (!) seat troop diners, complete with permanent kitchens and fold-up, very spartan tables and chairs. But no windows or doors except for the kitchen. Bizarre looking rolling stock. At least one of these, # 903 (converted from B/E #384) made it into postwar revenue service as a cafeteria car, still sans windows. PRR also had several baggage cars outfitted as kitchen cars for troop train duty. Generally, the mid-train bags were used as army field kitchens, with the unit being moved providing equipment and personnel. Troops took the food back to their seats to eat. Duffels, unloaded weapons and packs generally stayed with them in the assigned cars. But don't be fooled, if they were pulling guard duty, those weapons were loaded and they had orders to shoot to kill. Also, a tremendous number of older 14S, 16S and 12-1 Pullmans were assigned to troop train service, and lots of enlisted personnel rode them. Space was alloted for 2men/lower berth with 1 man in the upper. Drawing room doors were removed or blocked open and the berths used as sections. A number of other older lounge and parlor cars were modified into hospital cars. Troop (main) train consists were made up on a case-by-case basis to exactly meet the Army's needs. This means some of the trains were mixed, and some were switched en-route, with several mains in the came consist moving to/from different points. If you can get to some archives, there are numerous articles in wartime Railway Age issues discussing various emergency car orders, modifications and military main operations. These trains were not the lap of luxury, nor were they intended by anyone to be such. They were pressed into service to meet urgent, massive troop movement needs, and the Army really didn't care about comfort. If you think the troop trains were bad, try a troop ship for a month or so, in submarine-infected waters. As they said, "Don't ya know there's a war going on??" Besides, take those comments with a grain of salt. Troops have been known to gripe about anything and everything. It's part of the job of being genuine heroes.
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