Looking for info on WWII Troop Train Consist

[AltonFan]

I wonder if the relevant military manuals can be acquired from the government?

[Anonymous]

i have a question. i have an old con-cor/rivarossi hospital train i bought a while ago. it came witht he steam loco and 7 pullman hospital cars. i want to add some of the new walthers troop cars but i need to know if the troop cars were ever run with the hospital trains.

[Anonymous]

Good question... I have been looking into this as well. I did find some reference to the hospital kitchen cars in "The Transportation Corps: Movements, Training, and Supply
Book by Chester Wardlow; Office of the Chief of Military History, 1956." Very limited info...

Some other comments I have come across, the vesibules were sheeted over to make more room for stretchers. Some of the pullmans had large or wide baggage type doors installed for ease of tranport of litter patients to and from the car on each side. Some litter patients were transported to the car through a window. One woman at a show saw my train, and commented that her father was a doctor serving on a hospital train. She said, "It was the worst time for her father... he commented the "emergency" surgery was performed only when to save a life, motion on the train was too dangerous. Additionally, all of the windows were blacked out so outsiders couldn't look into the train. Most of the passengers on these trains were severly injured with grievous wounds."

I'm still looking for info... even ran across a brief blurb on mortuary trains that did nothing else but carry war dead. Hmmm.

Marc in Madison

[AltonFan]

Regarding mprtuary trains:

According to the US Army Quartermaster Corps Mortuary Affairs website, fallen soldiers were first buried in temporary cemeteries near the battlefields. After the war, the temporary cemeteries were cleared, and the next-of-kin were given several choices for disposition of their kinsman's remains:

1. Burial in an overseas US military cemetery.
2. Burial in a cemetery in a foreign country requested by next-of-kin.
3. Burial in a National Cemetery in the US.
4. Burial in a private cemetery in the US requested by next-of-kin.

The logistics of preparing and shipping tens of thousands of remains to the US from Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific apparently did not go very well, and from the Korean War on, the Army set up a process for evacuation of the dead while the war was being fought. This process is being used now for casualties of the Iraq War.

I'll post a link to the Mortuary Affairs page when I get home.

[Anonymous]

Hello:

There is alot of great information in this thread. Thanks to all who have contributed. I am just getting into N Scale railroading and am looking into doing a troop train. Does anyone manufacture WWII flatcars?

I am also curious as to what everyone thinks would be the best option for the vehicles? GHQ, Perrin or Minifigs?

Thanks,
Rick

[Anonymous]

GHQ has made some nice N-scale WWII vehicles but they're kind of pricey. I like the resin models made by Tires and Tracks at about $5 ea. The detail is good and they scale out well against the dimension drawings I have on prototype vehicles (yeah, I was a military modeller at one time too). M3 Light Stuarts weighed in at about 23 tons each and M3 Lee & M4 Shermans each weighed about 30 tons. The M3 White Half-track weighed about 12 tons. Each vehicle was packed with a couple of crates of spare parts on the same car. Hope this is of use in planning your loading.

[Anonymous]

I spent some time and money checking out GHQ, Perrin or Minifigs for my troop movement train. I found GHQ to be superior in molding, detail and minimal flash. However, I think that GHQ is more for the military modeler doing a vignette or scene versus filling up a model military train... why? Cost, it's just too much.

Minifigs are very inexpensive, but moldings and lots of flash and clean up are required.
So Perrin is my choice, for a number of reasons. Price... A package of two tanks, DUKs, trucks, and other vehicles is $6. A package of four jeeps is also $6. Flash is minimal too, however, not as clean a molding as GHQ.

Now I'm going to model the movement of a Tank Battalion Headquarters Company, Company A (medium) and possibly Company D (light). That gives me 21 or so M4 Sherman tanks, 18 M5 Stuarts, and assorted halftracks, trucks, and such. I'm using the Organization & Equipment listing for the 752nd Tank Battalion for reference.

Should be good...

Marc in Madison, WI

[randybc2003]

I read w/ interest this thread. Note mention of HOSPITAL CARS. Am interested in these latter myself (HO). Where did you get your info? Hospital Ward cars in N? Who makes them or scratchbuilt/Kitbuilt.
What I know comes from my Mom's tales: she was a nurse attached to a hospital train unit, taveled all over the USA in them, delievering wonded and injured home. Some reaserch, but not a whole lot.
What I know: Built in 2 forms by ACF. w/ and wo/ doctor office (dressing stations). Ice bunkers under the car for AC in the American SW areas. Some photos in MR., and drawings in RMC, mag. and "car plan book". Heavy steel const. (I think) of 6wheel trucks. Post War: sold to Monon and Alaska RR, w/ remodeling to "Streamliner" lines. Some Circus Co. took some of them too. Some websites seem to have some info, but not a gold mine yet. I have checked Letterman General Hospital (San Francisco) and various Alaska RR web pages. Any one know of more?
Thank you!!!

[e-mail]

[Anonymous]

Good info and question about Hospital Trains...

Mostly heavyweight Pullman's were used. Since there were vestibles on both ends, it was not uncommon to sheel metal over the vestible on one end so there would be room for additional storage.

There were a number of other observations noted as well. Baggage car doors were installed on some of there cars to help facilitate the loading of litter patients. I have a photo where litter patients are being loaded on board via a specially installed window that could be dropped down.

I have been told by woman whos father was a traveling surgeon on one of these trains that the windows were either blacked out or heavily tinted to prevent spectators from looking inside as these trains carried the most greviously injured patients.

I'm actually trying to find some photos to support this information, but it's been a long process. More to follow as I get it...

Marc in Madison, WI.