NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 18, Issue 17

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

When I was assigned to the Ordnance Shops at Fort Jackson after Korea the 
post had a 44 tonner used to move cars around the post. The Class I would 
drop cars jsut inside the post and some of the engineer types would crank it 
up and do the switching. If anything went wrong they would ask us Ordnance 
types, heavy maintenance to fix it. That was hoot as we had no manuals. We 
usually went to town and aske the SRR folks for help which they did.
    About ten years ago I had the opportunity to visit the Naval Ordnance 
Depot near Camp Hill, PA. They had two Baldwin switchers and many specialty 
cars, a number of which were heavy riveted construction, such things as 
"ring cars" for moving gun turrets. Taking pictures was no problem.   Cal 
Reynolds
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 8:24 AM
Subject: Re: NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 18, Issue 17



> Subj:  Military locomotives

>

> While "never" may be too strong a term, it is generally unlikely that any 

> of

> the various military services' locomotives were ever used on mainline 

> service

> -- especially for any considerable distances.

>

> Almost all of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy locomotives I ever saw were 

> being

> used within various bases and/or depots as switch engines.  I have seen 

> such

> locomotives at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Earle NJ Ammunition Depot and 

> the

> Yorktown, VA ammunition depot.  In the Norfolk, VA area, it is certainly 

> likely

> that from time to time a military locomotive moved cars from one base to

> another because there are many facilities there.  I recall a cousin 

> telling me that

> the Marine Corps used to have fuel delivered to the Cherry Point Air 

> Station

> by tank car using a Navy loco.

>

> For MANY years, the U.S. Army had a Railway Training Center at Fort 

> Eustis,

> VA. That base was home for the Army's rather extensive railroad equipment, 

> much

> of which was actually used in Europe.  Fort Eustis also had a pretty

> extensive "training railroad" with about three miles of track, sidings, 

> bridges, etc.

> where they could simulate operation of a real railroad.  Today, the Army

> Transportation Museum is at Fort Eustis and exhibits a number of Army 

> locomotives

> and cars. (I was there in July of this year)

>

> The Air Force had at least one locomotive (a small switcher, but I forget

> what type) at Carswell Air Force Base near Fort Worth.  It was used to 

> move

> passenger car "classrooms" around the sprawling base.

>

> Decades ago - probably before or during World War II -- the U.S. Coast 

> Guard

> had a steam loco (either an 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 - tank engine) at either the CG

> Yard in Baltimore or at the CG Base in Boston (I've heard both "stories" 

> and

> could never confirm which) I had only seen one partial photo of it.

>

> Hope this helps.

>

> Herb Kern

> Mobile, AL

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