Military Railways: Chart of Units

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

This series of exchanges is going well beyond Jimmy Lisle's launch inquiry.
I am amazed at the interest generated by the e-correspondence.

When working up the ARROW articles (2003) on the N&W and the Military
Railway Service (MRS) in WW II, I kept extended notes on research of
materials from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and
elsewhere, and developed a table listing Railway Grand Divisions, Railway
Operating Battalions and Railway Shop Battalions, showing unit designations,
sponsoring roads, and theaters to which deployed.

Subsequently, Tim Moriarty, a valued contributor to the current exchange,
sent me a 1 April 1944 chart of MRS units he had uncovered at the Center of
Military History in Washington, DC.  Last year, while doing further research
at NARA for a sequel ARROW article on the N&W's MRS experience (when you get
on a case like this, new material has a way of surfacing over time, as many
of you will know), I ran across a 1 July 1945 chart, referenced in a 22
November 1946 MRS document, citing 1 July 1945 the "highest point of (MRS)
aggregate strength".

So from diverse accountings on hand I have revised the chart of several
years ago (too extended for inclusion in the forthcoming sequel article, and
in any case far beyond the N&W story alone) and will gladly send it to
anyone requesting same.  I'll also enclose the 1 July 1945 document, which
amplifies some information in my accounting.  Six pages in all.  Just send a
SSAE (letter size is fine) to Frank Gibson, 826 Ashford Ln, Ft Collins, CO
80526.  Two first class stamps will do the job.

Here's a salute to the MRS!

fgg