Fort Benning, Georgia Railroads Narrow Gauge Quartermaster Corps [video]



The National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning has a 2-ft gauge 2-6-2T steam locomotive on outdoor display. The little engine, No. 1902, built by the Davenport Locomotive Works of Davenport, Iowa, was one of twenty such locomotives used by the Army Quartermasters Corps to move supplies and soldiers around Fort Benning between 1921 and 1944.

Different sources give various figures for the length of the narrow-gauge line, generally ranging from 15 miles to 27 miles. Considering that an old film made on the fort shows dozens of soldiers quickly laying a section of track, it is likely that the total length varied over time as the rails were extended or taken up depending on the particular need. The number of locomotives and rail cars in use also changed from time to time.

Sometime in the 1940s, the locomotives were given the nickname "Chattahoochee Choo-Choo" for the river that runs along the west side of the fort and for the popular song "Chattanooga Choo-Choo."

The line was abandoned in 1944; the tracks were taken up in 1946.

Fort Benning is in western Georgia on the south side of Columbus.


you can find out more about this here
http://railga.com/ondispl/fortbenloco.html

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