**This is a colorized AI version of image
Two B And M Railroad Men Operate Army Trains In France
Richards, Baldwin Receive Promotions
T/4 Cecil E. Richards, son of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil H. Richards of 16 Concord Street, is one of two Boston and Maine Railroad men serving with 724th Railway Operating Battalion of the Army in France. Sergeant Richards, who before he entered the Army was a fireman on the B. & M.’s Portland Division, has been promoted to engineman and is now operating trains loaded with supplies and ammunition to the advancing Allied armies.
Conductor in charge of Richards’ train is Sgt. Herbert L. Baldwin, Jr., who before he entered the Army was a switchtender on the Portland Division of the B. & M. Baldwin has recently been promoted to engineman and is now assigned to the Railway Transportation Corps. He is the son of the publicity manager of the Boston and Maine and Maine Central Railroads.
The 724th Railway Operating Battalion at the present time is operating and supervising more miles of track than any other battalion in the ETO. Originally one of the books to operate the Paris terminal on double track, the scope of its organization has doubled since the fall of the German capital and now includes a larger jurisdiction, having recently taken over the recovery of three additional lines, operating two roundhouses, a terminal in the Paris area, and operating on the longest segment of single track in the world.
T/4 Richards’ father is an engineman on the B. and Boston and Maine system. He and Sergeant Richards, Jr. reside at 16 Concord Street.
Caption under photo:
T/4 Cecil E. Richards of Portland (in cab) gets orders from Sgt. Herbert L. Baldwin, Jr. (Official U.S. Army Photo, passed by Censor.)
