Right now Yankee hoggers and brake-heads, engine hostlers, car knockers and gandy dancers are delivering goods in five continents. They are operating rail lines from Alaska to North Africa and from Iran to Caledonia ... This Week Magazine March 11, 1944

WW2 US Medical Research Centre 

https://www.med-dept.com/articles/ww2-hospital-trains/

One of the most important documents on this blog!

On five continents the Army's railroad troops are putting the spirit of American railroading to work in supplying the advancing armies of the United Nations

Bart writes about his cousin Ralph W. Engram, Jr. 

He was commissioned on October 20, 1943, at the Transportation Corps Officer Candidate School at the New Orleans Staging Area in New Orleans, LA. 

He knows that he served in France, close to Paris as he sent home several pictures of him on Christmas Day in Paris and others in the French rail yards, on locomotives, and in front of rail cars. 

Ralph is wearing LT insignia in all these pictures. He died in the 1950s so Bart never met him. His tombstone lists his unit as 1964th S.C.U.T.C. (these were ad hoc Service Command Units) which is a unit he served in after service in Europe. 

We would love to know what MRS units he was in, if anyone knows about Engram contact me militaryrailwayservice@gmail.com

 

Here are the captions from the back of the pictures: 

1. Picture with 3 figures: Capt Boyer, Capt Redding, Lt Engram 

10. Picture with 7 figures: Capt Haase, Lt Hellman, Lt Engram, Lt Lindsey, Lt Howell 

2. Picture of chateau: Chateau where Lt Engram lived January 1945 

9. Picture of soldiers in mess line: Chowhounds 

7. Picture of locomotive 1791: Lt Engram France January 1945 

5. Picture of front of locomotive: Lt Engram France January 1945 

Picture of person on rail car: Lt Engram France January 1945 

3. Picture of milkman: Lt Engram Paris Christmas Day 1944 

6. Picture of person standing in beside a rail car: Lt Engram France January 1945 

8. Picture of person leaning on pile post obstacle: Sgt Ralph Engram Camp Claiborne September 1942

https://www.alaskarails.org/historical/Freshour/

http://win.goticatoscana.eu/EN/Italy_at_war/StoryOfMRS/StoryOf1stMRS.html

The Machinist, Official newspaper of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, published 1946 to 1994.

The Machinist, Official newspaper of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, published 1946 to 1994.

 

https://wjcnrhs.square.site/product/vol-10-no-2-winter-2004/77?cp=true&sbp=false

  

 http://www.robertsarmory.com/whitcomb.htm

 

    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064592983689

 Find out more about Camp Claiborne

http://www.campclaiborne.com/

 

http://military.railfan.net/locos/

We have a great new web page: https://militaryrailwayservice.wordpress.com/we own the domains militaryrailwayservice.com and militaryrailwayservice.org and they will both redirect! This costs money, I would really appreciate any donations towards all of this sites expenses. Thanks DONATE HERE or email us if you'd like to send a check. Militaryrailwayservice@gmail.com

 

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In the midst of World War II, the role of the railroad was pivotal in ways that may surprise you. Beyond transporting civilians and goods, railroads like the Southern Railway stepped onto the front lines. They sponsored Railway Operating Battalions, an initiative that was critical for the Allied forces’ success. 

The Southern Railway’s 727th Railway Operating Battalion, comprised of America’s “soldier railroaders,” is a prime example of this effort. These brave men were tasked with an extraordinary mission: to ensure the prompt delivery of equipment and supplies across the varied and often treacherous terrains of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. Their success was not only in their delivery but also in their valor. 

The Battalion was decorated with seven Legions of Merit and seven Purple Hearts. Notably, General George S. Patton himself awarded the 727th an official Battalion Commendation. General Patton lauded their “initiative and perseverance… without regard to personal safety,” which, he said, honored the traditions of the Military Railway Service and the service as a whole. 

This Veteran’s Day weekend, we pay tribute to the courage and dedication of these soldier railroaders. We invite you to join us on the Missionary Ridge Local to experience a part of the Southern Railway heritage that contributed to the freedoms we enjoy today. As we ride along the same lines that were once a strategic part of the war effort, let us remember and thank all those who have served. https://www.tvrail.com/2021/11/11/southern-railway-wwii-battalions-valor/

Philippe PINEL Au Fil Du Temps Epsm de la Somme Route Route de Paris CS-74410 80044 AMIENS CEDEX 1 , Amiens, France The 743rd ROB was stations at this hospital / asylum in 1945

 

Earl G Stevens, 95, of Girard, died on Monday, February 8, 2021 at Lecom Senior Living Center. 

Earl was born on May 4, 1925, a son to the late Francis C. and Lillian D. (Bitilian) Stevens. He attended Albion High School and in his senior year was inducted into the United States Army on July 14, 1943. He was deployed with the 743rd Railway Operations Battalion as a car mechanic, earning the rank of Corporal. Earl was awarded the American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. 

He was involved in the Central Europe Campaign as well as the Rhine Land Campaign. Earl served in foreign service for one year, six months and seven days. Upon his honorable discharge in September of 1944 Earl returned home to Cranesville. Earl was a carpenter by trade and worked at George Burns Saw Mill in Albion. He then worked with Craft Lumber until his retirement in 2014 at the age of 87. He built his own boat from wood, which he used to sail in Lake Erie. 

Earl was a patient man, a man of few words. He was also known as a hard worker. Earl earned an electronics diploma, with the knowledge he learned there, he built TV's as a hobby. He often fixed neighbors and family's TV's. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, enjoying time well spent with his brothers and brothers in-law. 

Earl enjoyed bowling and was a member of the Girard American Legion Post #494 and the Edinboro McKean VFW Post 740. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by three sisters, Myra I. Smith, Gladys J. Johnston and Alice M. Bricker; three brothers, Harold J. Stevens, Clifford "Sonny" Stevens and Francis "Chet" W. Stevens. He will be greatly missed by his family which include a niece, Susette Vanaskey; two sisters, Norma Bille and Mildred Ogren; two sister in-laws, Evelyn Stevens and Shirley Nelson; and his best friend, Gene Herhold; as well as many nieces and nephews. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to A. F. Dobler Hose & Ladder Company, 37 Walnut St, Girard, PA 16417. A service will be held this spring. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Edder Funeral Home Inc. Girard To send condolences please visit edderfuneralhome.com.

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 Taylor Roby Pipes Sept. 9, 1916-Sept. 20, 2003 LA GRANDE -

 Taylor "Roby" Pipes, 87, of La Grande, died Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003 at his home. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Oct. 24, at the First Christian Church in La Grande. A gathering for friends who wish to visit with the family or who were not able to attend the service will be held at 3:30 p.m., Oct. 24, at the Grande Ronde Retirement Center. Mr. Pipes was born on Sept. 9, 1916, at the Pipes family home near Fayette, Mo. As a young man in Arvada, Colo., he enjoyed going with his dad who was buying and shipping dairy cattle to California. In his spare time he enjoyed playing baseball, ice and roller skating, fishing and swimming. He quit high school near the end of the Depression, working many days for a place to sleep and eat. Fifty-cent-per-day wages were considered a gift! After his parents divorced when he was 19, he made his own way in life, spending much time at Filer, Idaho. 

On July 4, 1940, he married Anita Hermann at Weiser, Idaho. He always said "he gave up his independence on Independence Day, on Leap Year." On Dec. 18, 1943, he enlisted in the Army and served with the 743rd Railroad Operating Battalion, Company C-European Theater. He served mostly in Belgium keeping supplies going through for the ground troops. A perfectionist, he was very mechanical and skilled with his hands. After he was honorably discharged as a Captain, he joined the Army Reserves and was discharged in 1963. In 1946 he returned to La Grande and went to work for Union Pacific Railroad. When the yard office closed in La Grande, Yardmaster Pipes went on the road as a brakeman on the Wallowa Branch line and later worked on the main line between Hinkle, La Grande and Nampa. He retired in 1977 as a conductor. 

He loved to fish, pheasant hunt, camp, to putter around in his shop and to visit people. In 1984 he had a lemon-size brain tumor removed and was fully recovered after three months. He and his wife then went on a European trip to visit their daughter's family in England, and then on to Belgium to revisit World War II sites and to renew foreign friendships made during the war. In 1997 he suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke following the removal of a second brain tumor. Intensive therapy and tenacity helped him to regain his ability to walk, read, write and speak small sentences. After living in their own home on Washington Avenue for 50 years, the Pipes moved to the Grande Ronde Retirement Center in 2001. In 2002, he had a third brain tumor removed. 

Even after suffering further setbacks, he was committed to regain and retain his health. He could be seen walking around various parts of town, carrying his cane like a "country gentleman," only using it for safety purposes when going up or down curbs or crossing rough spots. 

Survivors include his wife, Anita Pipes of La Grande; daughter, Janice Kerns and her husband, Tim, and daughter, Jean Conklin and her husband, David; four grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a sister, Helen Burt of Arlington, Wash.; and other relatives and friends. A brother, David Pipes preceded him in death. Memorial contributions may be made to the GRH Hospice or a charity of choice through Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 7th Street, La Grande, OR 97850

Great list from Wikipedia page for the Military Railway Service units - 1st 2nd and 3rd MRS  
 

List of Railway Grand Divisions and their sponsors
Unit      Sponsor     Date of Activation
701st     New York Central Railroad     01/11/1943
702nd     Union Pacific Railroad     10/15/1942
703rd     Atlantic Coast Line Railroad     08/01/1943
704th     Great Northern Railway     11/30/1942
705th     Southern Pacific Lines     05/19/1943
706th     Pennsylvania Railroad     08/06/1943
707th     Southern Railway     06/10/1943
708th     Baltimore and Ohio Railroad     04/06/1943
709th     Association of American Railroads     03/15/1944
710th     Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway     12/14/1943
774th     None (Organized in Italy)     1944
 

List of Railway Operating Battalions
Unit     Sponsor     Date of Activation
711th     Training Battalion. Built and maintained the 50 mile Claiborne-Polk Military Railroad     05/01/1941
712th     Reading Railroad     10/25/1942
713th     Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway     04/15/1942
714th     Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway     10/31/1942
715th     Illinois Central Railroad     10/31/1942
716th     Southern Pacific Lines     12/21/1943
717th     Pennsylvania Railroad     12/01/1943
718th     Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway     12/14/1943
719th     Texas and New Orleans Railroad     09/01/1943
720th     Chicago and North Western Railway     08/26/1943
721st     New York Central Railroad     04/14/1943
722nd     Seaboard Air Line Railroad     12/14/1943
723rd     Union Pacific Railroad     12/28/1943
724th     Pennsylvania Railroad     12/28/1943
725th     Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad     02/17/1943
726th     Wabash Railroad     06/26/1943
727th     Southern Railway     03/15/1942
728th     Louisville and Nashville Railroad     01/11/1943
729th     New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad     01/11/1943
730th     Pennsylvania Railroad     05/15/1942
731st     Union Pacific Railroad     Did not Activate
732nd     Great Northern Railway     01/12/1944
733rd     Central of Georgia Railway     11/23/1943
734th     Texas and New Orleans Railroad     02/23/1944
735th     ARR/Erie Railroad     02/10/1944
736th     New York Central     Did not Activate
737th     New York Central     09/30/1944
738th     Chicago Great Western Railway     Did not Activate
739th     Lehigh Valley Railroad     Did not Activate
740th     Chesapeake and Ohio Railway     12/14/1943
741st     Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad     01/12/1944
742nd     Pennsylvania Railroad     Did not Activate
743rd     Illinois Central Railroad     01/12/1944
744th     Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad     12/21/1943
745th     Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad     05/19/1943
746th     Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad     05/04/1944
747th     Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway     Did not Activate
748th     Texas and Pacific Railway     05/12/1943
749th     New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad     02/23/1943
750th     St. Louis – San Francisco Railway     03/21/1944
751st     Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad     Did not Activate
752nd     Boston and Maine Railroad     05/04/1944
759th     Missouri Pacific Railroad     09/01/1942
761st     Railway Transportation Company     07/22/1942
770th     None     08/09/1942
790th     None     07/08/1943
791st     No sponsorship (activated at Andimeshk, Iran)     07/01/1943
 

List of Railway Shop Battalions
Unit     Sponsor     Date of Activation
753d     Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway     04/15/1942
754th     Southern Pacific Lines     10/25/1942
755th     Norfolk & Western Railway     11/30/1942
756th     Pennsylvania Railroad     01/11/1943
757th     Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad     06/10/1943
758th     Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway     04/06/1943
760th     No sponsorship     06/16/1942
762d     No sponsorship     10/15/1942
763d     Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad; Lehigh Valley Railroad     07/27/1943
764th     Boston & Maine Railroad     10/25/1943
765th     Erie Railroad     05/01/1944
766th     Association of American Railroads     07/17/1944

Note: The 760th and 762d were RSB (Diesel); all others were RSB (Steam).

Thanks to Don Stone for this great indformation on his grandfather, Maj. Boyd W. Stone, Sr., of the 2nd MRS 

 In 1943 our Dad was drafted into the Army. Soon after, Gramps volunteered for the Army (Gram’s reaction to this decision is still echoing off the buildings on Ashland Ave. in St. Louis) and was commissioned a Captain in the 2nd Military Railway Unit, Headquarters Company. The 2nd Military Railway Unit was to be in charge of all railway transportation in northern France after the D-Day invasion. After training at a post that no longer exists outside of New Orleans, the unit went to England to await D-Day. 

On D+11 (eleven days after June 6, 1944) an advance party of 2nd MRS personnel (inlcuding Gramps) went into France through the Normandy beachhead. Some days thereafter Gramps was shot by a sniper, becoming the first casualty in his unit, and was medically evacuated back to England. His wound was the equivalent of his 3rd Purple Heart (I say “equivalent” because he wasn’t awarded “wound stripes” for his injuries in WW I because he didn’t go to a hospital).

I'm going to start working on a World War II Army rail-man killed in action death project.

How to Tell 400,000+ WWII Fallen Stories in 36 Months