Dawn daughter of Gordon Paul Dunaway writes " I have just been given my Dad's scrap books from World War II and it seems he served with the 733rd Railway .. When I saw them I knew that leaving them just in a book stuffed in a cedar chest was a crime " It would be a crime to not to share these images and history of your Dad and his unit! Thanks again Dawn.
DEXTER — Gordon Paul Dunaway, age 87 of N. Shore Rd. Dexter,passed away at his home 6:10 P.M. on Thursday April 22, 2010. He had been under the care of his family and Hospice.
Paul was born August 24, 1922 in Brownville, the son of Gordon and Reba Mitchell Dunaway. He graduated from Brownville-Glen Park High School and served in the Army from 1943 until 1946. He served in the European Theatre.Paul married Grovene Champion in 1943 that marriage ended in divorce. He married Marlene Robbins in 1994 in Pamelia. He lived on Black River Road for several years and moved to Pillar Point in 1984. Paul was the owner of Dunaway - Morgan Construction Co. of Watertown and retired in 1988. He also owned and operated Sunset Harbor Marina on North Shore Rd. Pillar Point. He wintered in Ft. Pierce & River Ranch in Florida.Paul was a member of Crescent Yacht Club, Rotary, North Side Improvement League and was an avid pilot and flyer.
He is survived by his wife Marlene, a son David Dunaway and his wife Ann of Dexter, N.Y., daughters Diane Dunaway of Chittenango N.Y., and Dawn Quint and her wife Pamela of Andover, CT., . grandsons Gerard Lapointe, CT and Kristopher Dunaway NY and great granddaughter Gabriella Clark, step-children Steven and Mary Rickett of Chaumont, Sawn and Joann Rickett of Kissimmee, Fl.,Scott and Christine Rickett of Three Mile Bay and Stuart and Donna Rickett of Chaumont. He also has step grandchildren Emmy, Mandy, Abby, Corey and Makeyla. A brother Richard Dunaway of Fair Haven, N.Y. and a step brother Robert Brown also survive. A stepsister Patty Brown predeceased him.

Thanks again to Wilhelm !  

Wilhelm P.B.R. Saris (Netherlands); eagle removed by the 708th Railway Grand Division, courtesy Paul Ayerst from Canada. Great presentation of a German Reichsbahn-eagle captured by the 708th Railway Grand Division at Hirson in France, September 3rd, 1944, mounted on a nice wooden plaque.

The eagle is painted over in silver. In German, during the Third Reich, such an eagle was phrased as Hoheitszeichen (national emblem).

Fort Slocum continued served as a recruit intake and specialist training center. It was the site of the Atlantic Coast Transportation Corps Officers' Training School from 1942 to 1944.


The school trained railroad men and other transportation specialists in the Army way of doing things before making them commissioned officers. A related program begun in 1943, the Provisional Training Center, provided basic training to other specialists and enlisted men.

Again thanks to Wilhelm for these...

 Presentation of a plaque with a German Reichsbahn-eagle and two affixed metal plates by Colonel W.S. Carr of the 708th Railway Grand Division to Brigade-General Clarance L. Burpee (commander of the Second Military Railway Service), at the German city of Bremerhaven in August 1945.

In the back standing a person with the wooden box to put the eagle into!
One of the engines was named to the commander of the unit as “COL. CARR SPECIAL, 1001” with the unit-number 708 RGD.

Thanks : Wilhelm P.B.R. Saris (Netherlands); material 708th Railway Grand Division, courtesy Bill Shea from the Ruptured Duck, Hubbartston (USA).

Another great Reichsbahn Eagle sent to us from Wilhelm ( who is researching for a book ) , this time the eagle is from Capt. William McCormick of the 722nd Railway Operating Battalion Co. A - this is how the eagle was sent to his wife.

Thanks Wilhelm and Kristian !!
Material provides thanks to :Wilhelm P.B.R. Saris, (Netherlands)  and Kristian Anderson (USA).

735th Railway Operating Battalion Co. C
Sgt J.F. Deaton - Conductor
T/4 Frank Hacken - Eng.
T/5 F.J. Moschini  - Frmn'
P.F.C. C.J. Sobrito  - Flgmn





This Nazi rail car emblem commonly called a Reichsbahn Eagle came from car No 84054 was captured by these men.

The old Deutsche Reichsbahn (DRB) was set up in 1920, under a provision in the Weimar Constitution, to take over the seven individual state railways in Germany at that time. Its existence ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War
http://www.worldrailfans.info/Articles/Europe/GDRGwagons.shtml 

Thanks very much to Wilhem Saris of the Netherlands and Robert Newbrough for sharing this amazing artifact with the blog.
If you know anything more about this or the men listed here please email me , Nancy cunningb2@gmail.com 

Wilhelm Saris, eagle courtesy Robert Newbrough of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania size: 62.9 cm wingspan and 34.3 cm height. (Aluminium-Präzisionsguss A.G. at Nowawes inGermany).

724th Railway Operating Battalion 1982 Roster Reunion by Nancy

715th Railway Operating Battalion Unit Card by Nancy

760th Railway Shop Battalion Unit Card by Nancy

724th Railway Operating Battalion 1996 Roster Reunion by Nancy

Camp Millard Military Rail Training by Nancy

Hospital Train Sept Railroa... by on Scribd

Great hospital train page here http://railwaysurgery.org/Army.htm

This film records and explains a series of train crash tests for "subversive warfare" on the US Army Claiborne Polk Military Railroad between 03/08/1944 & 03/10/1944. Discusses amount of explosive used, technique of making "gaps" in railroad track to overturn train. 

Uses filmographic techniques such as slow motion, reverse motion, and freeze frame to show effects of "gaps" and explosives on train and results of experiments. Illustrated arrows point to areas of train considered especially relevant to experiment. During each train crash experiment the narrator explains each type of explosive and reason for variations. 

This film made available courtesy the Department of Defense, National Technical Information Service, and the National Archives and Records Administration http://www.archives.gov/