The Trains Go to War special edition features historical text and photographs to show how America’s railroads served in wartime, especially during WWII. Whether you’re interested in railroad history, the U.S. military, or both, Trains Go to War offers a riveting look at war from the unique perspective of rail.

Engines of war — and peace

TRAINS GO TO WAR

WHEN RAILROADING WENT TO WAR • Union or Confederate, those who went into battle holding a throttle instead of a rifle often spelled the difference between victory and defeat

RAILROADS AT THE FRONT • Portable rail lines do a better job of military supply than trucks, and with less manpower

THE VERY FIRST U.S.R.A. ENGINE • Baldwin employed extraordinary measures to complete the first “McAdoo” Mike in record time

UNCLE SAM’S DOZEN LOCOMOTIVE DESIGNS

MILITARY RAILWAY SERVICE IN ITALY • A lieutenant provides an illustrated firsthand account of Army rail operations

NARROW GAUGE ON OAHU ISLAND • Unencumbered by interchange difficulties, a 3-foot-gauge line far out in the Pacific does a rushing war business

Names and numbers

54 MINUTES AT MARION • Quick action by Erie men kept troops and their gear on the move

HERR GOEBBELS WAS WRONG • The American railroads did the impossible by successfully carrying fabulous wartime traffic

THEY WERE NOT SCRAPPED

TRACKS TO VICTORY • How the U.S. Army’s Military Railway Service helped in the defeat of Germany

BIVOUAC FOR ARMY RAILROADERS • Railway Operating Battalion men built, then trained on, Louisiana’s “Crime & Punishment”

TROOP CARS • Boxcar-inspired troop sleepers and kitchen cars were expeditious answers to the railroads’ wartime capacity crunch

WHY WE NEVER STOPPED THE RED RAIL ROADS IN KOREA • The commanding general of American forces in Korea praises the capacity, durability, and flexibility of railroads under war conditions

THE STEWART SPECIAL • Soldiers and Marines stood up in their foxholes and cheered when a train carrying desperately needed supplies for Seoul rattled down the track

RAILROADING WHERE THE COMPETITION IS A WAR • Beset by armed conflict and harsh weather for nearly three decades, South Vietnam’s rail system struggles to keep going

OIL BY RAIL IN WORLD WAR II