I live in Hopkinsville, KY, which is about 23 miles north of Ft. Campbell, KY, home of the 101st Airborne Division. You may know them as the Screaming Eagles. Anyway, they have a railroad that runs through here to connect with the CSX. They use it for vehicle transport and other things. They have their own locos in their red, black and gold “US Military” paint scheme. Has anyone else seen these locos? Just thought it would be a break from the usual UP and CSX topics.
-Brandon
Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base has a Red loco that you can see off of Interstate 5. It looks like it’s an old GP20.
I think Aberdeen Proving Grounds had one or two. I was a child then and dont remember. But most certainly there are rail in most bases.
Alas they took up some rail at the NLRAFB in Arkandas and made parts of it unuseable. I hope that the military recognizes the value of small rail at the base again some day we might actually need it.
I’ve seen the rolling stock at Fort Campbell. In addition to the locos they have a fleet of flat cars fitted with tiedowns spaced for standard military trucks.
25 years ago, Davis-Monthan AFB (Tucson, AZ) worked their on-base trackage with a GE 44-ton center cab diesel. It was painted the same Strato Blue that was standard for all Air Force vehicles at the time, with U. S. Air Force lettered in yellow (about 4" high) above the number on the side of the cab. I have no idea if the tracks are still there.
Unfortunately, my friendly neighborhood Air Force Base (Nellis) doesn’t have rail seervice.
Chuck.
I’ve even seen U.S. Army locomotives running as part of a Union Pacific consist out west. The military evidentally had a surplus of motive power and has leased it to other lines instead of just letting it sit idle.
Back in the early part of the 1970’s there were still military trains with military crews operating here at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. All of the tracks are now gone and the Army has to drive its equipment to Tucson for rail loading or fly it out on a C5A Galaxy.
One of the Railroad Museums near me has I think TWO different locos that were originally Army Rail Locos.
http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/railroad/usa1843/index.htm
This Museum is very much into restoration and running these fine units. I have also seem a few USAF Engines in my time too. They can make for some interesting prototypes!
Chris
i have seen both US Army and USAF locs, along with flat cars in OD green lettered for DODX.
tom
Both at Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania, and McGuire AFB in New Jersey. They appeared to be GE 80 ton units. The Army ones were, of course, OD, and the Air Force were, of all things, Air Force Blue.
Walthers makes their GP9M in the red Army scheme:
The railroad museum in Galveston has an old GE 44 tonner waiting to be restored. Offutt AFB where I was stationed in the '60s had tracks leading to the base but had not been used for some time. Martin built bombers there during WWII. I.m guessing after production ws stopped, rail service was stopped.
Tom
Somewhere I saw a photo of a loco painted in desert camoflage. I think it was a UP. I think it was a prototype but maybe it was a model I’m thinking of. Your memory is the second thing to go and I can’t remember what the first is.
If my memory hasn’t failed me, when I was attending the US Army Transportation School at Ft. Eustis, VA in 1966 for an aviation MOS, I remember seeing and meeting GI’s who were receiving training in railroad operations. The engines were black if I recall correctly. Maybe the red scheme was a later adaption. Boy, I wish I had taken some pictures back then.
Tom
There are a few images of the USAF SAC rolling stock related to Missile Command cars. I have to go over my computer and see if I can find and post them.
Thanks for all the replies. I think the locos at Ft. Campbell are old GP-20s. They look just like the Walthers GP-20 and caboose (click the link on bwilcox’s reply to see it). There could be an old GP-38 in Ft. Campbell’s collection of motive power, also. It’s been a while since I’ve seen any Army locos on my local line.
-Brandon
at a local train meuseum(with an operating steam engine- got a cab tour once-very cool!) in essex CT, there is an older siding a ways down the line with some abandoned equipment. among the stuff was an old, rusted out, somewhat “crusty” lookng 44 ton. it was blackish green, with “us army” on the hoods. the first time i saw it, the sun was behind it, so it looked kind of creepy and evil. it was the perfect stephen king book cover.
GEARHEAD426
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Take a look at http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://64.246.11.82/images/u/US_Army_GP10_4644_with_GP40-2_4653,_Fort_Carson,_CO,_5-6-2004_3-in.jpg.18052.thumb&imgrefurl=http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php%3Frailroad%3DUnited%2520States%2520Army&h=128&w=200&sz=24&tbnid=9LFGV4pNM0MI6M:&tbnh=63&tbnw=99&hl=en&start=29&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dus%2Barmy%2Blocomotive%26start%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN. It has pictures of modern era and current Army locomotives - some at some of the places mentioned in previous posts. Another interesting Army locomotive research project is at http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fuelcellpropulsion.org/images/ArmyLoco-11May2003.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.fuelcellpropulsion.org/army_locomotive.htm&h=352&w=517&sz=57&tbnid=zaUd9UIwR7HW0M:&tbnh=87&tbnw=128&hl=en&start=8&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dus%2Barmy%2Blocomotive%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN.
Yep!!!Hill Air Force Patch, Utah, 1975. I was on the freeway and moving pretty fast and watching a Utah State Cop in my rearview mirror (55MPH - those were the good old days) but it looked like an RS1 or RSD1, Olive Drab, UNITED STATES ARMY. Hundreds of dollars worth of cameras all sitting at home on the kitchen table in Phoenix. When I went back through 13 months later (this time with my cameras) - nothing but Air Force units sitting there right next to the freeway.
Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum in (where else?) Hagerstown Md. has two ex-Army Alco MRS-1s
Dark Olive Green with white lettering.
I rode one of 'em out in the Ammo area of Letterkenny Army Depot when I worked there.
I live fairly close to the Hill Airforce base and you can always see the Red Army locomotives. Mostly GP7/9 rebuilds. They service all the armed forces locomotives at Hill. They had a new GG series locomotive from Railpower and I forgot my camera.
But check out this link. for pictures
I took a picture of this U.S Army 44 ton locomotive at the Conneticut trolley Museum.
