The United States Army’s

Railway Operations In
World War II

The Soldier-Railroaders of
The Greatest Generation
 BACKGROUND
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
BACKGROUND
• US Civil War: US Military Railroad (USMRR). January 1862 – Late 1865.
• World War I: Establishment of Engineer Railway Regiments
• 1920 National Defense Act:
§ All Class I Railroads Agreed to Provide Trained Personnel Through
US Army Reserves.
§ Experienced Senior Railroad Advisors Recommended Changes to
Force Structure.
§ Established US Army Organizations That Mirrored US Civilian
Railroads. Tested During Louisiana and North Carolina Maneuvers
1941.
• Organizations as of December 1941:
§ Railway Grand Divisions
§ Railway Operating Battalions
§ Railway Shop Battalions
 MRS Organization in WW II
War COE/COT
Department

1st MRS 2nd MRS 3rd MRS

N. Africa, Sicily UK, France, Middle East
Italy, S. France, Benelux, Germany (Persia/Iran)
Germany
RGD
Railway Grand Division
250-450 Miles of Rail

ROB RSB
Railway Shop Battalion
(1 per RGD)
Railway Operating Battalion
150-250 Miles of Rail
MRS UNITS IN WWII
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
TYPES OF MRS UNITS IN WWII

• Military Railway Service Headquarters (3) – Theater Specific, 2+ RGDs

per, BG CO
• Railway Grand Division (11) – 2 to 6 ROBs, 1 RSB & 1 Base Depot Co,
COL CO
• Railway Operating Battalion (38) – 4 or 5 Companies and/or Augmentees
• Railway Shop Battalions (12) – 4 Companies and/or Augmentees
• Hospital Train Maintenance Platoons – As Needed
• Track Maintenance Platoons – As Needed
• Railway Operating Company – As Needed
• Railway Workshop (Mobile) – As Needed
• Station Agent Detachments – As Needed
 RAILWAY GRAND
DIVISIONS AND SPONSORS
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
LIST OF RAILWAY GRAND DIVISIONS AND THEIR SPONSORS
(11)

Unit Sponsor Date of Activation

701st New York Central RR 01/11/1943
702nd Union Pacific RR 10/15/1942
703rd Atlantic Coast Line RR 08/01/1943
704th Great Northern Rwy 11/30/1942
705th Southern Pacific Lines 05/19/1943
706th Pennsylvania RR 08/06/1943
707th Southern Railway 06/10/1943
708th Baltimore & Ohio RR 04/06/1943
709th Association of American RRs 03/15/1944
710th ATSF Rwy 12/14/1943
774th None (Organized in Italy) 1944
 RAILWAY OPERATING
BATTALION ORGANIZATION
AND SPONSORS
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
 LIST OF RAILWAY OPERATING BATTALIONS AND THEIR
SPONSORS
(47)

Unit Sponsor Date of Activation

711th None (Training Battalion) 05/01/1941
712th Reading RR 10/25/1942
713th ATSF Rwy 04/15/1942
714th Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis 10/31/1942
& Omaha Rwy
715th Illinois Central RR 10/31/1942
716th Southern Pacific Lines 12/21/1943
717th Pennsylvania RR 12/01/1943
718th Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago 12/14/1943
& St. Louis Rwy
719th Texas and New Orleans RR 09/01/1943
 LIST OF RAILWAY OPERATING BATTALIONS AND THEIR SPONSORS
(CONT’D)

Unit Sponsor Date of Activation

720th Chicago & North Western Rwy 08/26/1943
721st New York Central RR 04/14/1943
722nd Seaboard Air Line RR 12/14/1943
723rd Union Pacific RR 12/28/1943
724th Pennsylvania RR 12/28/1943
725th Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific RR 02/17/1943
726th Wabash RR 06/26/1943
727th Southern Rwy 03/15/1942
728th Louisville & Nashville RR 01/11/1943
729th New York, New Haven & Hartford RR 01/11/1943
 LIST OF RAILWAY OPERATING BATTALIONS AND THEIR SPONSORS
(CONT’D)

Unit Sponsor Date of Activation

730th Pennsylvania RR 05/15/1942
731st Union Pacific RR Did not Activate
732nd Great Northern Rwy 01/12/1944
733rd Central of Georgia Rwy 11/23/1943
734th Texas & New Orleans RR 02/23/1944
735th American Association of RRs/ 02/10/1944
Erie RR
736th New York Central Did not Activate
737th New York Central 09/30/1944
738th Chicago Great Western Rwy Did not Activate
739th Lehigh Valley Railroad Did not Activate
 LIST OF RAILWAY OPERATING BATTALIONS AND THEIR SPONSORS
(CONT’D)
Unit Sponsor Date of Activation
740th Chesapeake & Ohio Rwy 12/14/1943
741st Gulf, Mobile & Ohio RR 01/12/1944
742nd Pennsylvania RR Did not Activate
743rd Illinois Central RR 01/12/1944
744th Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & 12/21/1943
Pacific Railroad
745th Chicago, Burlington & Quincy RR 05/19/1943
746th Missouri – Kansas - Texas RR 05/04/1944
747th ATSF Rwy Did not Activate
748th Texas & Pacific Rwy 05/12/1943
749th New York, New Haven & 02/23/1943
Hartford RR
RAILWAY OPERATING BATTALION ORGANIZATION
Headquarters & Service
Company:
A Company (MOW):
B Company (MOE):
C Company (Operating):
D Company (Diesel/Electric):
Dispatching, Signals,
Comms, Admin, C2
Track Maint Plt, Bridge
Maint Plt, Signals Maint,
Drafting & Blueprints
Locomotive Plt, Car Plt
(Roundhouse)
2 Plts of 25 Operating Crews.
Crew (5): 1x Conductor,
1x Engineer, 1x Fireman,
1x Brakeman & 1x Flagman
Only as Needed.
 RAILWAY SHOP BATTALION
ORGANIZATION AND SPONSORS
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
LIST OF RAILWAY SHOP BATTALIONS AND THEIR SPONSORS
(16)
Unit Sponsor Date of Activation
753rd 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
762nd No sponsorship 10/15/1942
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad;
763rd 07/27/1943
Lehigh Valley Railroad
764th Boston & Maine Railroad 10/25/1943
765th Erie Railroad 05/01/1944
766th Association of American Railroads 07/17/1944
LIST OF RAILWAY SHOP BATTALIONS AND THEIR SPONSORS
(CONT’D)

Unit Sponsor Date of Activation

764th Boston & Maine RR 10/25/1943
765th Erie RR 05/01/1944
766th Association of American RRs 07/17/1944
Note: The 760th and 762d were RSB (Diesel); all others were RSB (Steam).
 RAILWAY OPERATING BATTALION ORGANIZATION

Headquarters & Service Company: Dispatching, Signals, Comms, Admin, C2

A Company (MOW):
B Company (MOE):
C Company (Operating):
D Company (Diesel/Electric):
Track Maint Plt, Bridge Maint Plt, Signals
Maint, Drafting & Blueprints
Locomotive Plt, Car Plt (Roundhouse)
2 Plts of 25 Operating Crews.
Crew (5): 1x Conductor, 1x Engineer,
1x Fireman, 1x Brakeman & 1x Flagman
Only as Needed.
 RAILWAY SHOP BATTALION ORGANIZATION

Headquarters & Service Company: Plant Maint Sec, Electrical Section, Service Plt,
Railway Workshop (Mobile), Admin, C2
A Company (Erecting & Machine Shop): Erecting Shop Plt, Diesel Shop Plt,
Machine Shop Plt
B Company (Boiler & Smith Shop): Boiler Shop Plt, Smith Shop Plt, Pipe &
Tin Shop Plt
C Company (Car Repair): Freight Car Plt & Passenger Car Plt
OPERATIONAL PHASES
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
3 PHASES OF OPERATIONS

I. Operation Exclusively by MRS Personnel

II. Civilian RR Operation With MRS Augmentation

and / or Direct MRS Supervision

III. Civilian Operation Under General MRS

Supervision
JOB EQUIVALENTS
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
MRS AND US RAILROAD JOB EQUIVALENTS

MRS Organization Operating Railroad Organization

MRS Headquarters Operating Vice Presidents Office

Railway Grand Division General Superintendents Office
Railway Operating Battalion Division Superintendents Office
Railway Shop Battalion Joint Locomotive & Car Shop
MRS DEPLOYMENTS
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
 MRS DEPLOYMENTS (1942 – 1945)

• Alaska 1942 - 44
• North Africa (MTO) 1942/43 - 45 713th ROB (ATSF)
• Sicily (MTO) 1943 - 45
• Italy (MTO) 1943 – 46 713th ROB (ATSF)
• Iran (Persian Gulf Command) 1943 – 45 705th RGD (SP),
754th RSB (SP)
• China, Burma, India (CBI) 1943 – 45 758th RSB (ATSF)
• UK, France, Benelux, Germany (ETO) 1944 – 46 710th RGD (ATSF),
713th ROB (ATSF), 716th ROB (SP)

• Philippines (SWP) 1944 – 45

 CONCLUSIONS
The Soldier-Railroaders of The Greatest Generation
 CONCLUSIONS

• Total Number of MRS Personnel 42,500

- KIA >100
- WIA 310
• Total Mileage (Operated & Maintained – All Theaters) 22,000
• Tonnage Moved (ETO Only) +18.5 M
• US Locomotives (90% Fully Assembled) 2,000+
• Freight Cars (Most ‘Knocked Down’) 51,000+
• Allied Locomotives & Cars (Lend Lease) 3,800/33,000 Locomotives
/ Cars
• Less Than 50% Had RR Experience (Average of 3.06 Years)
• Units, Once in Combat Were Decentralized
 SOURCES

• “Railroading in Eighteen Countries: The Story of American Railroad Men Serving in the
Military Railway Service”. Charles R. Gray, Jr., Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1955.
• “U.S. Army in World War II – The Technical Services, The Transportation Corps:
Overseas Operations”. Joseph Bykofsky and Harold Larson, Office of the Chief of Military
History, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., 1957.
• “United States Military Railway Service: America’s Soldier-Railroaders in WWII”. Don
DeNeri and Bob Hall, The Boston Mills Press, 1992.
• “Trains to Victory: America’s Railroads in World War II”. Donald J. Heimbrger and John
Kelly, Heimburger House Publishing Company, 2009.
• “Railroaders in Olive Drab: The Military Railway Service in WWII”. LTC Clayton R.
Newell, USA – Ret, On Point: The Journal of Army History, Fall 2013.
 SOURCES

• “716 Railway Operating Battalion: The Soldier-Railroaders Story of the 716th Railway
Operating Battalion”. Nutter, O’Connor, Graham, Davis, Unger, Romano, Fuller and
O’Neill, Belsen – Druck, Stuttgart, Germany, 1946.
• “Millionaire Battalion”. Time Magazine, January 22, 1945.
• "U.S. Army Railway Units of the Past: Army, Railway Operating Battalion, Railway Shop
Battalion, Transportation Group (Railway), Transportation Battalion (Railway Operating),
Transportation Military Railway Service and More".
https://militaryrailwayservice.blogspot.com/
 ACRONYMS
• Admin – Administration
• ATSF – Atcheson Topeka &
Santa Fe
• BG – Brigadier General (One
Star)
• C2 – Command & Control
• CBI – China Burma India
Theater of Operations
• CO – Commanding Officer
• COE – Corps of Engineers or
Chief of Engineers
• COL – Colonel
• Comms - Communications
• COT – Chief of Transportation
• ETO – European Theater of • RR – Railroad
Operations
• RSB – Railway Shop Battalion
• KIA – Killed in Action
• Rwy – Railway
• Maint – Maintenance
• Sec – Section
• MOE – Maintenance of
Equipment • US – United States
• MOW – Maintenance of Way • USMRR – United States Military
Railway
• MRS – Military Railway Service
• WIA – Wounded in Action
• MTO – Mediterranean Theater
of Operations
• Plt – Platoon
• RGD – Railway Grand Division
• ROB – Railway Operating
Battalion