DODX Locomotive Carrying Flatcars 40006-40008

I am looking for photos showing the ramps on these cars. I'm considering building a set of ramps to load an 80 tonner onto a flatcar for transport, and since the military has already done it my best bet is to just copy their design.

Are these three cars still on the DODX roster and in use?

Thanks

Rick, Here's a link to a photo I took in White Plains, MD at the interchange of the then Conrail and US Navy Railroads. The US Navy Railroad that ran to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head, MD has since been abandoned and turned into one of those nefarious "hiker/biker" trails.

http://www.traingod.railfan.net/AA/usnavyswitcher.jpg

Thanks. I saw that photo in another post and that is what prompted this thread. I've been searching online for the past hour hoping that someone would have a closeup of either the ramps loaded on the car or of the ramp assembled. No luck yet.

Sir,

You might want to call the curators at the military museum located aboard Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. They have some rail equipment displayed and might know something about the ramps or have archived pictures that they might share.

Also, you might want to contact the United States Army's transportation training unit situated aboard Fort Eustis, VA. If anyone would know about how to load a locomotive onto a flatcar, it would be the enlisted soldiers assigned to what few railroading MOS positions there still remain. Also, Fort Eustis maintains a rather large collection of military vehicles of all types at the Transportation Museum located aboard base.

As with any dealing with the United States Military, best results are normally assured by travelling up the chain of command without skipping any links. Unless otherwise directed by the person on the other end of the telephone, it is best to speak with the lowest ranking person available first and then continue upwards through the chain if an answer of a satisfactory nature is not available. 9 times out of 10, it's going to be someone in the NCO ranks who have the best information anyway.

Best of luck with the move. If you need any additional help I can reach out to Camp Lejeune to see if the Marines have ever had to perform such a task in recent memory. At some time in the last decade a few center cab switchers were taken off base so there is a chance someone might remember.

It's unlikely anyone at APG's museum would be able to provide information about loading locomotives onto rail cars. Most likely they would refer you to someone at Fort Eustis.

Also, there is no US Army (rail) transportation training unit at Fort Eustis. The Army deleted rail MOSs from its active force in May 1976, and those holding rail MOSs were reclassified into other MOSs. Those in the little 1st Railway Detachment at Fort Eustis, the last active duty rail unit, remained in their positions until the unit's inactivation at the end of September 1978. Since then all Army rail military personnel have been in the Army Reserve, and there are fewer and fewer of them left.

As a former member of an Army Reserve rail unit, I can safely say such units don't get involved in loading locomotives. It's just not what they do in the limited amount of training time available to them.

Rail instruction at Fort Eustis has been conducted for many years by a couple of civilian employees, augmented on occasion by reservists. I'll see if I can find a good contact for you who can provide guidance on loading locomotives.

Derp...nope...the best results are achieved by calling the correct person the first time. At least that's been my experience...

SemperFidelis wrote: As with any dealing with the United States Military, best results are normally assured by travelling up the chain of command without skipping any links. Unless otherwise directed by the person on the other end of the telephone, it is best to speak with the lowest ranking person available first and then continue upwards through the chain if an answer of a satisfactory nature is not available. 9 times out of 10, it's going to be someone in the NCO ranks who have the best information anyway.

At any rate, I got to climb on one of these cars at Tooele Army Depot Back in 1999 and took a lot of photos of it, and I also have a few photos of it in use loading and unloading engines. I can scan the slides and send them your way if you still need them.

Yes yes!! I certainly can still use them! Your offer to scan and post the slides is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Try George Gounley at HQ SDDC. You'll find his contact information here:

http://www.sddc.army.mil/Public/Global% ... lat%20Cars

I concur with Deval's comment about contacting the right person first, rather than going through the entire food chain. The latter only gives you more opportunities to encounter someone who will tell you no or not bother to respond, and if he or she isn't required to provide an answer, this is what you'll often encounter. It's easier to just say "no" and blow off inquiries if there's no requirement to cooperate.

During my breif time in the United States Army (before I came to my senses, according to my family), I knew and trained with a young female private who was headed for Fort Eustis to be trained as an 88-U, which was a railway operator. She was a reservist, so perhaps therein lies the misunderstanding. Until very recently, the Army Reserve had one or two units of railroaders.

I recall her story precisely because she was young, blonde, beautiful, a soldier...and she loved trains. Everything any of us could want in a woman.

A couple of years ago, the remaining USAR rail units were consolidated under the 757th Transportation Battalion (Rwy), which has its headquarters in Milwaukee, WI, and subordinate companies in various distant locations. At present the 757th is scheduled to be inactivated in 2015. Before then, look for the subordinate units to be lopped off until only the HQ is left to turn out the lights and go home. There is talk of forming a small follow-on unit of very experienced railroaders to be used to get rail service going again in countries the US has invaded and occupied. IMHO the Reserve will not be able to stand up this sort of unit because there are very few professional railroaders in USAR now, possessing the extraordinary training and experience, who help could restore rail service in a shattered land. The Army is also unlikely to find such people who are available to leave their civilian jobs for very extended periods. Civilian railroad companies aren't overly manned and wouldn't be thrilled to lose some of their most talented and critical employees at the drop of a hat.

I don't recall when I took these photos (Sometime in the late 1980's/early 1990's) when the GE loco was delivered to the US Navy Railroad mentioned in my previous post. The only notes I have are on the loco: GE builder's number 30990, 470 HP, built in July 1951.

Thanks for the pictures.

A six axle flatcar just became available at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds on the Federal surplus property donation list. Might be similar to this car. It has D-22-P passenger car brakes though, which is rather odd.

Due to the aforementioned reasons, restoration of rail service in whatever country we decide to invade next will most likely be another gold-plated job for yet another civilian contractor.

Ain't nothin' gold plated about civilian contractor jobs. The blood inside contractors is just as red as yours and mine, and they die just the same. Except nobody prays for them when they work along side with and support our soldiers. They're vital to the success of the military and somehow forgotten just the same.

SemperFidelis wrote:Due to the aforementioned reasons, restoration of rail service in whatever country we decide to invade next will most likely be another gold-plated job for yet another civilian contractor.

I don't want to get into a pseudo-political argument about the dangers and advantages of private defense contracting, or about how "vital" they are to our operations, so I will simply agree that the contractors do bleed the same color.