US Army Transportation Corps Locomotives, WW II

[NW Mailing List]

Further to recent posts re US Army Transportation Corps (USATC) WW II 
steamers, to my knowledge there were five major classes. Produced in 
greatest numbers (some 2,100) was the class S160 (2-8-0, 
ALCO-Baldwin-Lima) deployed to Military Railway Service (MRS) units in 
the European theater in the main, and the steamer most serviced by N&W's 
755th Railway Shop Battalion.

MRS units in overseas theaters received some 4,000 - 5,600 (figures 
clearly not uniform) US-built locomotives during the course of the war.  
A few locomotives were returned to the US at war's end to join the small 
number of locos that never left the US, and instead were assigned to 
military installations and MRS training centers.  Almost all shipped 
abroad were absorbed into overseas railways to assist in post-war 
reconstruction.

Beyond the S160, the other major WW II classes:

S100, 0-6-0T, Davenport-Porter-Vulcan, deployed in N. Africa, Europe, 
approx 600 built
S118, 2-8-2 "MacArthur", ALCO-Baldwin in the main, multi-gauge deployed 
mostly in Middle East, S/SE Asia, Pacific, over 600 built
S155, 0-6-0, ALCO-Lima, assigned switching duties at military bases in 
the US, some 150 built during WW II from an earlier USRA design
S200, 2-8-2, Lima-Baldwin-ALCO, multi-gauge deployed in Middle East in 
the main, some to British rail units, approx 200 built

All except the 2-8-2s were standard gauge.

(In addition, many of approx 1500 ALCO-Baldwin WW I 2-8-0 "Pershing" 
steamers sent to Europe [nearly 400 to Italy, for example] were again 
pressed into war service in the '40s [notably France, Italy], although 
they were retained within European classes and not deployed to MRS ROBs 
[Railway Operating Battalions]).

Authorities differ on details, particularly regarding the 2-8-2s.  I 
rely upon Tourret, R., /Allied/ /Military Locomotives of the Second 
World War, /1995.

Frank Gibson
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