In June, 1952, I arrived at Fort Eustis, VA, for my basic training. Here was a wonderful steam and diesel powered railroad, but steam was the primary power. I stayed until the end of the year when I shipped out to Korea. I returned twice for reserve training in 1956 and 1957.  I want to thank Brian Rumary, who provided additional information from England, and to Steve Holding, who also added information.

61 was built by Richmond in 1903 as Chesapeake & Ohio 476, Class G-7s. It was renumbered 983 in 1926. The army bought it and made it a target. Apparently the number was changed after each session.

100 was built in 1942 and was used to provide steam for the winches at the stevedore training site.

396 was built by Baldwin in 1917, #47032. It was later renumbered 645 and then later 2 of the Claiborne & Polk Training Ry. After WWII, it was sold to the Tremont & Gulf as 28. The T&G sold the 28 to Southern Pine Lumber Co which kept the same number. SPL donated the locomotive in 1973 and it was moved to the Texas State RR in February 1976.

520 was built by Baldwin and appears to be in France.

8341 was built by Baldwin in May 1918, #48714.  It was renumbered 6779 and became Korean National RR CS2-101 in 1946.  It was painted in the 1950s for U S Army 765 in honor of the shop battalion in Pusan.  It was given from Korea to the museum at Green Bay, WI, in 1959.

600 was built by Schenectady in December, 1908, #45772, as Ann Arbor RR 150 Class G. In 1925 it was renumbered 2170, Class I-6. It was acquired by the Army in July, 1951, and was apparently scrapped.

601 and 602 were built by Schenectady in December, 1902, #45773 and 45774, as Ann Arbor RR 151 and 152, Class G. In 1925 they were renumbered 2171 and 2172, Class I-6. They were acquired by the Army in July, 1951, and were apparently scrapped. It is highly unlikely they were ever used.

633 and 634 were narrow gauge 2-8-2s which never appeared to have been used.

2630 was built by Baldwin in August, 1943, #69858. It was renumbered 612 in 1954 and sent to the Cass Scenic RR in June, 1972.

4003 was built by Schenectady in September, 1942, #70429. It was renumbered 613 in 1954 and scrapped in 1966.

4018 was built by Schenectady in October, 1942, #70394. It was renumbered 614 in 1954.  It was planned to display it at Fort Eustis, but it is not on the list at the museum.

4021 was built by Schenectady in October, 1942, #70397. It was renumbered 615 in 1954 and the disposition is unknown.

4023 was built by Schenectady in October, 1942, #70402. It was renumbered 616 in 1954 and was sold to the Virginia Blue Ridge Ry as 9 on August 15, 1958. In 1967 it became New Hope & Ivyland 9.

4032 was built by Schenectady in November, 1942, #70414.  It was renumbered 617 in 1954.

4038 was built by Schenectady in November, 1942, #70420. It was renumbered 618 in 1954 and sold to VBR as 8 of August 15, 1958. It later became Delaware-Otsego RR 2 and later Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley 2.

4039 was built by Schenectady in November 1942, #70421.  It was sold to VBR as 5 on February 17, 1947.  It was then sold to Morris County Central 4039 in 1966.

5155 was built by Lima in 1945.  It was sold as KNR CS2-74 in 1947.

5169 was built by Lima in 1945.  It was sold as KNR CS-77 in 1947.

5172 was built by Lima in 1945.  It was sold as KNR CS2-79 in 1947.

5255 was used at Hawaii when it was still a territory.

6997 was built by Lima in February, 1942, #7878. It was renumbered 620 in 1954 and scrapped in Newport News, VA, in 1966.

Prior to WWII, the railroads were operated by the Quartermaster Corps. Also, airplanes were flown by the Army Air Corps before the Air Force was set up as a separate service. Here is 7031, which looks like a Vulcan, at work with an audience of future railfans.

The 9400s were built in 1950 in Japan for service in Korea. They were almost duplicates of the Korean National MK-1 class which dated back to the middle 1930s. The 9418 was built by Mihara and the others which I photographed were Kawasakis. Many were never used, and they were scrapped in the 1960s.

10136 was on display at Ft. Eustis when I got there in 1952, but it was gone when I got back in 1955. Ewald Rasch tells us 10136 is (was) a German class HF110C built for the military railroads (HeeresFeldbahn) with 110 hp and 3 driving axles, C being the third letter in the alphabet. They had an outside frame and thus could be used on 750 mm gauge and 600 mm gauge by changing the axles. They were used during the war in Russia. The last survivors ended their lives on the narrow gauge line on the island Ruegen in the East Sea. Luckily a few are still in use on museum railroads.

A day or two after I arrived at Ft. Eustis, we were loaded on a truck and taken out into the woods to do brush cutting. As we passed Rifle Range Junction, I saw two German locomotives and a motor train. When I got back at week end, the streamlined 4-8-4 was scrapped, but the L52-KON Kreigsloco and the motor train were still there. They were gone shortly afterwards. Look at that huge condensing tender. The L52-kon was a simplified variant derived from the standard freight type class 50 according to Ewald.

There was a model Korean Class PC-1 built by apprentices at the Yongdong Po shop of Chosen Rys. That was the name while the system was under Japanese control. The 712^th Bn, Ry Opn, found it and had the concrete stand built for it in front of the Battalion Headquarters. I wonder where it is now.