Pigtown in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Pullman Troop Sleeper No. 7437
During World War II, railroads quickly experienced a shortage of available coaches and sleeping cars as they moved an average of one million military personnel per month. In order to accommodate traffic, the federal government ordered durable troop sleepers from the Pullman Manufacturing Company. After the war, troop sleepers were sold to railroads and converted into such things as baggage cars, cabooses, and refrigerator cars. The No. 7437 was abandoned in New York until the Western Maryland Railway purchased it in 1947 for maintenance of way service. It eventually operated as part of the Chessie System and retired in 1988.
[Captions:]
Made from a standard design, the functional sleepers were essentially boxcars with windows and bunks.
An Association of American Railroads advertisement from March 1943 encouraged civilian support during the war.
Each car accommodated 29 men and one Pullman Porter.
[Aside:]
A standard sleeper car ordered by the United States government during World War II
Built by the Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Company, 1944
War Assets Administration Troop Sleeper
Erected by The
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, World II. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1943.
Location. 39° 17.105′ N, 76° 37.945′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Pigtown. It can be reached from West Pratt Street east of South Schroeder Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 901 West Pratt Street, Baltimore MD 21223, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Luther G. Smith (within shouting distance of this marker); The National Road (within shouting distance of this marker);
Other markers no longer nearby. Working for the Railroad: African Americans (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); First Commercial Railroad Right-of-Way in America (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named The National Road (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); B&O No. 908 (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Railroads Eclipse a National Road (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Working for the Railroad: Women (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Camp Carroll (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Chessie's Famous "Big Mike" (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on April 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 524 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 29, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
