Berlin Duty Train - Passenger Coach

Berlin Duty Train - Passenger Coach. . , The Berlin Duty Train was operated by Transportation Corps personnel for 45 years from December 1945 until December 1990. Train made scheduled trips in and out of West Berlin through East German checkpoints, transporting thousands of American military members, dependents and others on official duty. First or Second Lieutenants usually commanded the trains and had a crew of two MPs, a conductor, a radio operator, and an interpreter. A typical passenger train pulled three sleeper coaches along with a baggage car, mail car, and caboose (guard/escort car). East German and Soviet authorities were not allowed to board any part of the train so the US commander and interpreter had to exit the train at each check point so that orders and other papers could be inspected.

This particular coach is a later model used in the 1980s. It was a sleeper coach which meant that the bench seating could be converted into beds. The trains left at night and arrived the next morning. This night travel was in both directions between West Berlin and West Germany. Cameras and alcohol were prohibited on board the train and the curtains had to be closed at all times.

This coach, as well as the guard car, were donated to the museum in 1991 by the German Government. They were transported to the Military Traffic Command at Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where they were loaded on the LSV-4 Bunker (Logistics Supply Vessel) arriving at Fort Eustis in August 1992.