Fort Eustis in Newport News, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Berlin Duty Train - Passenger Coach
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
1. Berlin Duty Train - Passenger Coach Marker
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,
this page online
Erected by US Army Transportation Museum. (Marker Number 22.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Railroads & Streetcars • War, Cold • War, World II. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1992.
Location. 37° 9.991′ N, 76° 34.481′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in Fort Eustis. It can be reached from Washington Boulevard just south of Madison Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Washington Blvd, Fort Eustis VA 23604, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula, in Hampton Roads, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. 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 the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Diesel-Electric Locomotive, MRS-1 (here, next to this marker); 40-ton Railway Flatcar (a few steps from this marker); Petroleum Railway Tank Car (a few steps from this marker); 4-wheel, 20-ton Euoropean Service Boxcar (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named 40-ton Railway Flatcar (a few steps from this marker); Wrecking Steam Locomotive Railway Crane (a few steps from this marker); Rail Operations in the Transportation Corps
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 26, 2021
2. Berlin Duty Train - Passenger Coach Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 3,839 times since then and 340 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 28, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
