Southern Museum of Civil War

and
Locomotive History Archives & Library

Southern Railway Historical Association Collection:

727th Railway Operating Battalion
P2003.009 & LMS2003.009

Provenance: The Southern Railway Historical Association loaned these records in

2003.

Single photocopies are available for research purposes only for a nominal fee. A list of
applicable fees can be found on our website www.southernmuseum.org, and then click
on Duplication Services Fee Schedule.

C. Pat Cates, Dick Hillman, Daniel Pete, and Heather Hale processed these papers in
2005-2010.

Description: This series consists of a book, booklets, correspondence, and

photographs relating to the 727th Railway Operating Battalion and the role the Southern
Railway played in its creation and training.

Descriptions are representative samples in the collection and not detailed entirely as to
their contents. Note that not every year in this range is present.

Box Folder Contents: 727th Railroad Operating Battalion

1 1 Book:
The 727th Railway Operating Battalion in World War II (New
York: Simons-Boardman, 1948)
1 2 Booklets:
Rail Transport and the Winning of Wars by General James
A. Van Fleet (Washington D.C.: Association of American
Railroads, 1956)

Railroads and the Defense of the Nation (Washington, D.C.:

Association of American Railroads, c. early 1950s)

Railroads in Two Wars (Washington, D.C, American

Association of American Railroads, c. 1940‟s)

Well Done! (Washington, D.C.: Southern Railway System,

1945)
1 3 Correspondence:
Financial records, letters, and memos regarding the
Southern Railway‟s involvement with the 727th R.O.B. All
items stamped “Reference File”.

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 P2003.009 & LMS2003.009: 727th Railway Operating Battalion

1 4 Documents:
Secondary references to 727th including TIES articles. All
items stamped “Reference File”.
1 5 Magazines:
TIES magazine (October 1947)

TIES magazine (December 1950)

TIES magazine (January 1956)

Southern Rails (Southern Railway Historical Society) Spring

1988 Issue 20.

Focus (Norfolk Southern) Spring 1988 No. 2

1 6 Photographs: Pre-training meetings
a. Officers aboard private office car at Hattiesburg, MS

b. Meeting held in Meridian, MS to discuss training for

members of the Military Railway Service; includes negatives

c. Auditorium at Hattiesburg, MS; three negatives

1 7 Photographs: Military Training
a. Latrine; negative only

b. Soldiers getting physical and inoculations at Camp Shelby,

MS; includes negatives

c. Preparing food during training at Camp Shelby, MS; includes

negatives

d. Running the obstacle course; includes negatives

1 8 Photographs: Camp Shelby
a. Bulletin Board at Camp Shelby

b. Unidentified soldiers in front of 727th barracks; negatives

only

c. Interior View—Battalion Headquarters; negative only

d. Group of soldiers in front of barracks with duffle bags;

negative only

e. Soldiers of Company A in front of barracks in May 1942;

includes negatives
1 9 Photographs: Fort Northeastern

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 P2003.009 & LMS2003.009: 727th Railway Operating Battalion

a. 727th ROB Street Co. “B” Key Field; two negatives only

b. “Fort Northeastern” entrance sign at Hattiesburg, MS;

includes negatives

c. Mr. Hungerford and a group of officers at Hattiesburg

Station; negatives only

d. Soldiers leaving bunk car; negatives only

1 10 Photographs: Training (1 of 2)
a. Military parade of the 727th; includes negatives

b. Officers of the 727th at Camp Shelby in 1942

c. Soldiers learning track maintenance skills; includes

negatives

d. Soldier in cab of steam locomotive; two negatives only

e. Soldiers of the 727th with caboose; includes negatives

f. Soldiers rebuilding box car; includes negative

g. Soldier packing bearing; includes negatives

h. Group of soldiers in front of diesel switcher U.S. Army No.

7498; negative only

i. Mr. Dunbar—Rules Class; negative only

j. Colonel Gray addressing Rules Class; negatives only

k. Locomotive No. 6891; negative only

l. Freight train—three soldiers on caboose; negative only

m. Southpoint Bridge Group posing along tracks; negative only

n. Soldiers taking water and oiling locomotive; negative only

1 11 Photographs: Training (2 of 2)
a. Soldier lubricating steam engine; includes negatives

b. Soldiers with locomotive No. 727 (two views); includes

negatives

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 P2003.009 & LMS2003.009: 727th Railway Operating Battalion

c. Lt. Colonel Okie bidding farewell to E.M. Tolleson prior to

departure; includes negatives

d. Soldiers working on a steam locomotive; includes negatives

e. Members of the 727th at the Hattiesburg, MS depot; includes

negative

f. Locomotive No. 727 with troop train; includes negatives

g. Tour inspection at 727th training with Gray and Okie

h. Clark Hungerford shares a laugh with an officer and civilian

on the private office car

i. Company A in front of barracks, Camp Shelby; includes

negatives

j. Company A barracks

k. Lt. Colonel Fred W. Okie at desk; includes negative

l. Company C barracks exterior view; includes negatives

m. Soldier practicing telegraph skills—Camp Shelby, MS;

includes negatives

n. Unknown officer in front of Battalion headquarters; includes

negative

o. Shop training; negative only

p. Group of soldiers exercising at Hattiesburg depot; negative

only; negative only

q. Soldiers practicing bridge repairs—Hattiesburg, MS;

includes negatives

r. Re-railing car—Southern 157590; negatives only

s. Unidentified soldier shoveling coal; negative only

2 12 Photographs: Departing  NJ
a. Loading troops on train; negatives only

b. Locomotive No. 6898 and troop train; includes negative

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 P2003.009 & LMS2003.009: 727th Railway Operating Battalion

c. Men of the 727th head for Fort Dix, NJ on November 20,

1942; includes negatives
2 13 Photographs: Military 1930-1945
a. Loading equipment on flat car; negative only

b. Five unidentified officers in front of “Railway School”;

negative only

c. Unloading new command cars at Fort Benning, GA, 3rd

Army maneuvers, April 1940; credit: U.S. Army Signal Corps

d. Interior photograph of troop train passing through Atlanta,

GA; Atlanta Journal photograph—cannot be reproduced

e. Trainload of equipment leaving Fort Knox, KY on September

4, 1941

f. Unloading rail cars at Cherbourg, France

g. Group of soldiers in front of train

h. Freight train carrying tanks to Fort Knox, KY taken west of

Paducah, KY, no date; credit: Illinois Central System

i. Loading tanks at Wiggins, MS after war Games in De Soto

National Forest, 1938; credit: U.S. Army Signal Corps;
includes negatives

j. Tanks and men of the 1st Armored Division en route to Rock

Hill, SC for maneuvers, October 31, 1941

k. Tanks on Southern Railway flat cars

2 14 Photographs: 707th R.G.D.
a. Troops of the 707th Railway Grand Division on a night march
in England; TIES (January 1956)

b. Group photograph of officers of 707th Railway Grand

Division at New Orleans, 1943

c. Headquarters of 707th Railway Grand Division at Wesel,

Germany; TIES (January 1956)
2 15 Photographs: Overseas Photos
a. Tank men of the U.S. Fifth Army riding on African train;
photograph by Sgt. Joseph Hanson, Army Signal Corps

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 P2003.009 & LMS2003.009: 727th Railway Operating Battalion

b. Supply train in North Africa; photograph by Sgt. Joseph

Hanson, Army Signal Corps

c. Damage to roundhouse at Naples, Italy

d. Railway passenger terminal at Rome, Italy

e. Rail yard at Cherbourg, France; TIES (January 1956)

f. North African Limitied carrying troops and supplies for the

U.S. Fifth Army; photograph by Sgt. Joseph Hanson, Army
Signal Corps

g. Tank men giving chocolate ration to children in North Africa;

photograph by Sgt. Joseph Hanson, Army Signal Corps

h. Four tank men from the Fifth Army on a train in North Africa;
photograph by Sgt. Joseph Hanson, Army Signal Corps

i. North African Limited, Fifth U.S. Army; photograph by Sgt.

Joseph Hanson, Army Signal Corps
2 16 Photographs: 727th R.O.B. Officers
a. Three officers and two civilians in front of “Keep „em rolling”
sign; negative only

b. Hungerford and unidentified group of officers boarding and

on a train; negatives only

c. Officers of the 715th Railway Operating Battalion outside

Battalion headquarters

d. Captain C.C. Mullen; negative only

e. Colonel Clutz and Captain Baylon; negative only

f. Lt. Colonel Ayers; negatives only

g. Vic Williams and unidentified officer; negative only

h. Unidentified Sergeant Major in barracks office

i. Unidentified group of five officers; includes negative

2 17 Photographs: Lt. Colonel Okie
a. Various Photographs of Colonel Okie; negatives only

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 P2003.009 & LMS2003.009: 727th Railway Operating Battalion

b. Lt. Colonel Okie and Hungerford on rail car; includes

negatives

c. Lt. Colonel Okie and unidentified civilian; negatives only

2 18 Unidentified
a. Classroom setting: 1 individual in uniform, others in civilian
clothing; negatives only

b. Soldiers standing on rear of passenger car; negative only

c. Group of four officers in office; negative only

d. Group of 8 soldiers by caboose; negatives only

e. Group of six soldiers in office; negative only

f. Men in kitchen setting; negatives only

2 19 Photographs: Miscellaneous, Post War
a. Frank Steele and Car #2; negatives only

b. Parker and CNO&TP Car #10; negatives only

c. Coupling up CNO&TP Car #10; negatives only

d. Cook and Steward Car #2; negative only

The following items are secondary research materials associated with the 727th R.O.B.

Box Folder Contents: 727th Railroad Operating Battalion

2 20 Copied Photographs:
CDs containing images used for Heimburger House
Publishing Company

Copies from a draft copy of The Southern Railway: Further

Recollections by Cates, Hillman and Loy (Charleston:
Arcadia, 2005)

CD containing the symbol of the 727th

2 printed images of 727th seal

Cropped photograph of Col. Okie from National Archives.

Includes order form and information regarding photograph of

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 P2003.009 & LMS2003.009: 727th Railway Operating Battalion

Col. Okie at National Archives and Records Administration

Photograph attached to foam board

2 21 Correspondence:
Hungerford Letters (copies)
2 22 Research Notes:
Printed internet copy of the obituary for Walter O. Buchholz
of the 727th R.O.B.

E-mail regarding 727th R.O.B. induction into the

Transportation Corps Hall of Fame
2 23 Research Notes:
Handwritten notes and email correspondence regarding the
727th.
2 24 Research Notes:
Notes regarding Camp Shelby with supporting 727th
information
2 25 Travel brochures and map of Tunisia
2 26 Norfolk and Western Magazine (August 1956)—note on folder says
“found with 727th files, but no 727th info contained”
2 27 Background material on Lt. Col Okie consisting of letters,
newspaper clippings and paper copies of photographs