Chapter 3
PROCEDURES FOR TRAIN OPERATION
3.1. GENERAL
When it has been determined that the transportation railway
service will operate trains in support of military activities in a
theater, many things must happen and any officer involved in the
planning must know how to make them happen efficiently and in proper
order.
If you were involved with the rail transport effort, you
would need to know the scope and purpose of the military mission.
You would collect and evaluate all the data you have on the rail net
in the area of operation. From it, you would determine which lines
and what facilities you would use, what TRS units would be required
to conduct train operations over the selected rail net, and how much
rehabilitation and construction effort would be necessary to make it
operational as quickly as possible. You would also have to determine
what kind of equipment you would need, how much of it was already on
hand in the theater, and how much more you would have to bring in to
get the job done. After the rail net is selected, the TRS units are
phased into the area, and the lines are opened for operation, you
must be able to decide which method of train operation would be the
most efficient.
This chapter discusses the types of trains normally found in a
theater of operations, the establishing of rail operations, and the
methods of train operations. The rules given are not rigid but are,
of necessity, flexible enough to meet the ever-changing requirements
that combat imposes. However, they have proved effective in the past
and may be expected to be effective in future military operations.
3.2. TYPES OF TRAINS
Trains
operating
over
military
railroads
are
designated
according to the freight they carry or according to the equipment on
the train.
The primary types of trains found in a theater are
freight, passenger, work, wreck, and ambulance.
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