As mentioned in my intro, am especially interested in the how the military operated the rail lines during World War One. Since I am working on stories abut my grandfather during World War One, rail roading has once again peaked my curiosity. After searching far and wide for information on this era, I have basically come up empty handed on what I am looking for.
If you guys can point me in the right direction or perhaps point me to a discussion on the subject, I would greatly appreciate it.
Some of the areas that interest me are the following:
1. I was looking for information on what railroad(s) transported WWI troops from LA to Camp Pike, Arkansas. As far as I found, it was the Southern Pacific Railroad. I did find some info, indicating three possible routes from LA to that area, but darn if I can determine which one he would have taken. I am also interested in a railroad route map of whatever line it was from LA to Camp Pike. I am also looking for images of the type of train, ie: locomotive, type of passenger car (Troop Train), and how long it would have taken for the trip and what locations it traveled through.
2. In his enlistment record, it states that he took an Inter-Urban Railway at one point...but it's very unclear, from where it originated. I know he traveled to Camp Pike, Arkansas first and ended up in Camp Dodge, Iowa, but it doesn't make sense that he took a trolley or whatever it was from Camp Pike to Camp Dodge. It reads like a ticket from Camp Dodge to Cedar Rapids, but it's only a guess.
Anyway, if I could figure some of this out, I would love to write a story about how troops from California rode the rails to Camps in the midwest during WWI, and even have some of their stories...Images and/or video clips if they exist along with sound files would enhance it greatly. Although I have all the letters he wrote from boot camps, I have virtually no info, on how he got to the camps or his experiences along the way.
I know this a lot to ask in one posting, but I wanted to lay out what I was interested in and possible where to look for information.
PS: I think I have one WWI postcard or possibly two of some soldiers standing near a railine. I also have one brief account of him on a train in France, that my mother told us as kids. I would be glad to share these if interested. Also some pics of our Depot in Boise, Idaho, Big Mike an old Steam loco here and a few images of wood trestles up near Grangeville.
