Fort Eustis Military Railway

01/13/2026

01/08/2026

US Army Locomotive 607 in working in Hanks Yard 1952, Roger Wines Photo.

12/25/2025

🎄Warm Holiday Wishes!🔔
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Merry Christmas from Joint Base Langley-Eustis to our service members, military families, civilian teammates, and neighbors!💜
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Wishing all a safe, peaceful, and joy-filled Holiday Season with our sincerest gratitude to all for everything you do every day!🌟
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(🖼️image created using generative AI🖼️)
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09/26/2025

If you are driving on Fort Eustis tomorrow please use caution around the railroad crossings. This Saturday Fort Eustis will host the annual NARCOA (North American Railcar Operators Association) gathering.

09/10/2025

Bravo Company, 5th Battalion, 159th General Support Aviation Battalion (call sign Freighttrain) recently concluded operations at Fort Eustis after 31 years of service. As the US Army Reserve eliminates their aviation operations we reflect upon the long history of our local Chinook group that flew from Felker Army Airfield.

Thier call sign pays homage to a predecessor unit supporting missions during the Vietnam War and the Chinook helicopter's capabilities of moving vast amounts of cargo.

Thier insignia will continue to live on in the the cab of the Fort Eustis locomotive as a badge worn with pride and honor. We will always remember the great Freighttrain in the sky.

08/08/2025

Students from the 88u Expeditionary Railway Command use locomotive 1880 to practice train operations in Wagner Yard near the James River.

06/10/2025

This fun fact is too good not to share. Here is Willie Mays at Fort Eustis 73 years ago today.

"Mays was drafted and after his induction into the Army on May 29 1952, he reported to Fort Eustis in Virginia, where he spent much of his time playing for the Fort Eustis Wheels military baseball team with (and against) other major and minor leaguers, as well as serving as an athletic instructor in the Physical Training Department. It was at Fort Eustis that Mays learned the basket catch from fellow Fort Eustis outfielder Al Fortunato. Mays, by his own estimation, played 180 games for the Wheels, and missed about 275 games for the Giants because of his military service. Mays' time playing for the Wheels ended on July 28, 1953, after he chipped a bone in his left foot while sliding into third base, necessitating a six-week stint in a cast. Discharged on March 1, 1954, he reported to Giants' spring training camp the following day."

We recently came across this photo of Willie Mays at Fort Eustis on June 10, 1952. Mr. Mays was assigned to the Army's Transportation Center after being drafted. In the photo he is turning in his bat to Supply Sergeant Robert Serafinowicz for a gun. Also today is Willie Mays' birthday.

05/28/2025

Last week the 733d Logistics Readiness Squadron provided rail support for Global Mariner 2025. Durning the exercise the 489 Seaport Operations Company, with instruction provided by the 1394 Transportation Surface Brigade, conducted a successful rail operation, demonstrating logistical efficiency and operational readiness. This training served as a valuable opportunity for familiarization, strengthening both technical proficiency and teamwork.

05/09/2025

May 9th 1918 the railroad spur to Camp Eustis was opened to service from the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway junction at Lee Hall, Virginia. This military railway has been in continuous use for the last 107 years.

04/25/2025

A rare look at a war prize. This March 1946 photo was taken at Fort Monroe, Virginia, near Battery Irwin next to E Gate of the Casemate.

The Henschel V8 Locomotive was one of a few German locomotives brought to United States after World War II for testing and examination. The V8 locomotive eventually ended up at Fort Eustis where it was stored dormant in Hanks Yard and eventually scrapped in April 1952 to provide material to the Korean War effort.

The Ft. Eustis Sentinel newspaper article titled “Post to Scrap Captured, Foreign Rail Equipment” published 11 April 1952 said, “ The majority of the captured foreign rail equipment at Ft. Eustis will be scraped, according to a recent announcement made by Brigadier General Harold R Duffie, Commanding General.” It sited 10 pieces of equipment to be disposed of. A three car German diesel streamliner used by Hermann Göring, two standard gauge steam engines, two standard gauge diesels, and some other items for a total of about 815 gross tons of scrap metal. One of the steamers was “designed for fast express service, able to generate speeds in excess of 110 MPH”, referencing this V8 locomotive.
It is rumored the US Government offered to return the engine to Germany but the plan failed and the historic locomotive fell victim to the scrapper's torch.

04/23/2025

US Army 80-ton Locomotive 1657 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in September 1983. The train consists of three railcars, the first loaded with a power transformer for VEPCO, and the two autoracks are full of US Army CUCV -Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicles. Photo from the Dan Seymour collection.