Railroad Trains Overseas
The 350th Engineers left Camp Shelby, Mississippi on January 9, 1943 for overseas duty. Four different trains were required to transport the regiment and their equipment to the port of embarkation at San Francisco, California. The regiment consisted of 1222 enlisted men, 2 warrant officers and 51 officers. We didn't know where we were going although we had exchanged our woolen GI clothing for summer, khaki uniforms.
Train #1 consisted of the vehicles of the regiment, loaded on flatcars and the organizational equipment loaded into boxcars. There was a guard of one officer and ten enlisted men who accompanied the train. Their subsistence consisted of "C" rations and coffee money at the rate of 24 cents per day per man. During the movement, 3 men were hospitalized due to frostbite. There was some difficulty encountered by the officer in charge in keeping the train intact. At various junctions, railroad officials attempted to break the train into smaller sections, but refrained from doing so at the insistence of the officer in charge.

The trip required 7 days traveling over the Mississippi Central, the Texas Pacific, and the Southern Pacific and had to leave Camp Shelby 2 days prior to the departure of the troop carrying trains.

Train #2, a troop train, composed of 2 baggage cars, 1 stateroom car for the officers and 10 tourist cars for the enlisted men and it pulled out of the station at 5:40 PM January 9, 1943. A prepared loading plan made it possible for the personnel, which consisted of Companies A and B, to march from the regimental area to the train to the music of the drum and bugle corps and by proper military maneuvers, load into all cars at the same time. It did not take more than 5 minutes to load all personnel. The performance of the Drum and Bugle Corps, and the cheers of on-looking civilians made the departure a pleasant occasion to remember. A good meal was served as soon as the train was underway.
Train #3, was occupied by Companies C and D and detachments of Headquarters and Service Company. At midnight, the train arrived at Memphis, Tenn. Many of the men missed seeing this southern metropolis, as the excitement of the day had completely exhausted them and the majority was fast asleep.

Meals were served at regular hours from the kitchens located in the baggage cars, and the routine was as nearly normal as could be expected of a group entransit. In the kitchen cars, the company cooks prepared the meals on the company's gasoline stoves they would be using when we arrived at our overseas base. The menu consisted of easily prepared dehydrated and canned foodstuffs. I guess they were preparing us for the food we would be eating for the next 2 1/2 years. On one of the leading trains, the cook was filling the tank on one of the gasoline stoves and it ignited. The fire was quickly extinguished but he became excited and jumped off of the train traveling 40 miles per hour. Fortunately he wasn't injured and was picked up by the following troop train.

The floodwaters of the Ohio River between Carbondale and Pickney, Ill. provided a very impressive scene. In several places water covered the rails. Upon arrival at St. Louis, a transfer was made to the Rock Island. The train arrived in Kansas City at midnight the following day.

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