USATC - № 7989
Item
Title
USATC - № 7989
USATC №
7989
Works №
60359
Build Date
December 1943
USATC Order
I
Railroads
Comments
Before being deployed to mainland Europe, several of the USTAC Whitcombs were in operation in Great Britain itself. USATC № 7989 arrived at the Longmoor Military Railway (LMR) in February 1944 and was painted black (or very dark grey) upon arrival. The locomotive was used on passenger services up to May or June 1944 and was shipped to France around July 1944, where it arrived at the port of Cherbourg. There is little know about its operational use throughout the second half of 1944, some information however is available about its use in The Netherlands during the first half 1945.
Because the British Army lacked shunting capacity at Eindhoven in the south of The Netherlands, the U.S. Army Transportation Corps sent locomotives № 7976 and № 7989 from Belgium to the 182nd Railway Operating Company (ROC) at Eindhoven in January 1945. After being serviced, both locomotives were used for shunting and freight services in the southern part of The Netherlands. They however needed to be taken out of service in March 1945, as there were not sufficient parts available for maintenance. They were brought to Nijmegen and put into service again after being repaired by the 7th Railway Mobile Workshop of the Royal Engineers. The locomotives stayed in service in the Nijmegen region until August 1945, after which they left The Netherlands.
Because the British Army lacked shunting capacity at Eindhoven in the south of The Netherlands, the U.S. Army Transportation Corps sent locomotives № 7976 and № 7989 from Belgium to the 182nd Railway Operating Company (ROC) at Eindhoven in January 1945. After being serviced, both locomotives were used for shunting and freight services in the southern part of The Netherlands. They however needed to be taken out of service in March 1945, as there were not sufficient parts available for maintenance. They were brought to Nijmegen and put into service again after being repaired by the 7th Railway Mobile Workshop of the Royal Engineers. The locomotives stayed in service in the Nijmegen region until August 1945, after which they left The Netherlands.