Department of Defense Passenger Cars
#1
I am wondering, during WWII, if the DOD had a fleet of passenger cars. I am not talking about troop cars, but passenger cars for the upper brass.
I have been doing some light digging, and I am yet to come up with anything firm. I have found information that they did have some cars, but it does not say if they are leased, or if they have military markings on them.
The reason I ask is because Michigan played a huge roll in war production, which would bring several big wigs from the pentagon to the various production and testing facilities.

Matt
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#2
Doubtful, because the brass would have had priority for air transport. There were, however, passenger cars with compartments for lower ranking officers, which were filled beyond stated capacity, i.e., 8 - 10 junior officers in a six-man compartment. My father vividly recalls riding in one all the way to Fort Hamilton, New York for wartime passage on the Queen Mary to England, where - as junior-most officer aboard - he had the dubious honor of being appointed paymaster for the 22,000 troops aboard...in English currency.
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#3
some of the upper most brass had special trains assigned to them by a specific road,but none were DOD owned.but on occasion a special train would be assigned just for that brass and his assistants,gaurds,lower ranking officers,etc.typically these trains had trackage rights over ALL trains on the mainline,including other fast passenger trains and troop carriers.to name a few brass that did use there own trains there was (obviously) Franklin.D.R, D.D.Eisenhower, George patton and also visiting dignitaries like Winston churchill and such. Aircraft may have been fast and available,trains were still the biggest form of travel. and plus,its easier to make stops along the way for meetings and interviews on a train.--josh
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