Army hospital trains were used to transport the sick and wounded over long distances, as well as to provide them with medical care en route. The decree on establishing such trains was signed by Emperor Alexander II in 1876. Six months after the decree was signed, in May 1877, the first hospital train took off.
Hospital wagons were used as part of hospital trains in wartime in three typical special formations: freight wagons and converted boxcars in combat zones, temporary army hospital trains in the near rear, as well as rear hospitals.
In their design, the hospital wagons did not differ from the passenger ones. In order to ensure cleanliness and hygiene, the floor of the hospital car was covered with linoleum. Oil paint of light tones was used for the walls. The furniture, floor, ceiling and walls had smooth surfaces, without corners, with a smooth transition from one surface to another. Upholstered furniture was difficult to disinfect, hence, it was not used.
The pharmacy-dressing room is a converted cheap “platzkart” passenger wagon. It was part of the military hospital train of the Ryazan-Ural Railway. Inside the car, there was a pharmacy and a dressing room or a small operating room, as well as a ward for the wounded.
There were also a sanitary inspection room — an area for providing preliminary medical care, an autoclave room — an area for sterilizing instruments, dressings and linen, a medical post and a boiler room.
Saratov was a major hospital center of the country, to where the sick and wounded were transported in such wagons. The number of wounded increased especially in the period from August 1942 to February 1943, during the days of the Battle of Stalingrad. In general, during the war years, more than 300 thousand wounded soldiers were treated in evacuation hospitals in Saratov.
The army hospital trains were equipped and formed on numerous railways of the country, including in the locomotive depot of the city of Saratov of the Ryazan-Ural Railway. Every day, the People’s Commissariat for Railways received information about the readiness of trains. Their formation and departure to the frontline areas were strictly monitored.
During the war, 11,863 trains evacuating the wounded were transported. The railway workers demonstrated bravery and dedication and saved the “mercy trains” during shelling and raids by enemy aircraft.
Hospital wagons were used as part of hospital trains in wartime in three typical special formations: freight wagons and converted boxcars in combat zones, temporary army hospital trains in the near rear, as well as rear hospitals.
In their design, the hospital wagons did not differ from the passenger ones. In order to ensure cleanliness and hygiene, the floor of the hospital car was covered with linoleum. Oil paint of light tones was used for the walls. The furniture, floor, ceiling and walls had smooth surfaces, without corners, with a smooth transition from one surface to another. Upholstered furniture was difficult to disinfect, hence, it was not used.
The pharmacy-dressing room is a converted cheap “platzkart” passenger wagon. It was part of the military hospital train of the Ryazan-Ural Railway. Inside the car, there was a pharmacy and a dressing room or a small operating room, as well as a ward for the wounded.
There were also a sanitary inspection room — an area for providing preliminary medical care, an autoclave room — an area for sterilizing instruments, dressings and linen, a medical post and a boiler room.
Saratov was a major hospital center of the country, to where the sick and wounded were transported in such wagons. The number of wounded increased especially in the period from August 1942 to February 1943, during the days of the Battle of Stalingrad. In general, during the war years, more than 300 thousand wounded soldiers were treated in evacuation hospitals in Saratov.
The army hospital trains were equipped and formed on numerous railways of the country, including in the locomotive depot of the city of Saratov of the Ryazan-Ural Railway. Every day, the People’s Commissariat for Railways received information about the readiness of trains. Their formation and departure to the frontline areas were strictly monitored.
During the war, 11,863 trains evacuating the wounded were transported. The railway workers demonstrated bravery and dedication and saved the “mercy trains” during shelling and raids by enemy aircraft.
