FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2007
CONTACT:  Natalie Alford
                      Information & Communication Specialist
                      (704) 636-2889, ext 233

N.C. Transportation Museum honors wounded war veterans
in new exhibit opening Saturday, November 17

SPENCER, NC – On Saturday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m., the N.C. Transportation Museum will
open a new exhibit to tell the story of wounded soldiers during World War II and the Korean
War. U.S. Army Hospital Car No. 89480 has been transformed into an interactive exhibit in
the museum’s Roundhouse that allows visitors to walk through the car while listen to the
war-time stories of veterans, and see artifacts from a time when railroads were used extensively
to move troops and material to and from the battlefields.

“We are so proud to have the Army hospital car exhibit finished, and we hope everyone will
join us at the dedication ceremony on Saturday, Nov 17 to experience this important piece of
North Carolina’s transportation history,” said NCTM Executive Director Elizabeth Smith.

During World War II, the United States military shipped injured soldiers from overseas battlefields
to U.S. ports, where railway hospital cars were waiting to rush the soldiers to Veterans Affairs
and civilian hospitals for further treatment. One of the few surviving hospital cars, No. 89480, is
berthed at the NCTM. This car also served in the Korean War during the early 1950s, and was
transferred to that war zone by ship. By the time of the Vietnam War, aircraft was used to evacuate
injured soldiers. 

Built in 1945, the No. 89480 was one of 200 units designed to be self-sustaining and easy to
identify. Large exterior lettering reads, “United States Army Medical Department Hospital Unit
Car,” and bright red crosses mark the roof and two sides of the rail car. The interior configuration
includes storage areas, a compact bathroom with a shower and roomettes for a medical officer
and a nurse. The main ward originally included 30 beds in three-tier arrangements, but now houses
15 beds, which leaves room for exhibit space and an interactive video. The hospital car also has
a pharmacy area that includes a sliding door for loading stretcher-bound patients, and a kitchen
that retains its original sink, coal-fired stove and ice cream cabinet.  

The No. 89480 was obtained by the museum in 1978, thanks in part to the help of Dr. D.E. Ward
and the North Carolina Medical Society.
Ceremony Schedule:
1 p.m. – Welcome Remarks - Elizabeth Smith, NCTM Executive Director & Sturges Bryan,
NCTM Foundation President
1:15 p.m. – North Rowan High School ROTC Color Guard presents colors, Pledge of Allegiance
1:20 p.m. – History of Hospital Trains, presented by Larry Neal, NCTM Manager of Visitor Services
1:45 p.m. – Dedicate plaque to N.C. Medical Society
2 p.m.  – Medical Service Veterans will cut the ceremonial ribbon, and officially open the car.
2:15 p.m. – Ceremony ends

For more information about the N.C. Transportation Museum or the U.S. Army Hospital Car
No. 89480, visit www.nctrans.org or call 704-636-2889 or toll free at 877-NCTM-FUN.  The
N.C. Transportation Museum, located in historic Spencer Shops, the former Southern Railway
repair facility for steam locomotives, is part of the Division of State Historic Sites, Department of
Cultural Resources.

The museum offers free admission and is located just five minutes off I-85 at Exit 79 in Spencer,
N.C., and about an hour from Charlotte, Greensboro and Winston-Salem.    

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Division of State Historic Sites, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources
www.ncculture.com