# Medical Train of Deutsche Reichsbahn



## B W T (Feb 21, 2018)

A mobile hospital with an untouched surgery. If you’re searching for pictures of urban exploration on the internet you might come across this set of railway carriages. This place is known as “Medical Train” within the urbex community. It’s supposed to be somewhere in Eastern Germany. But if you have a closer look to those pictures you might notice that there are no signs of vandalism at all and that, apparently, everything is still there. So we wanted to know: Is it really possible that a place like this could be abandoned? 


Medical Train #01 by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

No, it’s not. Not at all actually. A non-profit association is looking after the ambulance train. We travelled all the way to the location and a friendly member of this association showed us around. 



The Medical Train is located on an old railway yard in Staßfurt, Germany. It’s the premises of the so called “Eisenbahnfreunde”. In English: “Friends of the Railway”. This association deals with the preservation of historical rail vehicles. Amongst others several trains from bygone eras. Some of those were creating a post-apocalyptic atmosphere on the property. 


Post-Apocalyptic by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

But we were here to see the Medical Train. It’s a so called “Katastrophenzug” which means “catastrophe train” in English. There were 14 of them in total, distributed all over the former German Democratic Republic. Originally this one right here was located in Leipzig and went under the name of “K9”. That’s short for “catastrophe train number 9”. Unfortunately, most of those K-trains were scrapped by now. But this one is one of the few trains that have survived. 


Outer View by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

In the 1950s, the German State Railroad Company (Deutsche Reichsbahn) started to produce the first catastrophe trains. Officially they were planned as emergency trains during natural disasters. But this civil protection was only a disguise. Off the record those vehicles should serve as ambulance trains for the USSR and the GDR’s National People's Army. Allegedly those trains were only in transit during night hours to prevent possible espionage activities. In case of a nuclear war those vehicles would have been called into action as some kind of first care. Fortunately, the deployment of the trains didn’t become necessary. 


Medical Train #07 by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

A variety of cots on both sides of the wagon. Always one above the other. In this sickbay there was space for 27 patients in total. Over here the wounded were waiting for their treatment. 


Ward by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

From here the patients were brought to the surgery. What a terrifying imagination: Undergoing a surgery inside a moving train which might be rushing through a war zone. But when it’s a matter of life and death you probably don’t have any other choice. This room was and is provided with all the necessary medical equipment. 


Mobile Hospital by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

In the apothecary cabinet doctors could find a variety of drugs. Machines that were standing right next door were used for sterilizing all the surgical instruments.


Apothecary Cabinet by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

Inside the shower room for the patients we found a doctor's kit that is still fully equipped. 


Doctor's Kit by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

Of course a wagon with a kitchen shouldn't be missing. Several hundred portions of meals could be prepared here at once. 


Kitchen Wagon by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr

Without doubt this is a very remarkable vehicle. The “Medical Train” is drawing attention from urban explorers all across Europe. Unfortunately plenty of them don’t know that this is more like a museum than an abandoned site. As we were told the train was broken into by photographers several times already. In order to get access even windows had been smashed. To be honest, this is just stupid. All you need is to ask those friendly association members and they will let you in. In fact, it’s even free. But if visitors are interested they can support the preservation of the train with a voluntary donation.

Take a look on their website: 
http://www.eisenbahnfreunde-stassfurt.de/spendenaktion.html


Medical Train #17 by Broken Window Theory, on Flickr


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## krela (Feb 21, 2018)

What a great place, great story BWT. Thank you.


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## HughieD (Feb 21, 2018)

Interesting stuff and a bit different that one!


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## Electric (Feb 22, 2018)

Fascinating report BWT. A great read too.

In years of railways, I've never heard of anything like that before. Did we had a British equivalent? I think they were called Mobile Emergency Control trains.


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## Ha.zel (Feb 22, 2018)

This is fantastic, and to see it so well preserved is amazing. Thanks for the interesting write up too.


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## B W T (Feb 22, 2018)

Electric said:


> Fascinating report BWT. A great read too.
> 
> In years of railways, I've never heard of anything like that before. Did we had a British equivalent? I think they were called Mobile Emergency Control trains.



Thanks! And yeah, there are many equivalents. We don't know any British ones, but for example there's a traveling dentist railroad car on display in Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada. And the Western part of Germany had it's on ambulance trains as well. Oh and it's said that some countries in Eastern Europe are still using trains like this today!


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## Sam Haltin (Feb 22, 2018)

When I lived in Germany during the sixties I do remember a train like this one, maybe the same one. I'm also a DB rail fan.


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## rockfordstone (Feb 23, 2018)

wonderful stuff mate. great shots and a great write up


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## Dirus_Strictus (Feb 23, 2018)

Electric said:


> In years of railways, I've never heard of anything like that before. Did we had a British equivalent?



We just didn't need an equivalent within the British Isles, there were obviously carriages specifically modified to carry stretcher cases and the accompanying medical staff between the ports and designated hospitals. However here in the UK one had a well thought out hospital system well prior to the NHS appearing, even if the hospitals and other medical facilities fell under the control of individual Boards and Districts with major facilities in most areas of the UK - as a study of the system prior and during WW1 will reveal. It was far more important that from the from the Crimean and certainly the Boer War period onwards, British Forces had adequately supplied and properly staffed hospital ships. Something that we thankfully had.

I should have added that this train and its brethren were not the product of a country trying to care for ill citizens in far off places. They are a product of what we now call the 'Cold War' - for whatever reasons, thank goodness common sense prevailed on ALL sides. This train and all the other medical facilities all over Europe would not have been able to deal with the carnage that would have ensued if the Button had been pressed. I lived through that era, and looking back one had to be thick skinned to not realise the undercurrent of 'tensions' that were around.

Until I was 12/13, we lived in a flat that consisted of the total first floor of a large Victorian semi. In the mid '50's I must have picked up on the 'vibe' of my elders, because I remember distinctly sitting halfway up the flight of stairs clutching a crumpled up, unopened telegram in my fist. Dad, like many others, was on the Army Active Reserves List and I thought this telegram was his 'call up'. I was terrified because I thought this was Dad going to war. Telegrams were the normal mode of urgent/official communications back then and friend's dads had received 'call ups'. Mum soon retrieved the missive - which was just a fore warning that Dad's services might be required. Thankfully they were not and I am here to recount the tale


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## Potter (Feb 23, 2018)

Totally amazing. Superb work.


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## uklimey1234 (Feb 26, 2018)

Dirus_Strictus said:


> We just didn't need an equivalent within the British Isles, there were obviously carriages specifically modified to carry stretcher cases and the accompanying medical staff between the ports and designated hospitals. However here in the UK one had a well thought out hospital system well prior to the NHS appearing, even if the hospitals and other medical facilities fell under the control of individual Boards and Districts with major facilities in most areas of the UK - as a study of the system prior and during WW1 will reveal. It was far more important that from the from the Crimean and certainly the Boer War period onwards, British Forces had adequately supplied and properly staffed hospital ships. Something that we thankfully had.
> 
> I should have added that this train and its brethren were not the product of a country trying to care for ill citizens in far off places. They are a product of what we now call the 'Cold War' - for whatever reasons, thank goodness common sense prevailed on ALL sides. This train and all the other medical facilities all over Europe would not have been able to deal with the carnage that would have ensued if the Button had been pressed. I lived through that era, and looking back one had to be thick skinned to not realise the undercurrent of 'tensions' that were around.
> 
> Until I was 12/13, we lived in a flat that consisted of the total first floor of a large Victorian semi. In the mid '50's I must have picked up on the 'vibe' of my elders, because I remember distinctly sitting halfway up the flight of stairs clutching a crumpled up, unopened telegram in my fist. Dad, like many others, was on the Army Active Reserves List and I thought this telegram was his 'call up'. I was terrified because I thought this was Dad going to war. Telegrams were the normal mode of urgent/official communications back then and friend's dads had received 'call ups'. Mum soon retrieved the missive - which was just a fore warning that Dad's services might be required. Thankfully they were not and I am here to recount the tale



During WW1 and WW2 ambulance trains operated in the UK ferrying casualties to hospitals from the ports. After WW2 we didn't have ambulance trains in the UK but the British Army certainly operated them in Germany during the Cold War until 1995. There is an exhibition about RAMC ambulance trains at the National Rail Museum in York and information and photos at this web site. 

https://blog.nrm.org.uk/commander-o...peaks-at-nrm-railways-and-warfare-conference/


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