Pharmacy-dressing wagon Kln No. 4178

The first hospital trains in the Russian Empire appeared with the onset of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878. As early as 4th December 1876, an imperial decree was handed down on the creation of 14 hospital trains. These trains were to consist of 17 three-axle or 12 four-axle hospital cars, two passenger cars for medical personnel and orderlies and three covered two-axle goods cars. Each train was intended for the simultaneous transport of at least 250 wounded and sick.

During the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878, the hospital trains of the Russian Red Cross transported over 200 000 sick and wounded. During the Russo-Japanese war of 1903–1904, the hospital trains evacuated 87 000 sick and wounded, andduring World War I, additional hospital trains were put into service. 242 hospital trains operated on the side of the Red Army during the Russian Civil War.

On 24th June 1941, the People’s Commissariat of Communication Routes gave the order for the railways to form 288 military hospital trains. 6,000 cars were allocated for this. All locomotive and car repair plants and workshops were involved in the refurbishments of the cars. By 1942, about 700 military hospital trains were in operation.

Military hospital trains consisted of specially equipped cars of the following types: clothing store and power generator, food and linen store, kitchen, car for the seriously wounded and sick, pharmacy and wound dressing car, car for the command staff and clerical work, cars for the crew, for the lightly wounded and sick, for contagious patients.

During World War II, several hundred permanent and temporary trains were used to transport the wounded.