“Hospital on a train” & its postage stamps

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We have all heard the story of James Watt, who probably inspired by a fluttering lid of a kettle, invented steam engine in 1769. About 35 years later, Richard Trevithick, a British engineer developed first steam-engine powered locomotive. Thereafter, trains ruled surface transport, as automobiles were more than a century away. By 1850s, passenger trains were more and more reliable. Armies started using trains to transport their wounded. Thus we had our first hospital-trains. Such early trains, such as in the American Civil war, only had nurses on board. These would transport both healthy troops and the injured. Later, with efforts of Red-Cross, we had such dedicated hospital-trains.

The White Train (1899-1902)

South Africa was first colonised by Boers in 1652. These early white settlers were either Dutch, German or French. In 1806, British incorporated this territory in its empire, and forced Boers further North. As luck would have it, by 1886 Boer territory struck gold and diamonds. Mining interests, led Britishers to annex entire Boer territories (Transvaal, Orange and Natal) leading to the second Boer War of 1899-1902. As war casualties mounted, British Red Cross deployed Princess Christian hospital-train, or the White-train.

This seven carriage train, had separate carriages for doctors, nurses, and patients. Sir William Stokes gives an account of this train in a medical journal. Each carriage was 36 feet long. First two carriages had a linen-closet, enclosures for nurses, doctors, officers, a dispensary and a dining room. Next four accommodated 72 sick or injured men. A dedicated staff, treated those on board, till they were shifted to a hospital-ship. Boer War was a tragedy, for thousands of Boer civilians who died in concentration camps, as well as for multi-national British Army who lost many of its members.

More hospital trains in the World Wars

Hospital-trains were extensively used in the first world-war. We used these trains, to transport the injured to the nearest ports. However, automobiles took over this task in the Second World War. Further, nature of wars was different, and civilians now faced the brunt. Yet, in 1947 when the war was over, Bulgaria issued two stamps on such hospital-trains. This was probably the last “army hospital-train postage stamp.” even issued.

These two postage stamps were part of a set of eight, that shows plight of refugee children, wounded and abandoned soldiers and children.

Civilian hospital trains

After Second World War, such hospital trains disappeared. World’s first hospital train for civil use was launched in India on 16th July 1991. In fact Lifeline express has become a model, for future such trains, that were launched in China, Malta, and Mexico. Lifeline express brings operating rooms, surgeons and recovery rooms to remote parts of the country. This train has advanced facilities, any modern hospital will be envious of. Once this train equipped with all facilities reaches a location, it remains there for upto three weeks, so that screening, surgeries, and recovery can all take place in this time.

Train as a metaphor: Smile-Train

Train is a metaphor for a series, just like it’s coaches that are arranged one after another. Smile-train is a charity for Cleft-lip and Cleft-palate surgery – birth defects seen in some children. The charity harnesses local resources with global experts and gets complex surgeries done in remote locations. These surgeries are done in a hospital, and not on an actual train. Beginning in 1998, countless children have benefitted from this work. Today, more than 250 cleft surgeons in 160 partner hospitals operate upon over 50 000 patients annually. More than 200,000 such surgeries have been done by this charity in India alone. Like a train, this charity chugs along with a mission to correct these deformities.