Red Cross passenger cars? (KLINE)

There were MAINS in the war years that sometimes contained a hospital car or two.

Finding those anywhere in the hobby outside of Custom run one offs are very rare.

http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/railcars.asp

"Interestingly, World War I actually prompted the Red Cross to develop a whole new way to use railroad cars, this time as medical laboratories to help combat the outbreaks of contagious diseases that were occurring with great frequency under wartime conditions throughout the United States. In 1917, the Red Cross purchased and staffed four Pullman cars with expert bacteriologists who traveled primarily to army cantonments, naval stations, and other troop centers where they aided in the control and prevention of such diseases as influenza, meningitis, and pneumonia."

"Each of the laboratory cars was named for a world leader in the battleagainst communicable diseases. The Walter Reed honored the Army bacteriologist who identified the cause of yellow fever. The Louis Pasteur was named for the French chemist and biologist who invented the process of pasteurization and developed vaccines for several diseases, including rabies. The Elie Metchnikoff was named for the Russian biologist and Nobel laureate who founded the science of immunology. The fourth car was named for the Englishman Joseph Lister who was an early leader in the study of the coagulation of blood, infectious diseases, and the use of antiseptics."

Whether the paint job is right, who knows, but there was a real set of cars.

From K-line Literature "these are based on three Pullman Sleepers that were rebuilt for the Red Cross in 1917. They operated as laboratories on rails and were used to control epidemics. American Railroads willingly moved these cars around the country to help do their part to aid the prevention of disease. 

Each car was named after a leader in the field of communicable diseases. Walter Reed was a US Army surgeon and bacterioligist who determined the cause of yellow fever. Louis Pasteur was a world-renowned French chemist and biologist, who founded the science of microbiology, proved the germ theory of disease, invented the process of pasteurization, and developed vaccines for several diseases, including rabies. Elie Metchnikoff was Russian biologist, Nobel laureate and a founder of the science of immunity, based on his discovery regarding the function of white blood cells. "

Another cool fact about these cars was that K-line made a donation to the redcross with each sale.