Railway Operating Division

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GWR 4300 Class 5322, preserved in ROD khaki livery ROD 5322 at Didcot.jpg
GWR 4300 Class 5322, preserved in ROD khaki livery

The Railway Operating Division (ROD) was a division of the Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways in the many theatres of the First World War. It was largely composed of railway employees and operated both standard gauge and narrow gauge railways.

Contents

The ROD operated their first line on a section of the HazebrouckYpres line. [1] The work was carried out by former employees of the London and North Western Railway. [1]

The ROD requisitioned many diverse locomotives from Britain's railway companies and leased several Belgian locomotives sent to France in 1914, but as the war dragged on adopted the Great Central Railway's Robinson Class 8K 2-8-0 as its standard freight locomotive to become the ROD 2-8-0. Some locomotives were also purchased from Baldwin in the United States.

They also operated narrow-gauge engines (meter gauge or 600 millimetres (2.0 ft) gauge trains).

After the war, requisitioned locomotives returned to their foreign owners.

During the First World War, the Railway Operating Division were assisted in their duties by other army units. The 17th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. The Battalion, a Pals Battalion raised by the North Eastern Railway, began its life as a regular infantry battalion. It later became a Pioneer battalion and, owing to the large number of railwaymen available, became a Railway Pioneer battalion in October 1916 working under General Headquarters (GHQ) Railway Construction Troops. In September 1917, the battalion returned to an infantry battalion but returned to GHQ in November. They finally returned to an infantry battalion in May 1918, where they remained until the end of the war. [2]

Railway Construction Companies

A number of Railway Construction Companies existed during the great war. The companies built standard gauge railways in combat zones on multiple fronts during the war. At the start of the First World War there were two regular and three special reserve, these were: [3]

It was soon realised the importance of railways on the front line, several more companies were raised for the duration of the war. The last company was demobilised in 1919.

Great War companies included: [3]

Railway CompanyRaisedEmbarkedTheatre
2nd (Monmouth) Longmoor 11 November 1914Western Front
3rd (Anglesey)Longmoor11 November 1914Western Front
3rd (Monmouth)Longmoor11 November 1914Western Front
8thLongmoor15 August 1914Western Front
10thLongmoor28 November 1914Western Front
109thLongmoor24 December 1914Western Front
110thLongmoor15 February 1915Western Front
111thLongmoor15 February 1915Western Front
112thLongmoor15 February 1915Western Front
113th Cheltenham 14 April 1915Western Front
114thCheltenham1 May 1915Western Front
115thLongmoorUnknownEgypt
116thLongmoorUnknownEgypt
117thLongmoor5 September 1915Salonika
118thLongmoorUnknownWestern Front
119thLongmoor30 May 1916Western Front
120thLongmoorUnknownWestern Front
200thUnknownUnknownUnknown
259thUnknownUnknownWestern Front
260thLongmoor3 February 1917Western Front
261stLongmoor26 February 1917Western Front
262ndLongmoor26 February 1917Western Front
263rdLongmoor26 April 1917Western Front
264thLongmoor13 May 1917Western Front
265thLongmoor14 September 1917Egypt
266thLongmoor14 September 1917Egypt
267thUnknownUnknownSalonika
268thLongmoor19 December 1916Western Front
269thLongmoor17 January 1917Western Front
270thCheltenhamUnknownEgypt
271stCheltenham26 January 1916Western Front
272ndUnknownUnknownEgypt
273rdLongmoor7 September 1916Salonika
274thLongmoor23 October 1916Egypt
275thLongmoor21 August 1916Western Front
276thUnknownUnknownEgypt
277thUnknownUnknownWestern Front
278th Boulogne UnknownWestern Front
279thUnknownUnknownWestern Front
280thCheltenhamUnknownWestern Front
281stCheltenhamUnknownWestern Front
282ndCheltenhamUnknownWestern Front
295thUnknownUnknownWestern Front
296thBoulogneUnknownWestern Front
297thUnknownUnknownWestern Front
298thUnknownUnknownWestern Front
299thUnknownUnknownWestern Front

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Westwood, John Norton (1980). Railways at war. London: Ospray. p. 153. ISBN   0850453194.
  2. Shakespear, Lt. Col. (July 2003). A Record of the 17th and 32nd Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers 1914-1919 (N.E.R.) Pioneers. Uckfield: Naval & Military Press. ISBN   9781843426875.
  3. 1 2 "Railway Construction Companies of the Royal Engineers". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 28 October 2022.