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.

The ROD operated their first line on a section of the Hazebrouck–Ypres 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.

  • the ROD 2-8-0 were stored in Great Britain and sold to several British companies between 1919 and 1927.
  • the Baldwin locomotives were sold as military surplus; most of them ended up in Belgium and France.

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]

  • 8th Railway Company
  • 10th Railway Company
  • Depot Company
  • Royal Anglesey (1 company)
  • Royal Monmouthshire (1 company)

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 Company Raised Embarked Theatre
2nd (Monmouth) Longmoor 11th November 1914 Western Front
3rd (Anglesey) Longmoor 11th November 1914 Western Front
3rd (Monmouth) Longmoor 11th November 1914 Western Front
8th Longmoor 15th August 1914 Western Front
10th Longmoor 28th November 1914 Western Front
109th Longmoor 24th December 1914 Western Front
110th Longmoor 15th February 1915 Western Front
111th Longmoor 15th February 1915 Western Front
112th Longmoor 15th February 1915 Western Front
113th Cheltenham 14th April 1915 Western Front
114th Cheltenham 1st May 1915 Western Front
115th Longmoor Unknown Egypt
116th Longmoor Unknown Egypt
117th Longmoor 5th September 1915 Salonika
118th Longmoor Unknown Western Front
119th Longmoor 30th May 1916 Western Front
120th Longmoor Unknown Western Front
200th Unknown Unknown Unknown
259th Unknown Unknown Western Front
260th Longmoor 3rd February 1917 Western Front
261st Longmoor 26th February 1917 Western Front
262nd Longmoor 26th February 1917 Western Front
263rd Longmoor 26th April 1917 Western Front
264th Longmoor 13th May 1917 Western Front
265th Longmoor 14th September 1917 Egypt
266th Longmoor 14th September 1917 Egypt
267th Unknown Unknown Salonika
268th Longmoor 19th December 1916 Western Front
269th Longmoor 17th January 1917 Western Front
270th Cheltenham Unknown Egypt
271st Cheltenham 26th January 1916 Western Front
272nd Unknown Unknown Egypt
273rd Longmoor 7th September 1916 Salonika
274th Longmoor 23rd October 1916 Egypt
275th Longmoor 21st August 1916 Western Front
276th Unknown Unknown Egypt
277th Unknown Unknown Western Front
278th Boulogne Unknown Western Front
279th Unknown Unknown Western Front
280th Cheltenham Unknown Western Front
281st Cheltenham Unknown Western Front
282nd Cheltenham Unknown Western Front
295th Unknown Unknown Western Front
296th Boulogne Unknown Western Front
297th Unknown Unknown Western Front
298th Unknown Unknown Western Front
299th Unknown Unknown Western Front

See also

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.
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