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. The work was carried out by former employees of the London and North Western Railway.
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 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.
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:
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: +Railway CompanyRaisedEmbarkedTheatre2nd (Monmouth)Longmoor11 November 1914Western Front3rd (Anglesey)Longmoor11 November 1914Western Front3rd (Monmouth)Longmoor11 November 1914Western Front8thLongmoor15 August 1914Western Front10thLongmoor28 November 1914Western Front109thLongmoor24 December 1914Western Front110thLongmoor15 February 1915Western Front111thLongmoor15 February 1915Western Front112thLongmoor15 February 1915Western Front113thCheltenham14 April 1915Western Front114thCheltenham1 May 1915Western Front115thLongmoorUnknownEgypt116thLongmoorUnknownEgypt117thLongmoor5 September 1915Salonika118thLongmoorUnknownWestern Front119thLongmoor30 May 1916Western Front120thLongmoorUnknownWestern Front200thUnknownUnknownUnknown259thUnknownUnknownWestern Front260thLongmoor3 February 1917Western Front261stLongmoor26 February 1917Western Front262ndLongmoor26 February 1917Western Front263rdLongmoor26 April 1917Western Front264thLongmoor13 May 1917Western Front265thLongmoor14 September 1917Egypt266thLongmoor14 September 1917Egypt267thUnknownUnknownSalonika268thLongmoor19 December 1916Western Front269thLongmoor17 January 1917Western Front270thCheltenhamUnknownEgypt271stCheltenham26 January 1916Western Front272ndUnknownUnknownEgypt273rdLongmoor7 September 1916Salonika274thLongmoor23 October 1916Egypt275thLongmoor21 August 1916Western Front276thUnknownUnknownEgypt277thUnknownUnknownWestern Front278thBoulogneUnknownWestern Front279thUnknownUnknownWestern Front280thCheltenhamUnknownWestern Front281stCheltenhamUnknownWestern Front282ndCheltenhamUnknownWestern Front295thUnknownUnknownWestern Front296thBoulogneUnknownWestern Front297thUnknownUnknownWestern Front298thUnknownUnknownWestern Front299thUnknownUnknownWestern Front
See also Locomotives used by the Railway Operating Division War Department Light Railways homepage
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