16mm WDLR stock

We read with interest Steve Thornhill’s article in the latest issue of Sixteen Millimetres Today (Issue 175 pp 42 to 45). We are delighted that he shares our interest in this strange yet strangely logical prototype. Various books have been written on the topic - more later.

The Baldwin Gas Mechanical was a locomotive used on 60cm gauge railways during the First World War. Photo taken at Froissy upper Somme by Malcolm Wright

We admire his go-ahead pioneer attitude. All he had was Mamod track and his ‘occasions’ box. And of course, an idea! From the basic bogie, he then created a series of wagons fulfilling several different purposes. Some were simple push-along ‘trucks’ some were more elaborate bolster wagons - bolster wagon consisting of two bogies linked by a chain. This flexible arrangement could take anything from a load of prefabricated track to a gun. 

The story of the Steve Thornhil wagons reflects the story of the originals. They too were ingenious improvisations. In the First World War, the British Expeditionary Force did not go to France with any portable railway equipment. They imagined that, like Napoleon, they would be powering through Northern Europe so fast that no railway building could keep up . Only the beastly trenches of the Opposition were stopping them!

In the meantime, they had to dig trenches of their own and staff them. Once armies were camped out in this way, supply became an issue. At first, they relied on their Allies to provide them with the necessities  – and didn’t ask too many questions as to how they were doing it. They didn’t reflect on how the German armies were supplying their own trenches.  Perhaps, as they struggled through the mud with rations on their backs, they assumed that the French and Germans were doing the same. But not for long …

This 'official' War Department bogie bolster arrangement could be used for timber, lengths of prefabricated track, you name it. Wrightscale 16mm bogie bolster kit

Various forms of supply were tried. They requisitioned horses and mules in their millions. Lorries, buses and taxis were tried. There were always problems. The life of the horse at the Front was tragically short. The primitive tyres of their lorries cut the French country roads to ribbons. For want of handy peasants, they used their own soldiers. But of course, if an army of humans is used to supply an army then that army in turn requires an army ….. Same went for the horses.

The men on the ground quickly spotted the problems and equally rapidly looked for solutions. Like Steve Thornhill, they found some good ideas and then looked in the ‘spares’ box to replicate them. The Imperial War Museum, whose archive is now available for genuine research, has some photographs which immortalise the creations of the men on the ground.

As early as winter 1914, experiments began. These first home-made narrow gauge tracks tended to be a practical way to address the most pressing problem – how to get supplies from a siding on a standard gauge, or metre gauge railway to the trenches. The counties of northern France were quite rich in metre gauge railways which supplemented the standard gauge network. Some of the tracks were quite ingenious, and that is before we discuss the rolling stock!

Around Ypres, in the northern section of the line, track was improvised from wooden stakes joined together. Sheets of metal bashed out of ration tins were used to plate the parts which received most wear. They even had points on these proto-railways. This has incredible modelling potential – Steve Thornhill and fellow enthusiastd please note. For the record, they used biscuit tins, the large size ….

An 'official' War Department bogie which as you see also doubles as a push truck, if a wooden platform is added. It has a metal frame and brakes and is rated at 5 tonnes. Wrightscale 16mm WD bogie

On these ran the ‘push-wagons’ so-called because they were designed for pushing by human power. It is to be noted that their descendants, Class A wagons with removable sides were rated at a maximum load of 3 tons 12 hundredweight – well over 3 metric tonnes. Simply by putting the load on rails made humans more productive than military general service road-wagons each hauled by two mules. The limiting factor was the quality of the rail.

A contemporaryphotograph of a heavily used road (the route supplying Verdun during the siege of 1916) shows that the army being transported is equalled by the army repairing the road. Collection MD Wright

The wagon which inspired Steve Thornhill was the so-called Calais-pattern push-truck. The drawing he refers to is the excellent one by Peter Foley. (page 171 of WDLR Companion). The ‘Calais truck' was still being used in 1918, though running on 16 pound per yard (approximately7kg per metre) rail rather than on timber baulks.

Other wondrous creations are recorded. What could not be made was scrounged, mainly 9 pound/yard or 16 pound/yard railway, from French agricultural and light industrial workings. Thanks to the Decauville company, almost every farm, brickworks or quarry had some. With good will and rough-and-ready engineering, much could be achieved.

The would-be modeller can refer to Imperial War Museum negative Q1453 for a picture of a man-hauled trolley, Q 7906, a Lartigue-type monorail, Q 33416, a Wilson-type monorail operating in a trench and to my special favourite, Q 4380. This is the Scotch Express, probably posed for the occasion. This wonderful construction was made from motor-car parts. The radiator is clearly visible and the locomotive is (possibly) running on the inner rims of the car wheels.

A trench, even a replica trench, requires wood, corrugated iron and plenty of labour. Photographed by MD Wright at Apedale 2014

Though the Imperial War Museum photos date from the Somme campaign and later (July to October 1916 on to November 1918), we can be confident that our boys had improvised labour saving devices long before then.

For those who are keen on vehicles repurposed from motor cars, there were some ‘official’ prime movers – the Crewe tractors. The Crewe works of the London and North Western Railways converted Model T Ford cars for military use, both on roads and on rail. 132 were provided for the  War Department programme, though not officially for War Department Light Railways. Another 6 one-ton Ford lorries were, it is believed, built for the war in East Africa.

By 1915, a tremendous tonnage was being moved out to the trenches. In the reminiscences of Ian Hay, some well-established regiments had built homes from home and many modern conveniences in timber. Piccadilly Circus and the Fleet, not to forget Tipperary, had been mapped on to the fields of the Somme. By early 1916, the British were quietly imitating the French, who had an immensely sophisticated trench railway, first developed by Prosper Péchot of the French artillery. To begin with, they were given a branch-line. A month into the Battle of the Somme they were forced into their own War Department Light Railways programme.

A century after the First World War, a bogie wagon designed by Colonel Péchot of the French artillery shows its metal, still able to carry ten tonnes of freight. Taken at Apedale by MD Wright

As the story goes, Top Brass had tried to support the Somme offensive by transporting supplies and ammunition by lorry. These machines were so thirsty that there was no fuel for buses at home. As the Home Front was vital for making the ammunition, this could not be tolerated. In fact, General Haig was already sympathetic to the concept of Field Railways and the Home Front was a welcome excuse for making trench railways official. Sir Eric Geddes and the War Department Light Railways were approved by the highest authorities..

In fact, as the photographic evidence shows, a proper railway of bogie trucks running on 60cm prefabricated track pre-existed the War Department Light Railways. On the other hand, the rough creations of the resourceful military workshops were still being used at the end of the War.

All self-respecting horses stayed well back from the action. These ones charged the enemy in Spring 1918. Photo copyright MD Wright

The First Hundred Thousand Ian Hay. A contemporary account, republished many times since

Col Péchot:P Tracks To The Trenches by Sarah Wright Birse Press

WDLR Companion by  Colonel David W. Ronald and Roy C. Link. It has a treasury of contemporary photographs, drawings by Peter Foley and it has illustrations refurbished from the sketches which appear in WJK Davies

WDLR Album compiled by Roy C Link (both RCLpublications)

Light Track to Arras

Light Railways of the First World War by WJK Davies

Ahhh... any excuse to show the BGM once more