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507 STRE Railway Infrastructure

6 May 20, 5 tweets, 4 min read

@Proud_Sappers

Part 3 #VE75 RE Railway troop actions till VE day. Into Belgium. @Proud_Sappers @REMuseum @RE_Hist_Society

After the advance through France, 21st Army Group's railway troops found Antwerp in a poor state of disrepair and heavily damaged following bombing and German demolition.

The port could not be used till the enemy were cleared from Walchere and mines removed. The Germans had removed 207 turnouts and 35 miles of track. 8 bridges had been destroyed. These were replaced with RSJ spans and UCRB. The flyover was salvaged and placed on trestle piers

The main line from Antwerp to Brussels had been severed with damage to the Duffel bridge. This was replaced with two 80ft twin spans of UCRB and trestle piers and reinstated by British and American troops in double track.

When the Allies got to Belgium motive power was running short. More locos such as the 2-8-0 Austerity and a range of US types were shipped in via Cherbourg. Both RE Railway Operating Coy and US Army Transportation Corps Railroad Bns with civilians signalled and drove the trains.

@ICELibrary

References. @ICELibrary the Civil Engineer in War. Standard Military Railway Bridges FS Bond. US Military Railway Service D DeNevi & B Hall.

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507 STRE Railway Infrastructure

@507stre

8 May 20

@Proud_Sappers

#VE75 Part 5. Crossing the Rhine. Our penultimate look at the RE Railway opertions leading to VE day.@Proud_Sappers @RE_Hist_Society @REMuseum

With staging areas set up in Holland, the focus became crossing the Rhine and projecting railway lines deep into Germany to support ops

On 24th March 1945, Op Varsity Plunder commenced, the crossing of the Rhine at Wesel. 1056th Engr Group, US Army Engineer Corps bridged the Rhine by the 9th of April at Wesel using British trestles on timber piles and 1752ft of 4ft deep RSJ and 2 miles of track.

The British crossed the Rhine at Spyck 3 miles north of Emmerich. The first pile was driven on the 11th of April. Two Port Construction Coys RE assisted the work using floating pile drivers. 32 spans of UCRB were abuilt on top of trestles
The bridge was completed the 8th of May

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507 STRE Railway Infrastructure

@507stre

5 May 20

@Proud_Sappers

#VE75 part 2. Once the Allies had formed a beachead they pushed in land. Damage to the railway was minimal due to achieving complete suprise. At Caen they found heavy damage to the railway from Allied bombing in an effort to disrupt traffic. @Proud_Sappers @RE_Hist_Society

The RE railway troops were organised under the Way and Works group as Rly Survey Coys, Rly Bridging Coys and Rly Construction Coys. This was augmented with Pioneer Coys and Plant Coys. Some 200 Officers and 7000 men were available for the task.

By D+5 recce had been started on railway stores and engineer parks. Bayeux was selected as the main railway stores depot. 7 miles of track was laid with 53 turnouts with the depot open to traffic by the 12th of August 1944.

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507 STRE Railway Infrastructure

@507stre

4 May 20

#VE75. Looking at the RE railway contribution to the long road to VE Day. The first problem to delivering railways post D Day was the landing of rolling stock on the beaches. Solution was to fit special ramps to landing craft and install rail on the beaches.

@RE_Hist_Society

Loading trial by RE troops in a Landing Ship Tank prior to D-Day.
#VE75 #smartsappers #proudsappers
@RE_Hist_Society

Beachead logistics dictated rail stores could be no longer than 20ft and up to 1 tonne until D +15. In total 5000ft of bridging, 60 miles of track and 200 turnouts would be brought over the beacheads and Mulberry. The rail was mostly 75lb FB and standard 1 in 8 crossings.

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