Railway Operating Division facts for kids

GWR 4300 Class 5322, preserved in ROD khaki livery

The Railway Operating Division (ROD) was a special group of the Royal Engineers during World War I. It was created in 1915 to run trains and railways in different war zones. Most of its members were real railway workers. They operated both regular-sized (standard gauge) and smaller (narrow gauge) railway lines.

The ROD started by running a part of the railway line between Hazebrouck and Ypres. This first job was done by railway workers who used to work for the London and North Western Railway.

The ROD used many different types of trains. They borrowed locomotives from British railway companies. They also leased some Belgian trains that had been sent to France. As the war continued, they decided to use one main type of freight train. This was the Great Central Railway's Robinson Class 8K 2-8-0 locomotive, which became known as the ROD 2-8-0. They also bought some trains from the Baldwin company in the United States. Besides standard trains, they also ran smaller, narrow-gauge engines. These were trains that ran on tracks about 600 mm (2 feet) wide.

After the war ended, the borrowed trains went back to their original owners.

• The ROD 2-8-0 trains were stored in Great Britain. They were later sold to different British companies between 1919 and 1927.
• The Baldwin trains were sold as extra military equipment. Most of them ended up in Belgium and France.

During World War I, other army groups helped the Railway Operating Division. One of these was the 17th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. This group was a "Pals Battalion," meaning it was made up of friends who joined together. It was formed by the North Eastern Railway. At first, they were regular infantry soldiers. Later, they became a Pioneer battalion, which meant they did construction work. Because many railway workers were in this group, they became a Railway Pioneer battalion in October 1916. They worked under the main army headquarters for railway building. In September 1917, they went back to being an infantry battalion. They returned to railway work in November but became infantry soldiers again in May 1918, staying that way until the war ended.

Building Railways for War

Many special groups called Railway Construction Companies existed during World War I. These companies built standard gauge railways in war zones on many different fronts. At the start of the war, there were two regular companies and three special reserve ones:

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

It quickly became clear how important railways were on the front lines. So, many more companies were formed to help during the war. The last of these companies finished their work in 1919.

Here are some of the Railway Construction Companies that served in World War I:

See also

• War Department Light Railways homepage