Railways

You might think its a strange thread but bare with me.

How many RAF and indeed other military airfields had/have railay lines in to them or railway stations? Off the top of my head there is famously Ballykelly. Cosford has its own station, and Leuchars had a rail spur to bring fuel in to the station until approx 1989.

I know that some of the MUs had rail networks as well.

canberra;45504 wrote:

You might think its a strange thread but bare with me.

How many RAF and indeed other military airfields had/have railay lines in to them or railway stations? Off the top of my head there is famously Ballykelly. Cosford has its own station, and Leuchars had a rail spur to bring fuel in to the station until approx 1989.

I know that some of the MUs had rail networks as well.

,

16 MU Stafford Main site had a rail head. I recall I arrived there with jankers still to do from 4 S of TT arrived at the guardroom with my bags at 17-15 2 hours fatigues at the railhead at 18-00 happy days.

Leuchars still had 2 locos and was receiving fuel when I arrived in March 1990, I will try and find the exact date.
Bruggen had a railhead one of the Army hospital trains was often parked on one of the sisdings, I think Wildenrath did as well

TED

I did actually only mean UK airfields, I think all the RAFG bases except Gatow had railways. Gutersloh had a railway station opposite the air terminal.

And I couldnt remember the line at Leuchars being used on my second tour Ted.

North Killingholme had a spur off the main line that brought in bombs ! (Southern aspect of the airfield).

Also at a small location at Holton-Le-Moor (A46) there was a Spur off just after the level crossing into some kind of AM site. The hutting was still extent for some years and even now you can see several near the crossing.
What kinda AM. site ?? i dont know but would like to ...

canberra;45537 wrote:

I did actually only mean UK airfields, I think all the RAFG bases except Gatow had railways. Gutersloh had a railway station opposite the air terminal.

And I couldnt remember the line at Leuchars being used on my second tour Ted.

You only meant UK I lay awake all night thinking back to germany for you !!!!LOL .

Certainly still in use when I arrived March 1990 during offloading there were restrictions on welding in SWS which of course was part of my far flung empire. i will try and get a difinitive date for you.
TTFN TED

Westcott...?

Where was the railway at Feltwell?

The RAF Museum website has this:

Railways & the RAF - Part 1

The Royal Air Forces' connection with railways is not just confined to locomotive nameplates. It once operated extensive narrow and standard gauge railway systems, serving Maintenance Units such as RAF Stafford, bomb stores and airfields (Hendon airfield had its own branch line and sidings off the Midland main line between May 1918 and January 1921). Steam, diesel and battery electric locomotives were all used; the last Royal Air Force steam locomotive (A Barclay 0-4-0ST) was struck off charge at RAF St Athan in February 1973.

The Royal Air Force Museum's collection reflects this long-standing connection and includes a Ruston and Hornsby built 48DL two foot gauge diesel 'Yimkin' from the Gulf staging post at Royal Air Force Masirah (on loan to the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society since 1987) and two-foot gauge battery and diesel locomotives, wagons and track from the underground bomb storage area at Royal Air Force Chilmark, Wiltshire. These are currently stored at the RAFM facility at the former RAF Stafford, now an Army Base, Wrekin Lines, and are not on public view.

Also held are two lamps from a diesel shunting loco from RAF Henlow and two number plates from a similar loco, 'AMW No 167' an 0-4-0 built by J. Fowler of Leeds in 1939 that once operated at No.7 MU Quedgeley, and latterly at the former flying boat base at RAF Pembroke Dock and was scrapped in 1983 having been sold by the MoD to scrap merchants George Cohen & Sons at Morriston, Glamorgan in April 1970.

Spitfire and Hurricane nameplates

The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford displays 'Spitfire' and 'Hurricane' nameplates from Hunslet built 'Austerity' saddletanks that worked at Parsonage Colliery near Manchester until 1978.