Re-enactment Fund Raiser?

[Brett Goertemoeller]

Here are some more pictures and some more footage to "wet the whistle".  I haven't heard back from FT Benning yet, but when I do I'll let you all know.  The pictures below are all from the FT Benning Railroad that ran on post from 1921 (I believe) until 1946. There is one "new" picture of the engine there that was taken a few years ago.   

The footage is mostly french, 14 minutes long, but you get to see a lot of the equipment (Allied and Axis) and more western front action. 

http://www.histomil.com/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=5865

Enjoy everyone!

I'm very happy that there is an interest in trying to do something like this in the next few years.  I still haven't heard from anyone if there is interest in doing the reenactor side of things at the railroad.  Is there any interest in that so that we could go around to different events and promote the railroad? 

Brett

[Ira Schreiber]

IIRC, the Benning Baldwin was from Fort Dix, New Jersey, which had an extensive 2' operation.

[Brett Goertemoeller]

Ira,
  Yes there was another nice size railroad at Dix.  However (acourding to FT Benning) the engine that is there is one that was there since 1921 and it's a Davenport (made under contract for Baldwin).  The 2-6-2t were made not only by Baldwin but by Davenport, and Alco.

[Wayne Laepple]

There is a 600mm railway museum in France that owns quite a bit of World War I trench railway rolling stock, including one of the Alco 2-6-2T's, a couple of the Baldwin gas locomotives and a Fairbanks-Morse speeder. They also have several freight cars, including a couple of depressed-center cars designed for heavy loads. At least one has been modified to transport a modern skid steer loader for track work. Here's a link to their website: http://appeva.perso.neuf.fr/  If you click on the British flag, the website appears in English. Their line is part of a former sugar beet railway and includes a tunnel.

[Brett Goertemoeller]

That railroad is also all that is left of the 24 Engineers (narrow gauge) operation section of the Somme division.  As far as I have found, the Alco there and one other in England are the only two running.  There is a lot of good info on the APPEVA site.  It's linked on the links page of the WW&F home site.  Did anyone chat about this idea at the festivities last weekend?

[Bill Sample]

It's great to see all this interest in the somewhat forgotten "War to End All Wars" as I think it was called.  As this was the only big war from the 2-footer era I imagine that there were some employees who went into the service before or after their railway careers began - can't say that I remember seeing any direct reference to that though.
Both of my grandfathers were in it - my mom's father was Navy stationed in Boston but my dad's father was in England then France and may have seen some trench railway action.  I have the Croix de Guerre he was awarded plus a detailed account of the last days up to the armistice but no reference to any army railway was written.
My father went through OCS at Ft Benning during WW2 and referred to the narrow gauge railway there as "The Chattahoochie Choo-Choo."

[Brett Goertemoeller]

Bill,
  The guys down there did refur to it as the "chattahoochie Choo-Choo".  It is also called the "dinky".  I posted some WWII era footage of the railroad in operation from a youtube link.  Check it out.  I was only able to find the 1st half, but it's some great footage.

Has anyone talked to the museum?  A friend of mine in the GWA was reading here and about fell out of his seat that there may be some interest to do this. 

[Mike Fox]

I did talk briefly about it Saturday morning. It is a great idea and should be persued. It would be almost impossible to make the train accurate but I bet we can get it close.

Hopefully during the next board meeting it will be discussed and the boards thoughts or concerns will be known.

[Brett Goertemoeller]

The acuracy of the train can be talked about later on, it's not as big of a deal as some may think.  If you notice in most of the footage, it's all flat cars and box cars.  Got a lead on an engine too.  I'll have to look into it a little more, but I think it may be a good lead.

[Pete "Cosmo" Barrington]

Weelllllll,... uuuhhh.....
Even though it's not a "trench" engine,.....
....one of the Boothbay teakettles would at least give it a European "flavor."
It would also not be difficult to move it to Sheepscott for a weekend.

[Brett Goertemoeller]

Actually Pete, they were.  The Central Powers used them.  That's why it is so much quicker to do a "captured" trainset.  Hard part is getting the only American engine left up there.  If the museum that owned it will let it be transported.....and thats a real big if.

[Arttu Manninen]

I might be totally wrong, but weren't there a couple of German 0-8-0 Brigadelok in Chigago or somewhere? Chigago Zoo? Something I read 20 years ago.

The Frankfurt 600mm Museum also owns some very nice WW1 pieces, a Baldwin gas-mechanical and German and French steam engines. There has been some re-enacting at Frankfurt and at the Muskau Forest Railway, but, I have the impression, not everybody is happy with historic uniforms, the German history being what it was.

I really hope You get the re-enacting project going, it looks very promising!

[Brett Goertemoeller]

I wouldn't say that you are wrong, but I can't find anything on them.  I have found 3 Imperial German Army locomotives here in the states though.  One of them looks just like the "teakettles" at booth bay and the other two look nothing like you think they would.  0-8-0 outside frame engines that look kind of like tanks...lol. 

In terms of the uniforms, I think that WWI CP is much better to stomach than WWII.  The WWI guys don't come off in the way that some might think, and there isn't the same "stigma" if you know what I mean.

[Arttu Manninen]

Just found the old book (Heeresfeldbahnen, Alfred B. Gottwaldt, 1986), the book claims three Brigadelok 0-8-0 were shipped to USA after 1965, the locos being Maffei 4613/1915; Hartmann 4140/1918 and Jung 2845/1918. The last one, the book says, went to "Zoo Chicago". They were outside-frame machines, so maybe some heavy modifications were done by new owners. Their previous owner was a coal mine near Cologne, where they supposedly saw some very heavy use and might have been in a very bad condition.

[Brett Goertemoeller]

There is one that I know of that is in California privately owned in operating condition.  It is one of the 0-8-0.  I'll see what I can find, and see if it is one of thoes numbers.