W.W.&F. Discussion Forum
General Topics => General Discussion => Topic started by: Wayne Laepple on November 27, 2012, 05:28:20 PM
-
This came to me from one of my Puffing Billy friends in Australia:
http://www.ecpad.fr/les-petits-trains-de-la-grande-guerre-2
-
Thanks for the link Wayne,
I like the MU'd locomotiveshorses, the turntables and the off loading of an engine by hand. Interesting trench views and logging scenes too. Good stuff.
-
Did you also notice the Fairlies?
-
Did you also notice the Fairlies?
Yes, they were fairlie obvious.
(ducks)
-
Did you also notice the Fairlies?
Yes, they were fairlie obvious.
(ducks)
No, you're on the right track Ed. I did a little digging, and it appears that Baldwin of all companies supplied some of the French fairlies. Scroll down to the French section of the page. Now, shouldn't I be ducking for trusting Wikipedia ;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_railways
*edit: Should I facepalm myself now or later?
-
I have the book on the 60cm railways of France and there is no mention of Baldwin building any Fairlies. Could that be urban rumor?
Ira Schreiber
-
I don't see anything on the Fairlies that looks remotely like Baldwin practice of the period. There was one 0-4-0T shown that might have been a Baldwin, though I suspect Vulcan or Porter instead.
-
Well, I learn something new every day. Bernie Perch tells me that Baldwin did indeed build 200 Fairlies to French specifications. According to Bernie's note, additional engines were built in Britain, and the only way one could tell which was which was by the builder's plate. Thanks to Bernie for correcting my error.
-
There is an article in the Nov/Dec 1991 issue of the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette on these locomotives.
Bernie
-
I learned something, too.
Never say they never did !!
-
Need a little turntable like the one shown to spin those 4 wheel cars.
-
The systems used in WWI are an amasing thing. Only one section of the 2' is left. It's intact and in operation. If any of you get to Europe, I would recomend a ride. So much fun.
Anyone who is really interested in this time should get hold of "Narrow Gauge to No Mans Land". It has drawings and great ideas. I also have the drawings for these flat cars, tank cars, and box cars. I was able to get them coppied, and would love to build one some day. Would be awsome to have a train like this in Alna. The 14th Engineers was made up of all New England railroaders. My Avitar is the combat patch off of an orriginal 14th uniform. Part of the American 2' history that would be amazing to bring back.
-
The snow scene struck me as very Maine-like.
-
Another good book on the subject is:Two-Foot Rails to the Front by Charles S. Small published by Railroad Monographs, 1982. This soft bound book has all sorts of narrow gauge railroad equipment both steam and internal combustion and cars from both sides. According to the author, Baldwin built 279 of the double-enders and 32 0-6-0Ts of standard design beside the 2-6-2Ts built for the US Army. There are many other locomotives shown including the Alco 2-6-2Ts (which appear to be slightly larger than the Baldwins (and other builders who made this type) and a Decauville 0-6-6-0. Also shown are the German 0-8-0Ts among other locomotives. Included also in the book are many railroad operation scenes and a section on survivors at the time the book was written.
Bernie
-
Something interesting to note, is that there is more CP (Central Powers) equipment here in the US than Allied equipment. Almost none of it is left here. We (the 14th Engineers) looked high and low for equipment, and came to the nasty reality that we would have to build all the equipment from scratch. Kinda put a cramp in starting the unit.
-
This thread reminded me of Sir Arthur Heywood (1849-1916) a wealthy British engineer who tried with only minor success to interest the British Army in using 15-inch-gauge railways for logistics purposes.
He built a demonstration 15" gauge railway on his estate in Duffield Bank. The chassis of one of his engines—Muriel—an 0-8-0 tank engine, was later incorporated into the locomotive River Irt, an 0-8-2 locomotive of the 7-mile 15" gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria, England. River Irt entered service on the R&ER in 1927 and is still going strong today.
The valve gear on River Irt is Heywood's modification of Brown valve gear, apparently made to eliminate Brown's use of a block sliding in a link and thus eliminate a wear problem. Heywood's gear uses only pin joints.
I'll attempt to attach a couple of pictures of River Irt.
(http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t437/StevenSmith3/Loco%20River%20Irt/IMG_3951_zps26e36077.jpg)
(http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t437/StevenSmith3/Loco%20River%20Irt/IMG_3949_zps38dfc902.jpg)
-
15" was used by the British durring WWII. I would have you take a look at the pictures of the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch light railway coastal armored defense train. Cool stuff. They (RH&DC) also had a dedicated military branch. They played a big role in coastal defense.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Romney%2C_Hythe_and_Dymchurch_armoured_train.jpg
http://s134542708.websitehome.co.uk/pillboxes/html/kent2_1.html
http://www.narrow-gauge-pleasure.co.uk/railways/rlyromney.aspx