Military Railway

[PUFFINGBILLY]

Your collective advice needed please.
I am researching the temporary existance of a branch line laid during WW1 in the grounds of Sheffield Park Sussex and used to store an armoured train.
Where do I go to find more information and in particular any pictures?

 

[Nym]

Oh ouch.... Err..

A lot of the stuff from the beginning of WW1 is now starting to be de-classified, so you might want to start off in the national archives, or some old maps of the area.

If it was classified top secret, you need to be 100 years clear of classification, and even then might require an FoI request, but if it was less clasisfied it may be released by now.

A good place to start from Zero could be contacting the RLC Museum, that has absorbed the parts of the RCT that used to run Railways for the MoD and MoW. Their website can be found here http://www.rlcmuseum.co.uk/ they do tend to keep good archives from what I remember so you should find something there.

Possibly even contacting the NRM to see if they have any data on this...?

EDIT: The RLC Museum is at Deepcut, (Princess Royal Barracks), Sunny Surrey... (Oh how wonderful that base is )

 

[Wyvern]

Do you have any dealings with the Bluebell Railway?

 

[PUFFINGBILLY]

Oh ouch.... Err..

A lot of the stuff from the beginning of WW1 is now starting to be de-classified, so you might want to start off in the national archives, or some old maps of the area.

If it was classified top secret, you need to be 100 years clear of classification, and even then might require an FoI request, but if it was less clasisfied it may be released by now.

A good place to start from Zero could be contacting the RLC Museum, that has absorbed the parts of the RCT that used to run Railways for the MoD and MoW. Their website can be found here http://www.rlcmuseum.co.uk/ they do tend to keep good archives from what I remember so you should find something there.

Possibly even contacting the NRM to see if they have any data on this...?

EDIT: The RLC Museum is at Deepcut, (Princess Royal Barracks), Sunny Surrey... (Oh how wonderful that base is )

Thanks for the suggested start points. What about the Imperial war Museum? Will let you know how I get on.

 

[Nym]

Imperial War Museum could also be a good starting point, but I beleive most of the archives at at Deepcut. Most of the RCT ones anyway (Royal Corps of Transport).

For the RLCM I'd sudgest emailing them or phoning them first asking exactly what you're looking for, and the curator may have some idea.

 

[Ploughman]

Some of the UK railway depots were operated by the Royal Engineers eg Longmoor and Long Marston.
The RE Museum is at Gillingham, Chatham in Kent and may have some detail as well.
http://www.re-museum.co.uk/

 

[Tiny Tim]

I've trawled the internet a little in search of information about military railways; There isn't much available, and certainly no 'one stop shop'. Luckily for me, the main object of my interest, the Larkhill Military Railway, has been well documented in the book 'Rails Across the Plain'. It's author, Jeffery Grayer, may well be able to help you in locating information. It's my understanding that the R.O.D. (Railway Operating Division) of the Royal Engineers were responsible for operating military railways. Best of luck with your research, especially the photos - taking photographs of military installations during wartime must have been a high-risk hobby.

 

[caliwag]

Kernowfem posed some questions a while back about branch lines in the war years which created an interesting thread. I learned a lot just doing some basic research in my own library...if ever you want to understand how the railways performed rapidly in a crisis then some of the references in that thread are fascinating.

One of the books I referred to was Oakwood press 178, 'The Melbourne Military railway'...that's Melbourne in derbyshire btw.

There are references to other installations in the fascinating book, but I don't recall Sheffield Park. However in the opening chapter, thanks are given to the Public Records Office in Kew and, the now defunct, Beverley Museum of Army transport (this was 1980), so perhaps, as has been suggested, try the Imperial War Museum.

Good hunting, Jim