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 MoD Stafford, 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.