Simplex in the trees
In 1916, internal combustion power was in its infancy and most railway locomotives were powered by steam. However, the smoke, steam and night-time glow of the fire on a steam loco were a disadvantage near the front line, as they allowed the enemy to identify and attack trains and railway lines. All participants in the Somme therefore used petrol-powered locomotives in forward areas, supported by steam locos to the rear.
The Motor Rail & Tramcar company supplied hundreds of ‘Simplex’ petrol-mechanical locomotives to the British army, in 20HP and 40HP variants. The larger 40HP locos were delivered with three varieties of bodywork: ‘Open’, ‘Protected’ or ‘Armoured’. Their 4-cylinder, 8-litre petrol engine was thirsty and had a terrible power/weight ratio, but was robust and easily maintained. After the war, many were reconditioned and sold, and some were still operating in industrial service 50 years later.
The Ffestiniog Railway purchased a reconditioned 40HP loco in 1923, primarily for shunting duties. It was a ‘cut and shut’ job using the frame and engine of an ‘Open’ locomotive with the bodywork of a ‘Protected’ type; presumably combining the good bits of two war-weary locos. It was the last loco in operation in 1946 and the first to be used by the preservationists in 1954. It has appeared in a number of guises over the years but was returned to a largely original appearance for the event at Froissy, replacing the roof and a missing end panel, adding numberplates and receiving a new coat of paint. The original petrol engine is still going strong; the heat, smell, noise and backache associated with driving this tin box is an experience I would only recommend to the most hardy railwayman. How much worse must it have been with shells, shrapnel and bullets flying?
Here the Simplex trundles through the wooded area along the banks of the Somme canal with a short freight train of contemporary wagons.
Simplex in the trees
In 1916, internal combustion power was in its infancy and most railway locomotives were powered by steam. However, the smoke, steam and night-time glow of the fire on a steam loco were a disadvantage near the front line, as they allowed the enemy to identify and attack trains and railway lines. All participants in the Somme therefore used petrol-powered locomotives in forward areas, supported by steam locos to the rear.
The Motor Rail & Tramcar company supplied hundreds of ‘Simplex’ petrol-mechanical locomotives to the British army, in 20HP and 40HP variants. The larger 40HP locos were delivered with three varieties of bodywork: ‘Open’, ‘Protected’ or ‘Armoured’. Their 4-cylinder, 8-litre petrol engine was thirsty and had a terrible power/weight ratio, but was robust and easily maintained. After the war, many were reconditioned and sold, and some were still operating in industrial service 50 years later.
The Ffestiniog Railway purchased a reconditioned 40HP loco in 1923, primarily for shunting duties. It was a ‘cut and shut’ job using the frame and engine of an ‘Open’ locomotive with the bodywork of a ‘Protected’ type; presumably combining the good bits of two war-weary locos. It was the last loco in operation in 1946 and the first to be used by the preservationists in 1954. It has appeared in a number of guises over the years but was returned to a largely original appearance for the event at Froissy, replacing the roof and a missing end panel, adding numberplates and receiving a new coat of paint. The original petrol engine is still going strong; the heat, smell, noise and backache associated with driving this tin box is an experience I would only recommend to the most hardy railwayman. How much worse must it have been with shells, shrapnel and bullets flying?
Here the Simplex trundles through the wooded area along the banks of the Somme canal with a short freight train of contemporary wagons.