Statfold the target for British army trolley
A 2ft gauge Second World War Wickham army target trolley has gone on display inside the Statfold Barn Railway’s awardwinning narrow gauge museum.
In early 1938, D Wickham & Co of Ware in Hertfordshire, Britain’s leading manufacturer of rail trolleys, was tasked by the War Department with developing a target trolley. Wickham built 200 examples to 2ft and 2ft 6in gauge.
Unmanned vehicles of this type ran on self-contained layouts at a number of firing ranges, including Lydd in Kent, Okehampton in Devon and Redesdale (Otterburn) in Northumberland.
The vehicles, powered by a two-cylinder JAP petrol engine, carried large wooden or canvas representations of armoured vehicles which were intended to be shot at by infantry troops being trained in anti-tank gunnery. At most ranges the track ran in a shallow cutting or was shielded by earth banks, thus protecting the trolley from stray projectiles.
This example, No. 3170 of 1943, is owned by the Rail Trolley Trust, whose standard gauge collection is based on the nearby Chasewater Railway.
Initially to be displayed in Statfold’s roundhouse museum, the intention is to occasionally demonstrate it in operation, complete with target, although not under live fire.
Trust director Jonathan Flood said: “We are grateful to be able to work with Statfold to enable our target trolley to be seen by the many thousands of visitors who attend the railway’s events each year.
“For many of them it will be their first exposure to this fascinating but little-known use of narrow gauge railways.”
Statfold trustee Henry Noon said:
“Historic vehicles like the target trolley add to the interest and variety of the Statfold collection at the same time as ensuring that they are kept secure and protected from the elements.”