ROD ENGINE DEFINITIONS

The details about theatres of operation for the various classes in ‘Found on the Front’ (SR486) was limited by the lack of available information.

Of all the ROD depots on the Western Front, the only surviving depot allocation lists that I’m aware of are those for Bergues Exchange from August 1917 to May 1918. These come from the records of the 6th Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company. ROD locomotives were identified by a combination of type (their wheel arrangement) and class (another identifier that varied depending on where they were sourced). For locomotives loaned by the British railway companies, this was an abbreviation of the railway company name.

Belgian locomotives were identified by the word ‘Belge’ and the Belgian class (or type). Locomotives obtained new for the ROD carried the builder’s name. There were exceptions to this classification system.

The locomotives covered by the Bergues allocation lists are: BELGIAN LOCOMOTIVES Type: 0-6-0 Class: Belge ‘25’ Type: 0-6-0 Class: Belge ‘30’ Type: 0-6-0 Class: Belge ‘32’ Type: 0-6-0 Class: Belge ‘32S’ Type: 0-4-0 Class: Belge Tank

BRITISH RAILWAY COMPANY LOCOMOTIVES

Type: 0-6-0 Class: GC (GCR ‘9J’) Type: 0-6-0 Class: GE (GER ‘Y14’) Type: 0-6-0 Class: GN (GNR ‘5J’) Type: 0-6-0 Class: GW (GWR ‘2301’) Type: 0-6-0 Class: L&NW (LNWR ‘32’) Type: 0-6-0 Class: L&Y (L&YR Class 27) Type: 0-6-0 Class: Midland (MR ‘1F’) Type: 0-8-0 Class: NE (NER ‘T1’) Type: 0-6-0 Class: N. British (NBR ‘C’)

MINISTRY OF MUNITIONS LOCOMOTIVES

Type: 0-4-0 Class: Baldwin Type: 2-8-0 Class: Baldwin Type: 2-8-0 Class: GC Trevor Edmonds, Dorrigo, Australia