Beverloo Camp Railway

The Beverloo Camp Railway was a 115 km (71 mi) long 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge railway line in Beverloo Camp near Leopoldsburg in Belgium, which was operated from 1879 to 1940.[2][3]

Beverloo Camp Railway
Decauville railway station at Beverloo Camp, 1920s [1]

Route of the main line, as shown on a 1970s map
Technical
Line length115 km (71 mi)
Track gauge600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
Route map

 Beverloo Camp
1879-1940
 Military railway station
1879-1940
 Leopoldsburg
1914-1940
Leopoldsburg station on standard gauge line

History

The first section of track was laid in 1879 by Paul Decauville. It was extended to Leopoldsburg Station, on the standard gauge railway, in 1914.

The track was lifted on 10 May 1940 by Lieutenant Jeunehomme of the 3rd Compagnie and his troops, because of the German invasion during World War II.[4]

Route

The network was in total 115 km long including all the tracks throughout old Beverloo Camp. They went to the barracks, but also to the buildings outside the Infantry or Cavalry Barracks (military bakery, military butchery, military hospital etc) and to the firing range, which was located several kilometers away from the barracks.

  • Military railway station
    Military railway station
  • Military butchery
    Military butchery
  • Military bakery
    Military bakery
  • Actors and soldiers with a mock-up train, 1899
    Actors and soldiers with a mock-up train, 1899[5]

Rolling stock

Carriages

Initially horse-drawn, eight-wheeled Decauville bogie carriages were used.

  • Barracks
    Barracks
  • Transport services
    Transport services
  • Food transport
    Food transport

Steam locomotives

Later Borsig steam locomotives were used:

NameTypeManufacturerOperatorImage
Anna0-4-4-0BorsigRCF
Cecile0-4-4-0BorsigRCF
Henriette0-4-4-0BorsigRCF
0-4-4-0Borsig

Troup transport
  • Troup transport
    Troup transport
  • Embarkment of the troops
    Embarkment of the troops
  • Military railway station
    Military railway station
  • Embarkment of the troops
    Embarkment of the troops
  • Troop transport
    Troop transport

References
  1. Joerg Seidel: Camp de Beverloo.
  2. Patrick Marquenie: History: Evolution of the Cavalry Camp. Archived 6 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Roger Decoster: De Geschiedenis van het Kamp van Beverlo. Overzicht van het Ontstaan en Evolutie van het Kamp van Beverlo. Archived 27 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  4. De Achttiendaagse Veldtocht. Het Belgische verhaal van mei 1940, eenheid per eenheid: Regiment Spoorwegtroepen.
  5. Fotografie-Versorgungsmaterial-Zug. 1899-Militär, Komiker, Sepia. Lager von Beverloo. Leopoldsburg. Militärlager. Officier. Belgique.
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