LONGMOOR BARRACKS DETMOLD

Am involved with a small group of amateur miltary railway enthusiasts who are researching and various aspects of the Railway Operating Division Royal Engineers and its successors (some of the results have appeared on this site from time to time).

One of the members has recently obtained a brief history of the Detmold Military Railway, researched by a German railway enthusiast, which operated in various forms between Herford and Altenbeken from 1945 to 1950 to provide a BAOR based Centre of Excellence for the training of Sapper railwaymen

This document shows that they were based in Longmoor Barracks Detmold, formerly Werre Kaserne. This name is totally unfamiliar to me and the others. Can any of our Detmold experts provide an exact location?

There was an excellent German website with a very detailed information including maps and photos which was linked to this site. Sasdly it has been sabotaged by a virus and the host webmaster is struggling to reconstruct his original information

i dont profess to be an expert but i hope this helps,as far as i can tell longmoor bks were located just off paulinenstrase,[between industriestrase and arminstrase], just behind the railway station in the town centre.

I don't recall that Bks at all. I thought trains were operated by the RAOC not the sappers?

dandc

Thank you very much for your very helpful posting, your info substantiates a German site outlining the history of a Bundeswehr Krankenhaus (BMH) Detmold which I found after posting my original query.

Looking at Google Earth for the area The remains of Werre Kaserne/Longmoor Barracks can be found exactly where you said. The Barracks is close to the station/goods sidings convenient for the 130 plus Sapper Permanent Staff who ran the military railway and the 70 or so trainees (in National Service days there would have been a constant turnover of junior ranks) Training was carried out on behalf of he military staff required to maintain the numerous military sidings (some quite exensive scattered throughout the then BAOR.

Jim
It was the Railway Operating Division Royal Engineers who had the principle responsibility for the organisation of British military railways worldwide. This was transferred to the newly formed Royal Corps of Transport in the late 60s

Got you JPW. Thanks

Longmoor Barracks Detmold will have to be added to the Master List of barracks to be found off the Locations Section of the Home Page in due course

My original source told me that the site was first occupied by some bureaucrats of the Control Commission Germany who were then ejected in favour of the Sappers. They in turn must have left for Ayrshire Barracks Moenchen Gladbach when that became the centre of the Sapper Railway Operating activities in BAOR

The barracks were not handed back to the German authorities till 1977. Does anyone know the British units which occupied the barracks in the later years?

I can remember putting 432's on flat bed trucks at Detmold railway. That would be about 76 but it was just a case of driving them down there and gingerly putting them on the trucks. Can't remember anyone supervising it or other troops being there. I do remember there was a specific ramp for this kind of loading. Probably from the second war but only guessing.

I can remember loading 432's at Detmold about he mid '70's and we also had a rail head in Munster i think, though i never used it.

Hi JPW,

I am interested in military railways also.
Was in RE Field Regiment in BAOR, but then transferred to No. 3 MOV Control Group for three and a half years reservist.

If you are developing a website, I am interested.
Never got to the Detmold MR; but did see one of thier diesel locos at Lier, Belgium in 1952 when the NATO depot was being built

Cheeers
Tony
Australia

I was stationed at TDU Viersen but all our admin and sister squadrons were in Moenchengladbach. The RCT/RLC train was stationed there and I often thought how great it looked and then saw pimply 19 year olds toying with them - great fear I had then!

As is often the case on this site, any subject rapidly expands to reflect related experiences or memories.

Going back to my original query and thanks to Steve fanastastic researches the one capbadge which does not have been mentioned in the Detmold area with a specific location is the RASC/RCT Transport Company/Squadron which were part of 20 Armoured Brigade

I wonder if therefore they were based in Longmoor Barracks? Alternatively where was the SSO and his Staff based?

The good news is the webmaster of the site which hosted the Detmold Military Railway history appears to have cleared the virus and is now up and running . strongly recommended for anyone interested. The only bit missing from the original at present is a sketch map of the line with "cartoons" of typical scenes

Regarding the use of railflats. The majority of units quickly gained the requisite exoertise to correctly lash vehicles onto the relevent rail flats and were trusted to organise this operation themselves though undoubtedly a RASC/RCT/RLC Movement Control NCO (complete with red armband and yellow wagon wheel together with a DB Bahnmeister would have carried out a final safety check before the train departed. The various correspondents are correct the majority of DB goods sidings especially those close to barracks did have suitable concrete ramps or platforms to enable military vehicles to be easily (off) loaded. In the rare situation that this facility waas not available 14 Squadron did own a few warflats with detachable bogies which could provide the neccesary ramp to enable loadong to be carried out

More to follow in due course but must return to the current search for information on BAOR in the period 1945/47 which will be published in due course