Any photos of Rail head for Soltau at Reinsehlen camp?

I was in the Royal Engineers at Roberts Barracks, Osnabruck from 1980 to 83.

Any exercise to Soltau involved the relevant Field troop and Support troop's vehicles being loaded onto the rail flats at Roberts Barracks, for a train ride to Soltau training area.

As an HQ MT driver, we used to drive the guys up the Autobahn to the rail head on Soltau training area.

Some 30 years later, I am advised that the rail head was at Reinsehlen Camp, which is north of Schneverdingen - north of Soltau itself

I recall that the railhead was on the eastern side of Reinsehlen, and tucked up in an area with trees along both sides.

Much of Reinsehlen infrastructure got ripped out in the nineties, including the tank bridge that went over the Route 3. I don't recall seeing the rows of Nissen accommodation huts that were there in the seventies.

Google didn't start doing aerial photo maps until 2005, and I'm having difficulty finding any photos of the rail head, or map showing the rail head.

So if you've got a Soltau Training area map and can scan the Reinsehlen camp area for me, of photos of the rail head, I would be extremely grateful.

I have a Google map of locations relevant to Osnabruck Garrison. Scroll down the list of Layers until you see the Soltau Railhead and click on it. I've put a blue train image where I think the rail head was

http://goo.gl/maps/AKB8W

I'll add some photos when the Sprog restrictions have been lifted

Hi Mark,

Don't think you are far out. This link may be of interest:-

http://www.dorfbahnhof.de/barrl/barrl.html

Thanks. Amazing that so many passed through this place, but only a few photos exist of the camp on line - and nothing clearly showing where the rail flats were.

Mark

Welcome

As a Railway Enthusiast who spent who spent many days on the Reinsehlen Training Area in the 1960s I read your query with interest.

Remember the trains half circulating the bivouac area but have no recollection of the sidings you mentioned

Now if you had asked about Reinsehlen Annie (often mentioned in earlier discussions) you probably have been deluged with memories

JPW wrote:

...

Remember the trains half circulating the bivouac area but have no recollection of the sidings you mentioned ...

Could you go into some more details please? Did you come on the train, or see the trains passing by?

I think unless one's vehicles arrived on the train and one had to unload it, you'd never know the flats were even there. I spent 3 years in Roberts Barracks, but never saw a single vehicle loaded on the rail head there. But somehow our 432s, Spartans, and plant equipment materialised at Soltau, Vogelsang, etc

I think this photo is looking up to where the sidings where. If only the photographer had been stood on a vehicle

JPW wrote:

...
Now if you had asked about Reinsehlen Annie (often mentioned in earlier discussions) you probably have been deluged with memories

Mark

In my time in Minden and my subsequent tour in Munster I was always associated with units equipted with B Vehicles (including FV 432s). We always tracked to FTX Areas including some significant distances such as Munster Leer or Munster Hildesheim. The only time I can remember FV432s using rail flats was when the newly issued Black Watch FV32s were transported from Minden to the Hildesheim area by rail. My visits to Reinsehlen from Minden to set up a mini FRG were always by road

I think the main users of rail transport were the Centurion equipted Armoured Regiments going to Annual Firing Camps at Hohne. Not sure about the Abbot equipted Gunner Regiments travelling to Munsterlager We do have a number of Contributors with RAC/Gunner backgrounds, they may be able to add more authoritive comments

Certainly in my train spotting time at Reinsehlen I do not recall ever seing a British sponsored freight train, the attraction was the steam hauled passenger trains

I think my first stay at Reinsehlen would've been in '60 and there were quite a few visits after that.
I know we used the camp during the period we were ABBOT/FV432 but I have a feeling the tracks were banished to a parking ground, away from the tent area,(being grassed they'd have made a right mess of the place). We were more likely to be based in Trauen by then.
All that being said, our tracks were taken from Hemer to the training area by train but for the life of me, I have no recollection of rail sidings in the Reinsehlen area.

"Reinsehlen Annie" I don't recall, in fact our Ladies of the Night were Five Mark Monica and her mate.

I can't find anyone who remembers the abandoned, WW2 vintage Kino building, that could be found in the woods nearby.

We were coming up from Osnabruck.

On one of the exercises where I was driving a Land Rover, I went up on the advance party. Had to retrace my steps back to the main convoy and get them to speed up - as the flats with our kit on were due to leave at a certain time so the next lot could come in.

We supported 17/21 Dancers and KOSB during my time. Soltau for us Engineers was an easy exercise as it was to support the relevant battlegroup, rather than exercise our own skills. So we could have a nice week or two without having to build a single MGB bridge or lay a single minefield  

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IIRC, the railhead was situated to the right of the access road, over the level crossing, from the B3 entrance. In a previous life I was MTO of a Gnr Abbot Regt, amongst other duties, I was responsible for road and rail moves. The majority of rail journeys to the Munsterlager Training area terminated at Trauen sidings or Fallingbostel, can't ever remember using Barrl as Reinsehlen Camp was normally occupied by wheeled vehicles. I once loaded a couple of 432s at Handeloh just along the B3 from Reinsehlen. Back in the day, if you missed the Recce Transport from Hamburg, you could catch a train from Hamburg Hbf, via every Bahnhof in N Germany to Barrl - normally got you in for First Parade.

Now that I've been here more than 7 days, I can share URLs and photos

Shelldrake, what years were you in Germany ?

This is the URL to my Google Map, which started life as just an Osnabruck Garrison Map - but is growing to all places I went to between 79 and 83.

http://goo.gl/maps/AKB8W

If you click on the link above, and then scroll down the list of locations until you come to Soltau Training Area - then click on an item so you can zoom right in. I've marked where I recall the railhead being with a blue steam train.

Just wish I could find some photos of it in use. But as we all know, that sort of location was always everybody in a rush and no time to think about photos

" />

[quote="Mark Ellis"]Now that I've been here more than 7 days, I can share URLs and photos

Shelldrake, what years were you in Germany ?

Mark, I served in Germany:- 64-69, 71-76 and 81 -86.

Shelldrake wrote:

Mark, I served in Germany:-  64-69, 71-76 and 81 -86.

Must have seen some serious changes over that period.

I've marked an area blue on my Google map between the railway track and Route 3. It is of course right next door to the camp. I can recall the troop harbouring in that area overnight whilst queuing to get on the rail flats. I left a cam net in there once that I'd tossed out of the Rover, and then forgot to put in the next morning. Luckily, one of the sections put it in their 432

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The latest at Reinsehlen - book in at the hotel


http://www.wow.com/wiki/Reinsehlen_Camp

Mark Ellis wrote:

I was in the Royal Engineers at Roberts Barracks, Osnabruck from 1980 to 83.

Any exercise to Soltau involved the relevant Field troop and Support troop's vehicles being loaded onto the rail flats at Roberts Barracks, for a train ride to Soltau training area.

As an HQ MT driver, we used to drive the guys up the Autobahn to the rail head on Soltau training area.

Some 30 years later, I am advised that the rail head was at Reinsehlen Camp, which is north of Schneverdingen - north of Soltau itself

I recall that the railhead was on the eastern side of Reinsehlen, and tucked up in an area with trees along both sides.

Much of Reinsehlen infrastructure got ripped out in the nineties, including the tank bridge that went over the Route 3. I don't recall seeing the rows of Nissen accommodation huts that were there in the seventies.

Google didn't start doing aerial photo maps until 2005, and I'm having difficulty finding any photos of the rail head, or map showing the rail head.

So if you've got a Soltau Training area map and can scan the Reinsehlen camp area for me, of photos of the rail head, I would be extremely grateful.

I have a Google map of locations relevant to Osnabruck Garrison. Scroll down the list of Layers until you see the Soltau Railhead and click on it. I've put a blue train image where I think the rail head was

http://goo.gl/maps/AKB8W

I'll add some photos when the Sprog restrictions have been lifted

Here you go mate:-






One of the Nissan huts:-



And finally a map of the area you wanted:-



As people have already mentioned the railhead was to the east of the camp, to the north of the tank road and just to the west of the name Barrl!

Hallo Campers!

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Hotelcamp Reinsehlen**** • Camp Reinsehlen 1, 29640. Schneverdingen (Germany) • Tel.: 0049 (0)51989830

Pictorially excellent BUT no mention of that cutting wind that glides across the wide open spaces!

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