Re: Military Trains on the Narrow Gauge

Did Commonwealth 42" gauge (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, etc.) haul heavy military equipment domestically in WWII?

In theater, most of the US Railway Battalions were standard gauge operations, but in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater, the supply route from Calcutta to Assam was a mix of broad gauge, meter gauge, barges, and pipelines. The main focuses of this effort were supplying Lend-Lease materiel to Nationalist China (via the "hump" airlift), construction of the Ledo Road (to reopen a land route to China), and support of Allied combat operations in Burma.

The broad gauge only went partial distance, so trans-shipment to meter gauge was a distinctive feature of this operation. This appears to be the only major Allied combat supply chain to feature narrow gauge railroads prominently in WWII. Imperial Japan of course also operated domestic 42", plus meter gauge in Southeast Asia (although they did not make very heavy tanks).

I know M3 Medium tanks (British Grants) were in service in Burma as late as '44/45 (long after M4s replaced them in other theaters). These had the same drivetrain/footprint as the Shermans, but were lighter at about 30 tons. I wonder if the meter gauge brought these tanks to the railhead, or if they went upriver by barge?

I'm curious to learn more in general about these CBI railroads and just ordered a book on the topic (Happy Amazon Prime Day to me!). I'll circle back if I learn something about heavy equipment movements, weight limits, etc. on the CBI meter gauge.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/2020 10:02PM by Shavano479.