Standard gauge Motor Rail locos - a postscript

摘要

IN THE last issue we gave details of all the loco types that were built by this firm, but going through my collection of photographs there was one other interesting example that was built/converted. During World War One Motor Rail built hundreds of narrow gauge locos that were used in the trenches. They were a variety of 20hp 'open' designs and 40hp 'protected' and 'armoured' examples. Towards the end of the war many of them did not go over to France but remained in Britain and were sold as war surplus. One of those was MR 1313, a 40hp protected type that was not delivered until September 1918. After the war the Royal Engineers were working on a contract in the Shoeburyness marshes, and rather than purchase a new standard gauge loco for the contract, they converted MR 1313 to standard gauge. This was done by replacing the axles. The wheels were then placed on the outside of the frames; an easy way to get a 'new' loco. If you look at the accompanying photograph, one of the small 20hp MR locos can also be seen in use on this contract.