A trainspotter in Germany 1945-1947

Prussian G8 0-8-0 BR55-1666 at Finnentrop on 12/3/46. Photo G.E. Rabone.

One of the hazards of writing a blog is that sometimes the material that I come across during my researches turns out to be more gripping than the intended subject of the post. While looking for a map of Berlin’s railways before Germany’s reunification I came across a map of the city’s railways as they were just after the end of WWII. Then the map suddenly vanished, returning the dreaded 404 ‘Page not found’ error. Further poking about with the URL in an effort to recover the map lead me to Steve Rabone’s website. Here there is much to delight the railway enthusiast including Steve’s own railway modelling in ‘S’ gauge and the former MR station at Hellifield. However, the real gem is On Her Majesty’s Service, an on-line copy of a small book written by Steve’s father, G.E. Rabone, in 1983 about his gricing in Germany between April 1945 and January 1947.

Having stumbled across the book by accident I stayed up half the night and could not stop reading until I reached the end when Steve’s father returns finally to England. This is primary historical material at its best. G.E. Rabone was part of a small RAF radar unit and his movements around Germany – both official and unofficial – gave him plenty of scope to record the situation on the railways of Germany and the country as a whole. The writing is concise and to the point. Steve’s father does not dwell on the destruction wreaked by the war, but he does not ignore it either. Here is part of his account of a visit to Hamburg.

At first sight Hamburg seemed relatively little damaged. There was of course plenty of explosive bomb damage but then the fine, upstanding apartment buildings (found in the centre of almost all German cities) which looked undamaged, were seen, close to, as mere shells. The city centre had been burnt-out by fire-bomb air-raids, especially during one horrific raid and fire storm on the same August weekend in 1942.

The railway descriptions are equally pithy. Steve has scanned his father’s notebooks so if the reader is so inclined the locomotive numbers can be matched to the text.

Minden, 9kms to the west. Fifteen derelicts were stored at the shed, two BR 50, three BR55, two BR 17,four BR 58 and a modern Polish 2-10—0 of class Ty23; over 400 of these were built in the 1920s and 1930s. There was also a small American-built 2-8-0 of Polish class Tr20, taken over by the DRG like the previous engine in 1941.

If you enjoy BTWT, you will enjoy On Her Majesty’s Service. You can read the whole book by following the link below.

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• G.E. Rabone – On Her Majesty’s Service