Longmoor (WD73755)

The Longmoor is a true war engine, named for the depot of the British army’s Longmoor Military Railway Corps. This British railway corps operated military trains in liberated areas and worked to repair the railways. The series was built in the United Kingdom during World War II for use by the Allied armies on the European mainland. After the war, the NS purchased a large number of these locomotives in order to get its own train service back up and running. While the locomotive may look impressive, it was built using cheap material and, as a result, wasn’t very durable. Normally a locomotive should last 40 years or so, but the lifespan of these was no longer than eight years. The WD 73755 was the 1000th locomotive shipped to liberated territory by the British War Department. You can read about this on the commemorative plaque mounted on the train at the museum.