[Railway reconstruction Italy 1943-1946 published by Royal Engineers, 1946]

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Chapter I
ORGANISATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION EFFORT

Section II.
Regimental Organisation


4. - Railway Operating Units.

No account of railway construction in Italy would be complete without mention of the part played by Railway Operating Units. Due to various reasons the commitments of Railway Operating were at times less heavy than those of Railway Construction and in order to speed the work of reconstruction it was decided to use them to assist in construction work. In such cases the Operating Company was put to work with a Construction Company.

Although the intention was that they should work entirely as labour, they brought to their task an enthusiasm and interest which soon lifted them right out of that category.

Among the units so employed was 190 Railway Operating Coy. which worked with 160 Rly. Constr. Coy. in the reconstruction of Line 90 between Naples and Rome, and Line 65 between Orte and Chiusi, during the Summer of 1944. 154 Railway Operating Coy. worked on Line 86 between Rimini and Bologna and on Line 85 between Bologna and S. Pietro under R.C.R.1. and R.C.E. (S.A.E.C.) respectively, during the early Summer of 1945. A detachment of the South African Composite Operating Company went to work under R.C.E. (S.A.E.C.) on the Prato-Bologna section of Line 65 during the Winter 1944/5.


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[Railway reconstruction Italy 1943-1946 published by Royal Engineers, 1946]

Alessandro Tuzza