Canadian Armored Train

[avrotim]

I'm re-reading "War on our Doorstep: the Unknown Campaign on North America's West Coast".

Its about WWII in the Pacific Northwest/Alaska zone. I didn't  know much about this period, so it was interesting reading. The author has dug up lots of kool facts, although his juxtaposition of them shows a certain lack of understanding- comparing the 18 inch guns of the Yamato with the 6 inch guns of a coastal battery in British Columbia for instance. Nothing wrong with the facts, except that such guns simply would never have found themselves firing against each other. One of the facts I found fascinating is that from 1942 to 1944, Canada operated a armoured train on the west coast of B.C.! Apparently it was called "No.1 Armored Train" and patrolled along the tracks from Prince Rupert to Vancouver. It carried three platoons of infantry as well as search lights, four 40mm bofors AA guns, and one 75mm gun in "armoured revetments". There is a picture of part of the train in the book; the revetments look to be nothing more than a couple of feet of armour stuck onto the sides of a flatcar carrying the guns. Looked mighty cold. The mission of the train was to repel Japanese commando raids on the vulnerable single track rail line from the border with the USA up to its terminus at Prince Rupert. It was built here in WINNIPEG in 1942, and de-activated and dismantled in WINNIPEG in 1944.

[mirth]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!