Feldbahn

A Feldbahn, or Lorenbahn, is the German term for a narrow-gauge field railway, usually not open to the public, which in its simplest form provides for the transportation of agricultural, forestry (Waldbahn) and industrial raw materials such as wood, peat, stone, earth and sand.

With each successful advance, the British and French forces faced ever lengthening supply lines, while the Germans retreated deeper towards their homeland.

They were also used for pulling canal barges, transporting military materiel and personnel and removing materials from large-scale building sites and the rubble from ruined cities after the Second World War.

Tight curves enabled lines to be more easily routed, largely without structures being required, even in difficult terrain.

Provisional track laid along the edges of ditches as they were being extended forward, often on soft ground, led occasionally to derailments.

In the munitions depots of the German Federal Navy (Bundesmarine), narrow-gauge railways with a rail gauge of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) were used to move ammunition and materiel.

They are now used only where the ground conditions (e.g. moorland or peat bogs) or lack of space (mining) render the routine use of other means impractical.