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unusual facts about railway gun


Elham Valley Railway

It was home to a huge Railway gun called the Boche Buster which could fire shells of 1.4 tons over a range of 12 miles, and was kept in Bourne Park tunnel.


359th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery

Originally established as an 8 inch howitzer battery, the unit was re-formed as a 12 inch railway gun battery while training at Lydd Ranges in April and May 1917.

Martin Mill

The railway guns were 13.5" ex naval guns on WW1 mountings with a maximum elevation of 39 deg, traverse was by using the guns on a curved spur with the degrees marked along the tracks, a large arrow was mounted on the guns bogies to line up with the marks. Recoil was absorbed by special brakes acting on the wheels. Scene Shifter was later converted to an 18" Howitzer gun in November 1943.


see also

Type 90 240 mm railway gun

The Type 90 240mm Railway Gun was initially deployed as a coastal artillery battery at Futtsu, Chiba, as part of the defenses guarding the entrance to Tokyo Bay.