regemental info help

[paul a]

Hello Guys .I have a bayonet with regemental marks on the cross guard.E.A.5.102.
i know its Eisenbahn-Arbeiterkompagnie (railways),does anyone know were i can get any info about this unit even a place to start looking ,i car,nt seem to pin anything down.The bayonet is a 71/84 dated 87 on spine .Thanks Paul.

[paul a]

Hello here is a 71/84 bayonet which was used by the railway labour company .These bayonets normaly have wood gripps but this one has staghorn maybe done period or later not sure ,maybe used has a walking out bayonet. Paul

[oradour]

Paul, super complete M71/84 seitengewehr with staghorn grips, and frog...Imperial acceptance marks for 1887 (If my eyes are correct !) great condition, with matching "Regimentals" on crossguard and scabbard, marked "E.A.5.102" for "Eisenbahn-Arbeiter-Kompanie 5, 102 waffen" (Railway Labour company number 5, 102nd weapon). It appears to be wearing an Officers sword knot (Portepee) in photo 4. Before the Great War, the Eisenbahn-truppen of the German Army was of 3 Prussian Regiments, of 8 Companies, one Independant battalion of 4 companies and a Bavarian battalion, there were also 3 railway traffic companies, who worked the military railways from Berlin to the gunnery schools at Juterbog (40 miles of track). When war was declared, railway personel were organised into 121 construction companies. Plus there were also 127 railway traffic companies, 5 workmen battalions, 9 supplementary battalions and 23 railway stores companies. Duties of these troops were the control and movement of troops, loading and maintenance of goods trains, breakdowns and repairs and construction of light railways close to the front line for supply purposes. Railway troops also operated the armoured trains, these units known as "Panzerzug", of which there was 13 in the war. The running/maintenance of the German railways was, during WW1, the responsibility of the civil authorities within Germany itself, and of 26 "Linen Kommandanturen" in the occupied territories. The importance of the military railway system was witnessed first hand by Prussian observers in the American Civil War, when the Union Armies moved vast amounts of men and material quickly to the frontline, as a result of these observations Prussia developed the Eisenbahn truppen, and led to railways being used by the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. An indication of its size was realised at the time of the Armistice, it was operating 6,627 locomotives and over 178,000 wagons/carriages, over 19,658 klms of track !
Railway troops wore Guard litzen on the collar/cuff and an "E" on their shoulder straps.

[paul a]

Thank you very much for the info ,how do go about finding the info on these train regimants i could,nt get anything on the computer ,Thanks again Paul.

[oradour]

Thank you very much for the info ,how do go about finding the info on these train regimants i could,nt get anything on the computer ,Thanks again Paul.

Paul, over the years (before the advent of the computer!) I have invested in a large library of informative hardware.....books ! I cannot stress the importance of reference material. By the way, dont get confused by "Train and Railway Regiments" of the Imperial German Army, they are not the same ! look at "Train Regiments" as in wagon train, supplies/transportation, and "Railway troops" as, well, everything to do with the Railway system.
Prost ! Steve.