page_title: List of armoured trains
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: List of armoured trains / United Kingdom / World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: Troops from the Somerset Light Infantry man an armoured train on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch miniature railway in Kent, 14 October 1940.
context_page_description: This is a list of armoured trains of different countries.
context_section_description: 13 armoured trains were formed in June 1940 for coastal defence. They were typically formed by a small locomotive between two armoured wagons, usually small steel coal wagons with extra armour, and other wagons carrying ammunition. Each armoured wagon carried a mounted QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss gun and a Vickers machine gun or Lewis Gun. The infantry section on each wagon was also armed with a variety of small arms including Bren light machine guns, Thompson submachine guns and Lee–Enfield rifles. With the threat of invasion over, armoured trains were disbanded in November 1944.
  The trains were initially operated by Royal Engineers crews and armoured wagons were manned by Royal Armoured Corps troops. From late 1940 until 1942 they were operated by railway company crews and armoured wagons were manned by troops of the Polish Armed Forces in the West. From 1942 they were operated by Home Guard units, composed of employees of the railway companies, until they were disbanded in November 1944.
  The narrow gauge Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway also had a miniature armoured train. Due to its small size it could not carry Hotchkiss guns and instead carried two Boys anti-tank rifles and four Lewis guns. It was manned by the 6th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry and credited with shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf 109, a Heinkel He 111 and a Dornier Do 17.
caption: Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch armoured train, October 1940
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