Cap Badge - Overseas Railway Construction Corps The Canadian Overseas Railway Construction Corps landed in France in August 1915, and began working in Belgium. May 1916 saw another request by the British for 1,000 men. Existing railheads were a dozen miles or more behind the front lines. After the Somme, it was clearly proven that road and animal transport could not alone bring forward the weight of war material required. Canadian railway units constructed, repaired, maintained, operated, and administered all gauges of the entire railway network for the five British Army areas in France and Belgium.