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British military narrow-gauge railways

Locomotive Yorkshire on the Chattenden and Upnor Railway

These are narrow-gauge railways at military establishments and former UK Government-owned explosives sites. These locations were often subject to the Official Secrets Act and other government restrictions, so many of them are less well documented.

The industrial use of narrow-gauge railways was quite extensive amongst the various military and civilian explosive factories, for example ICI Nobel's works at Ardeer and the Agency Explosive Factories run by ICI Nobel in the Second World War. In another example, the Ministry of Supply (MOS) Factory Dalbeattie used 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge with a variety of bogie trucks mostly pushed by teams of three to six women. Stores, explosives, chemicals, rubbish and sewage, were all transported on this narrow-gauge system, which used at least 8 miles (13 km) of track.

Weapons range railways

Armaments depots and ordnance factories

National Filling Factories (WW1)

These factories were created during WW1 to unite the explosives, detonator, etc and the shell casings to make live munitions. This activity had the highest explosion risk, so precautions were very strict. They all followed a similar pattern in having standard gauge rail sidings separate from the filling area. These were used for delivery of the raw materials and for shipping out the products. The interior 'clean area' for filling comprised many small lightweight huts over a large area linked by raised walkways upon which lightweight 2 ft (610 mm) gauge rail was laid. Trolleys with bronze wheels were normally moved by hand between these buildings, though ponies or horses were sometimes used.

Production ceased at the factories at the end of the war, though some of them were used for dismantling ammunition into the early 1920s. Some clues as to the railways on these sites come from the auctions as the sites were cleared, examples are :

  • No 7 National Filling Factory in Hayes, Middlesex auction included 5,000 yards (4,600 m) of light Decauville track.[18]
  • No 10 National Filling Factory in Foleshill, Coventry auction listed 20 long tons (22.4 short tons; 20.3 t) Decauville track (16lbs), 50 light and heavy turntables on ball and roller bearings.[19]

Explosives stores (magazines) were in some cases remote from the clean area, and towards the end of the war there were a few orders for internal combustion locos to move materials. No 7 Filling Factory at Hayes had an entirely separate explosives magazine at Northolt, where a main line siding was linked to the 20 separate storage bunkers by light rail. 100 tons of explosives were moved each day by rail to the Hayes plant for processing. Records exist of two Baguley 2 foot gauge internal combustion locos ordered in 1917 by No 7 National Filling Factory for Northolt.[20] Seven similar locos were ordered in 1917 for No 2 National Filling Factory at Aintree,[20] so this must also have had light rail outside the main assembly area, such as for storage of shell cases (as this factory was designed to handle ship loads of munitions components received from overseas at Liverpool Docks).

Supply depots

Fortifications

Training camps

Gate across the railway at Strensall Ranges. The trolleys are hand-pushed to take the targets out to the range, but the targets remain static and the railway is used for transportation only.

Others

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Industrial Railway Society. (1979). Industrial Locomotives 1979: including preserved and minor railway locomotives. Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 0-901096-38-5.
  2. ^ a b c "List of 2 ft 6 in gauge railways".
  3. ^ a b c Mitchell, Vic & Smith, Keith (2003). Surrey Narrow Gauge including South London. Middleton Press. ISBN 1-901706-87-7.
  4. ^ Corser, W.J.L. (April 2003). Wings on Rails: Industrial Railways in the Logistics Support of Britain's Air Defence Forces. Arcturus Press. ISBN 0-907322-85-9.
  5. ^ Nicholson, Peter (1975). Industrial Narrow Gauge Railways in Britain. Bradford, Barton. ISBN 0-85153-236-5.
  6. ^ a b c "List of 2 ft gauge railways worldwide". Archived from the original on 6 February 2005.
  7. ^ Tele Rail (1994). The Longtown Military Railway. Carforth: Tele Rail.
  8. ^ Semark, H.W. (1997). The Royal Naval Armament Depots of Priddy's Hard, Elson, Frater and Bedenham (Gosport, Hampshire): 1768 to 1977. Hampshire County Council. ISBN 1-85975-132-6.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Mitchell, Vic & Smith, Keith (2004). Hampshire Narrow Gauge including the Isle of Wight. Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-36-5.
  10. ^ a b Yeatman, D. (December 1966). "Lodge Hill & Upnor Railway". The Industrial Railway Record. 12: 277–292.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Vic & Smith, Kevin (2000). Kent Narrow Gauge. Middleton Press. ISBN 1-901706-45-1.
  12. ^ Tele Rail (1994). Marchwood & Chilmark Military Railways. Carforth: Tele Rail.
  13. ^ "Woolwich Arsenal Railway".[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ Clarke, B.R. & Veitch, C.C. (1986). The Eighteen Inch Gauge Royal Arsenal Railway at Woolwich. privately published by B.R. Clarke. ISBN 0-948951-00-1.
  15. ^ "Visit Reports". Industrial Railway Society Bulletin. 746: 6–7. November 2003.
  16. ^ "Dean Hill RNAD depot".
  17. ^ a b Mitchell, Vic & Smith, Keith (2006). Dorset and Somerset Narrow Gauge. Middleton Press. ISBN 1-904474-76-4.
  18. ^ National Filling Factory, Hayes, Middlesex, West Middlesex Gazette, 7 June 1924, p2
  19. ^ National Filling Factory, Holbrook Lane, Foleshill, Coventry, Rugby Advertiser, 20 Jul 1928, p1
  20. ^ a b Webb, Brian (1973). The British Internal Combustion Locomotive 1894-1940. David & Charles. ISBN 0715361155.
  21. ^ Rendell, Stan and Joan (1993). Steep Holm: The Story of a Small Island. Stroud: Alan Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-0323-6
  22. ^ Hindley, Philip G. (September 1985). "The Kinmel Camp Railway". The Industrial Railway Record. 102. The Industrial Railway Society: 309–322.
  23. ^ Farmer, Keith (March 1966). "Longmoor Military Railway". The Industrial Railway Record. 9. The Industrial Railway Society: 195–205.

External links