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British military narrow-gauge railways

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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.

Locomotive Yorkshire on the Chattenden and Upnor Railway

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. To give an example, the Ministry of Supply (MOS) Factory Dalbeattie used 30 inch (750 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 (12 kilometers) of track.

Weapons range railways

Name Opened Closed Gauge Location Notes
DOE Okehampton Gun Ranges[1] ? after 1979 Template:2ft6in Okehampton, England Target railway
DOE Reesdale Ranges target railway[2] ? ? Template:2ft6in Reesdale, England Target railway
Fort George Range ? ? Template:2ft Inverness, Scotland Target railway
Lydd Ranges[1] 1936 Present Template:2ft Lydd, England Principally a target railway, though also carries personnel and equipment around the ranges. At least 39 locomotives and powered trollies have worked here.
National Rifle Association Bisley Tramways[3] 1898 after 1971 Template:2ft Bisley, England The NRA originally had a temporary shooting range and railway on Wimbledon Common but in 1888 moved to Bisley. Initially using a Merryweather steam tram locomotive, later using diesel locomotives.
RAF Hell's Mouth target railway[4] late 1930s 1945 ? Abersoch, Wales A target range railway operated by hand or rope-hauled in the dunes southeast of the airfield.
Romney Marsh weapons range railway [5] before 1975 present ? Template:2ft New Romney, England Locomotive-worked network of lines across Romney Marsh

Armaments depots

Name Opened Closed Gauge Location Notes
CAD Eastriggs Depot railway[6][7] ? 2005 Template:2ft Eastriggs, Scotland Extensive WW II armaments depot line using parts of the site of the former HM Factory, Gretna. A sub-depot of CAD Longtown.
Priddy's Hard[8] [9] about 1850 about 1960 Template:1ft6in and also later Template:2ft6in Gosport, England Ammunition transport railway, within Royal Navy armaments depot, between store houses and piers. Eight battery-electric locomotives were used after 1929.
Chatham Dockyard [10] 1860s 1930s Template:1ft6in Chatham, England Internal rail system serving the dockyard.
Chattenden and Upnor Railway [10] 1885 1961 Template:2ft6in Chattenden, England Light railway serving Chattenden barracks and armament stores
Davington Light Railway 1916 1918 Template:1m Faversham, England Short-lived metre-gauge line serving an Admiralty munitions factory.
HM Factory, Gretna ? 1917 Template:2ft Gretna, Scotland Extensive WW I Cordite factory line
Lodge Hill and Upnor Railway 1873 1885 Template:1ft6in Chattenden, England Served the construction of the Chattenden and Upnor Railway.
Royal Air Force Chilmark Depot railway[11] late 1930s 1995 Template:2ft? Chilmark, Wiltshire, England Extensive WW II armaments depot lines using underground Chilmark Quarries and above-ground storage at satellite site at Dinton, Wiltshire.
RAF Fauld Depot railway ? by 1979[1] Template:2ft? Fauld, England Underground ammunition store during WWII with supply railway.
Royal Arsenal 18 inch Railway [12] [13] [3] 1873 1966 Template:1ft6in and Template:2ft Woolwich, England Extensive internal rail system serving the Royal Arsenal.
RCAF Seaford Head target railway[6] after 1939 by 1945 Template:2ft Seaford Head, Wales Horse drawn target range railway about 1 mile long.
RNAD Broughton Moor Depot railway[2][1] before 1943 1992 Template:2ft6in Broughton Moor, England Locomotive-worked line hauling ammunition around the depot.
RNAD Dean Hill Depot railway[14] [15] ? 2003 Template:2ft6in West Dean, England Locomotive-worked line hauling ammunition around the depot.
Royal Navy Cordite Factory Holton Heath[16] 1914 1946 Template:2ft6in Holton Heath, England Extensive explosives factory complex using battery electric and fireless steam locomotives
ROF Bishopton 1940 1950s - 2000 Template:2ft6in Bishopton, Scotland Approx 80 miles of internal rail system serving the WW II Cordite factories.
Royal Navy Stokes Bay railway[9] 1880s 1919 Stokes Bay, England Steam locomotive worked line.
Royal Navy Underwater Weapons Establishment[1] after 1979 Template:2ft Weymouth, England Battery-electric locomotive worked line.
Vickers Engineering Wyke Regis Pier railway [16] before 1921 1968 Template:2ft Wyke Regis, England Pier railway used to transport torpedoes from the factory to ships.

Supply depots

Name Opened Closed Gauge Location Notes
Deptford Special Reserve Depot[3] 1916 1919 Template:1ft6in Deptford, England Extensive WW I food supply depot line. At least four steam locomotives worked here, two or three of which went to the Sand Hutton Light Railway after the war.

Fortifications

Name Opened Closed Gauge Location Notes
Flat Holm ? ? Template:2ft Bristol Channel, Wales Fortification supply railway
Hoo Ness Tramway [1] before 1914 after 1979 Template:2ft Hoo Ness, England Locomotive-worked tramway. May have been Template:2ft6in gauge previously
South Heighton railway[6] 1941 1941 Template:2ft6in Newhaven, England Hand-worked line to aid construction of HMS Forward underground command centre.
Steep Holm railway[17] 1880s 1946 Template:2ft? Steep Holm, North Somerset, England Fortification supply railway. Palmerston forts, shown on 1886 Ordnance Survey maps. Relaid in WW II. Finally Demolished 1946.

Training camps

Name Opened Closed Gauge Location Notes
Longmoor Camp Railway[18] 1903 1907 Template:1ft6in Weaversdown, England Early construction line used to assist in the demolition of army huts. Relaid as standard gauge starting in 1905.
Longmoor Military Railway[2] Template:2ft6in Weaversdown, England Narrow gauge line at the extensive railway training centre at Longmoor
RAF Calshot Camp railway [9] 1919 1946 Template:2ft Calshot, England Short line serving Calshot camp and pier. Steam locomotives were used, one of which is preserved on the Talyllyn Railway as "Douglas".

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Industrial Locomotives 1979: including preserved and minor railway locomotives. Industrial Railway Society. 1979. ISBN0901096385.
  2. ^ a b c "List of 2 ft 6 in gauge railways".
  3. ^ a b c Mitchell, Vic and Smith, Keith (2003). Surrey Narrow Gauge including South London. Middleton Press. ISBN 1901706877.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Corser, W.J.L. (2003). Wings on Rails: Industrial Railways in the Logistics Support of Britain`s Air Defence Forces. Arcturus Press. ISBN 0-907322-85-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  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".
  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 Mitchell, Vic and Smith, Keith (2004). Hampshire Narrow Gauge including the Isle of Wight. Middleton Press. ISBN 1904474365.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Cite error: The named reference "HNG" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Yeatman, D. (1966). "Lodge Hill & Upnor Railway". The Industrial Railway Record. 12: 277–292. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Tele Rail (1994). Marchwood & Chilmark Military Railways. Carforth: Tele Rail.
  12. ^ "Woolwich Arsenal Railway".
  13. ^ Clarke, B.R. and Veitch, C.C (1986). The Eighteen Inch Gauge Royal Arsenal Railway at Wooolwich. privately published by B.R. Clarke. ISBN 0-948951-00-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Visit Reports". Industrial Railway Society Bulletin. 746: 6–7. 2003. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. ^ "Dean Hill RNAD depot".
  16. ^ a b Mitchell, Vic and Smith, Keith (2006). Dorset and Somerset Narrow Gauge. Middleton Press. ISBN 1904474764.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Rendell, Stan and Joan (1993). Steep Holm: The Story of a Small Island. Stroud: Alan Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-0323-6
  18. ^ Farmer, Keith (1966). "Longmoor Military Railway". The Industrial Railway Record. 9. The Industrial Railway Society: pp.195-205. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

See also

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