No 006. Exciting NEW plans for the narrow gauge railway project.
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- In this video we move down the line from March West Junction through the tunnel of the disused branch line to the next station down the line. The station has no name at the moment so ideas on a name are most welcome in the comments box below. The station has a connection to the a heritage narrow gauge railway loosely based on the RNDA Trecwn Railway that will be positioned above the standard gauge railway that at one point crosses above via a bridge. The layout is still in the planning stages and ideas and suggestions are most welcome.
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you join me along the way in building this new project.
This is some history about RNAD Trecwn
RNAD Trecwn is a decommissioned Royal Navy Armaments Depot, south of Fishguard in the village of Trecwn, Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
Built in 1938 to store and supply naval mines and munitions ordnance to the Royal Navy, at its height during the cold war 400 permanent workers were deployed at the site, housed in an MoD built town infrastructure. The site had an on-site, 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway, built using copper to reduce sparks. The weapons were both delivered to the site and then distributed using standard gauge rail to Fishguard, Neyland for Milford Haven, and latterly Pembroke Dock.
Decommissioned in 1992, all 58 cavern storage bunkers and the extensive above ground network of storage sheds and other military buildings remain in place. Ownership of the site was transferred from the Ministry of Defence to Anglo-Irish consortium Omega Pacific in 1998, and then by court order to the Manhattan Loft Corporation in 2002. The site is being redeveloped as an industrial park.
Construction
View north towards the Trecwn valley, showing the highly protected nature of the site
Security fence surrounds the entire site of the former RNAD Trecwn
MoD built houses for workers at RNAD Trecwn
As with all munitions depots, safety and particularly planning for explosion prevention and firefighting was a major priority at the depot. The site used a specific design of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge for on-site distribution to minimise manual handling. For fire fighting two reservoirs are built into the hillside on opposite sides of the valley to supply high-pressure water to the onsite fire hydrants, which are located both within each of the 58 storage chambers and alongside each surface building.
Due to its scale and location, the MoD built a whole new infrastructure around the existing village to support the depot, with workers transported in, due to the remote location. This included three separate housing estates (still occupied today), and a waste water treatment plant. Nearby Barham Memorial School (built in 1877 with funding from the Barham family, and a Grade II listed building, closed in 2001 due to falling registers after the RNAD closed.
The depot has a traditional herringbone layout along the valley, giving access to 58 cavern-based storage chambers, each approximately 200 feet (61 m) in length, which have been hewn into the rock of the valley sides. Each cavern storage chamber can be accessed either via road, standard gauge rail or the site's own narrow gauge railway.
Munitions would be brought onto site mainly via standard gauge rail, and then distributed onsite using the specifically designed narrow gauge railway. Road access was mainly used for non-explosive access such as for workers and contractors, although it was occasionally used for supply and distribution. Distribution was via standard gauge rail using either Great Western Railway or British Railways locomotives hauling MoD/Royal Navy private owner wagons directly to Fishguard harbour, or Neyland for Milford Haven.
After the closure of the RNAD sub-depot at Pembroke Dock, the Trecwn site gained additional workers and a longer distribution chain. At this high point of operations during the cold war, it employed up to 400 direct workers.
Narrow gauge
Body of former RNAD Trecwn narrow gauge Baguley-Drewry diesel hydraulic locomotive T 009 00 NZ 35(works number 3781) at Tywyn Wharf on the Talyllyn Railway
A 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge line traverses the entire site, with direct access to the 58 cavern storage chambers. All rail infrastructure was built in copper to reduce the risk of sparks.[4] Serviced via its own on-site locomotive shed and works, the line was equipped with a series of specially provided wooden enclosed wagons, with sliding roof covers. This allowed sea mines and other munitions to be directly placed within the wagons from overhead gantries, and transported over the entire site without access via any form of side door, hence enhancing safety. The narrow gauge line therefore became the main method of on-site distribution, with standard gauge rail or road the off site access method.
Keep safe and well
Andy
Thumbnail curtesy of Google / BBC
with thanks
Thanks Andy you have done a great deal of research, looking forward to the build. Regards Tom
Thanks Tom for taking the time to watch and comment.
Keep safe and well my friend
Andy
Will be a cool layout when finished. Thanks for sharing. Dave
Thanks Dave for taking the time to watch and comment.
Keep safe and well my friend
Andy
Brilliant idea you have Andy.
Thanks Andrew.
Keep safe and well my friend
Andy
Little Steamer🚂 is awesome!! I can't wait to have my space for my layout!!!!💯💯
Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
Keep safe and well my friend
Andy
Hello Andy, great new ideas i can see you have researched this in great detail looking forward to your next video.
Thanks Deano 👍
Looking forward to seeing the build I worked as a shunter and driver on both narrow gauge and broad gauge in the 1980's At Trecwn
I bet you have some interesting stories to tell 👍
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.
Keep safe and well my dear friend
Andy
That is a great design and I like the different paths and trails to work with it! Should be excellent and you already have some very cool models. All the best to you and your family, Andy!
Thanks Anthony 👍
All the best to you and your family too.
58 tunnels in all 250ft deep planned for 60 but 59 collapsed mid dig.. it’s phenomenal that they did all this in 3 years
Wow that’s awesome information thank you for sharing
Keep safe and well
Andy
Super cool!! I'd love to do something like this. This is going to be sweet!!!🫵👍✌️
Thank you my friend 👍
Hi Andy Some good ideas there, its a layout that will be different from many other OO9 scenes and looks really interesting, maybe a sort of rabbit warren type of layout, with trains dissappearing into the hillsides and appearing somewhere else. Good video. Thanks
Hi Peter. That sounds like a good idea.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.
Keep safe and well my friend
Andy
Great design- maybe have a crane to lift armaments up from the standard gauge wagons up onto the 009 wagons above
That’s a thought thanks for the input.
Keep safe and well my friend
Andy
@@MarchWestJunctionTMD or maybe a lift shaft attached the wall - thanks for responding
@@CastleHillLightRailway
Thanks for the suggestions 👍
You could extend the hidden storage siding and connect it up to the fiddle yard at the back. That way you could "park" loaded wagons in there and they could later reappear in a different train. It would look as if you have more rolling stock.
Also, the narrow gauge transfer siding appears to be on a different level to the standard gauge track. Normally, transfer sidings would have been at the same (or nearly the same) level, for ease of transfer. This would be especially important when the goods you are transferring contain explosives!
Unfortunately because of space I’m think that the transfer siding / shed is off scene on the other side of the bridge. That’s a great idea with the tunnels I will look into that.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment.
Keep safe and well my friend
Andy
@@MarchWestJunctionTMD Sorry. I had assumed that the siding near the standard gauge station was the transfer siding. Still, a small transfer facility, perhaps with a section of dual gauge track, would look good.
@@henrybest4057
Not a problem. I wish I had the space my loco model shop sells dual gauge track and total agree that would look really good