Greetings all, I've been lurking in the background for a bit since rejoining last year, getting a premis established for my soon to start Modern image NG system.
So here goes the basis for Brasside (alternate reality 😉)
Basis:
In a fictional timeline, NG railways are the norm throughout the UK. Freight and passenger systems alike, some with OHE systems, others conventional Diesel, with Bio-Diesel/Battery electric for smaller shunters.
County Durham has a military supplies base known as MOS (Ministry Of Supply) Brasside. With a mix of over ground and underground workshops and storage bunkers, served by a narrow gauge railway system. There is also a TMD and Track Maintenance Unit section just near the site entry sidings.
The left hand side of the layout will have the receiver sidings and TMD/TMU, the reception sidings are fenced off with gated access for the exchange locomotives to perform shunting movements, whist the ML locomotive stables in the shed.
The TMD consists of your traditional workshop facility, storage sidings and shed, along with a sheltered area with a traversing crane to load ton bags of ballast into the ballast hoppers and load replacement, pre-assembled, track on flatbeds to move to locations around the bunkers site.
The right half of the board will have bunkers 1 (Nuclear Stores) & 2 (small arms stores) visible with a workshop visible before disappearing into the foliage and cover of trees to the rest of the site.
I have bits of track planning that have been cobbled together on post it notes, however a better version will be made very soon.
Sounds interesting and original! I'm not sure I've seen nuclear facilities on an n-g layout before... presumably some of the increased spending on 'defence' will be ending up at MoS Brasside?
David.
This sounds like a good idea.
Out of intrest sadly the very last loco hauled narrow gauge munitions line in the UK closed a few months ago. The site on Havengore Island in Essex has since been cleared of track and the munitions decomitioning plant that the line served has also been demolished. The S&K have a fund to purchase one of the two battery locos from this system. There is now only one active narrow gauge military railway in the UK, that is the hand worked system at Strensal Ranges, all the others have gone!!
Quote from: clayliner on July 10, 2025, 09:06Sounds interesting and original! I'm not sure I've seen nuclear facilities on an n-g layout before... presumably some of the increased spending on 'defence' will be ending up at MoS Brasside?
David.
This element would look something similar to what was at RNAD Deanhill, with the imposing looking guard room, but purely as a holding bunker to move the same load later in the operating sequence.
I have been told that serious consideration was given to use a NG line to move heavy items on Foulness Island between the buildings built to assemble the non-fissile conventional explosive part of the UK first atomic bomb.
Each devise contained about 2.5-ton of directed explosive lenses that were also tested on the island individually, in groups and even as a complete unit. Yes it was a big bang!
Anyway, the buildings that survive, much as they were, are grouped in an oval with a several magazine buildings close by. These were, in the end all connected by roads and road vehicles were used.
However, they also used a Thames Barge to move the completed devise from the Shoeburyness barge pier, that also survives, across the estuary to HMS Plym in the Medway.
The fissile core matereial was never at Shoeburyness and was flown direct to the test site in a Sunderland Flying boat!!
To give you an idea of the layout here is a link to the site on google maps:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Foulness+Island/@51.58884,0.8518787,485m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x47d9247b8fd62f43:0x7cae690ae50407b7!8m2!3d51.5905794!4d0.8842626!16zL20vMDJrcWtt?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcwNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
This document give you an idea of what these buildings look like on Foulness Island:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.radiolondon.co.uk%2Fredsands%2FRSFortsSailing2015%2FTheAtomicWeaponsEstablishmentFoulnessEssex-ColdWarResearch.pdf&psig=AOvVaw3BV5hFy5P-035ecapEUPbx&ust=1752238540722000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBcQjhxqFwoTCIjNsqurso4DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
Fascinating stuff, Brian - (almost) everything you need to know to make your own atomic weapon! [Only joking, MI5, if you're listening in...]
I note that the protective boom across the Thames Estuary between Essex and Kent is a preserved structure, but I wonder how much still remains, given the need for access for shipping to Thames-side ports, etc.?
David.
Quote from: clayliner on July 14, 2025, 12:55Fascinating stuff, Brian - (almost) everything you need to know to make your own atomic weapon! [Only joking, MI5, if you're listening in...]
I note that the protective boom across the Thames Estuary between Essex and Kent is a preserved structure, but I wonder how much still remains, given the need for access for shipping to Thames-side ports, etc.?
David.
The boom did not go all the way across the estury. It was originaly built in wood in WW2 and later renbuilt with concrete in the cold war. There was a fixed section each side with a sub net between them. suspended on floating pontoons. This had two 'gate' areas, one in and one out for shipping. There were three 'ship' platforms anchored, one in the middle and the other two each side of the two gates these had guns mounted on them and when they were no longer required they were sunk on the sand at Shearness where their remains can still be seen today.
You can see the Essex section of the boom on google earth. (Link below.)
Here is a photo:
(https://beyondthepoint.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Shoebury-Boom-C-1.jpg)
( Originating web page that has more info: https://beyondthepoint.co.uk/anti-submarine-boom/ )
The boom has saves quite a few lives over the years!!
The outgoing tide is quite strong and several people have been swepped away on it only to end up stopping and being rescued from the boom.
The boom is best viewed from East Beach, and as an added bonus if you go there there is about 100 yards of NG track set in concrete along the edge of the boat storrage area that served a bararge baloon factory.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5243481,0.81694,2170m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
Small sidenote - how do I add an image to my posts? trying to share from my Flickr page with no success.
Quote from: SpeedLinkStoresNG on July 14, 2025, 14:21Small sidenote - how do I add an image to my posts? trying to share from my Flickr page with no success.
I only know haowe to do this on a PC.
I do not think you can using a phone.
Are you using a PC?