No 018. UNDER £500 for a OO/OO9 Narrow Gauge Layout that will fit into most peoples homes

In this video I show you how I have made a 4ft x 3ft layout for under £500. The layout is both OO standard gauge and OO9 narrow gauge. I will also show you the extra details that I’ve added from the last update.

Trecwn Valley Railway No 012. (A Cheap & Easy Way to Model Landform)
   • No 012. A Cheap & Easy Way to Model L...  

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

The former Barham Primary school, used by RNAD Trecwn workers' children
Located on the former North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Fishguard, construction was commenced in 1938. Its location allowed supply of naval mines and munitions via rail from the West Wales Lines Fishguard branch, and distribution via a series of local deep sea ports, including Fishguard harbour and Neyland for Milford Haven.

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.
#009
#OO9
#Narrow Gauge
#Model Railways