Longmoor Military Railway (Railway History S.)

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Ministry of Defence Film Locations". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011.

It was during the First World War that the railways gave the ability to transport masses of munitions and men to the front in France, whereas in the Second World War the railways were vital, not only in transportation, but also in enabling the rapid reconstruction of destroyed French and German railway systems to become operational again. The railway was relaid to 4ft 8 + 1⁄ 2in ( 1,435mm) standard gauge in 1905–1907 and was initially known as the Woolmer Instructional Military Railway. It was renamed the Longmoor Military Railway in 1935. The Liss extension was opened in 1933. The stations and junctions included: Roberts, Stephen (2 January 2019). "Military service and movie memories". Rail Magazine. No.869. Peterborough: Bauer Media. p.62. ISSN 0953-4563. It was during the Second World War and as the need for more extra motive power became vital in Egypt and North Africa, then later following the D-Day landings, Riddles of the LMS was asked, in 1943, to design and construct a further number of heavy 2-8-0 and 2-10-0s, later known as ‘Austerities’ or WDs (commonly called ‘Dub-Dee’). For shunting purposes Riddles also designed a number of smaller 0-6-0STs (later LNER J94). Sunday 13 May - and then there were none..." (PDF). 2012 Berliner Bulletin. March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2013 . Retrieved 11 April 2012.

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Longmoor Camp remains [15] an operational training camp including an urban training centre [16] and extensive ranges. [17] It also houses the close protection training units of the Royal Military Police. [18] [19] [20] Another important feature was the fact that unlike the Bailey bridge which, because of its short length, required numerous upright pillar supports, this new bridge had a much greater span. As my two-year National Service was coming to an end, the bridge was nearing completion and strength trials were underway. I was chosen as a crew to visit Liss station to take over a large SR 4-8-0T, required apparently because of its exceptional wheelbase weight for bridge testing. I was accompanied by my driver, plus a Staff Sergeant Instructor, a guard and a fitter. The BR crew looked on in amazement as five of us stepped aboard. The army didn’t do things by half. I was pleased I wasn’t chosen to fire the engine during the tests, especially when they also decided to use two Austerity 2-8-0s at speed. That was frightening! Whether the bridge was a success I can’t say as I had left. Among those who learned the workings of railways on the LMR, there were a select band who continued in railway-related work after leaving the services. These were the members of the Railway Inspectorate, whose remit is to enquire into the circumstances surrounding British railway accidents. The first Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways not to have been trained in the army was R. J. Seymour, appointed in 1988. [ citation needed] Locomotives [ edit ] Liss Junction – with access to the exchange sidings, and onwards into Liss British Railways goods yard. The original Woolmer Light Railway was fully authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1902. In 1905, the London and South Western Railway had opened the Bentley and Bordon Light Railway, linking to a new station at Bordon. [23] [24]

LMR 6002-10-0 Gordon- static exhibit in the ' Engine HouseMuseum' at Highley on the Severn Valley Railway The station was also the Northern terminus of an 18 inches (460mm) tramway used mainly to transport stone from a local quarry to be used in the building of Longmoor Camp and other facilities. There was a loading bank for this line to the South of Longmoor goods yard, it was in use until WWI after which it disappeared during enlargements of the standard gauge facilities. The line was eventually extended northwards towards Bordon as an aid to constructing the standard gauge line. [4] Post war the station remained in operation, serving both the garrison as well as the local civilian population. From 1958 onwards, the station was civilian staffed, equipped with Green Goddess Bedford 3 tonners. These were replaced in 1973 by Bedford domestic water tenders carrying 450 imperial gallons (2,000L; 540USgal) of water. [30] Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1987). Branch Lines to Longmoor. Middleton Press. ISBN 978-0-906520-41-3.

Having reviewed the 1905 wooden hut moving project, the distances involved and the ground to be covered, the decision was made to build twin 18in ( 457mm) railway lines on which to transport the huts. The building and operation of the Woolmer Light Railway was given to the specialist 53rd Railway Company of the Royal Engineers, [2] transferred from Chattenden Camp in Chatham, Kent. [4] On 13 October 1956 a passenger train hauled by Class 8F 2-8-0 WD512 was involved in a head-on collision with a permanent way train hauled by 0-6-0 diesel shunter WD877 Bari between Weaversdown Halt and Liss Forest Road stations. Six soldiers who were in a brake van behind the diesel locomotive were killed and eight were injured. The cause of the accident was driver error on the part of the driver of the passenger train, who had entered the section without authority. This was compounded by the signalling arrangements at Liss Forest Road, where there was no trap point to prevent the train entering the section after passing a danger signal. [1] [2] Fortunately, that same year MGM decided to make a film of the attempted assassination of Ghandi of India, starring Stewart Granger and Ava Gardner, by blowing a train up, supposedly with Ghandi on. All the railway action was filmed at Longmoor. No. 10 Squadron, because they still had their tropical gear, were filmed as military actors rescuing people at the crash scene. It was highly lucrative too, or so I was informed. I only guarded the commandant’s personal carriage, being used as Ava Gardner’s dressing room! Location Overview: Bordon Garrison" (PDF). HIVE Information Centres. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016.

When the Canadian Army was looking for a European base, the British Army offered them Bordon and Longmoor Military Camps, which they took over entirely from September 1939 under a British officer commanding the local service and civilian personnel. The Canadians built two new sub-camps, using Canadian built and shipped prefabricated wooden huts: [8]their initial six weeks’ military training were sent to train on operating the railways on a three-month course, before being posted to other parts of the country, or similar places around the world, the Suez Canal in particular, where the military operated the railway system on the canal banks.

Two Range Halt. Alongside this particular station were two open fields where two massive rifle ranges had been constructed for military training.Weaversdown Halt – originally a passing place at the hamlet of Weaversdown, a station was constructed which served the eastern side of Longmoor Military Camp.