full article - Historic Farnborough

By rail
to
the RAE
ONE OF FEW PRIVATERAILWAYS
A WAVE from the guard, a blast
fL on the whistle and the daily train
from the goods siding at Farnborough
Station was on its way to RAE.
RAE News went along for the ride
and to find out a few facts about
the Establishment's own railway
which has been in use since 1916.
Built by German prisoners of war
during the First World War the line
runs from the Farnborough goods
sidings through Union Street, down
Elm Grove and across Victoria Rd.
before it enters Victoria Gate. From
there it crosses War Department
property and enters the RAE by way
of West Gate.
The train carries more than 12.000
tons of freight and coal each year
into RAE. During the First World
War it brought aircraft parts manufactured outside the Establishment
for assembly in the workshops and
also became a part of RAE history
by bringing the first V2 rocket into
The guard, Mr. F. Ridsdale holds up the traffic whilst the train starts its
climb up the slope to the boiler house.
the Establishment for examination in
t944.
After the track had been laid in
l9l6 there came the problem of
getting a loco to haul the train. None
could be found until 36 Department's ingenuity was put to the test
by converting a steam traction
engine. This engine was in use until
1940.
Mr. Alex. Tuftnell and Mr. M. F.
Lewis from 42 Department are the
two train drivers and they also take
turns to act as fireman and brake
man on a weekly rota. The guard
who, like the drivers, had experience
with British Railways before coming
to the RAE is Mr. F. Ridsdale. Maintenance of the locos, rolling stock
and trade is the responsibility of 42
Department.
Stores
Depar'nent
supplies the guard and looks after
the schedules.
Two locos are at present used on
the railway.'Invincible'
converted
to a steam loco, weighs 27 tons and
was built by Hawthorn Leslie Ltd., as
an oil burner some 50 years ago. It
Two of the earlier RAE loco'otives. The one on the right is the traction
engine which was converted into a loco in 1915.
Above: Crossirig the main road at
Victoria gate. Right: .Invincible'
on
rts way to the Farnborough railway
sidings for the day's load. Below':
The 27-ton loco in Elm Grove
after
leaving Farnborough station.
came to RAE in 1959 after having
served as a passenger and freighi
englne on
the
Royal
Ordnance
tactory.
Woolwich,
Railway. The
other loco, a diesel. was built
to a
Fowler design as an industrial
engine
and came to the RAE in 1939.
Bioth
Iocos can haul up to 150 tons
if
necessary.
There are no signals on the line
apart from those of the guard
who
lt":.lh" iob of opening rhe gares anJ
nordrng up the traffic when the
lrain
crosses Victoria Road and again when
it enters the Establishment.
The train makes a daily visit
to
the goods sidings at Farnborough.
It
brings back more than 250 to;s
of
coal and stores every week and is
one
oI the few private railways so actively
employed in the country.
The Fowler diesel loco which
to RAE in 1939.
came