Strategic Steam Reserve

[Atso]

According to urban myth a fleet of 80 – 160 steam locomotives (likely 8Fs and 9Fs) were secretly hidden away at the end of steam for MOD use in the invent of a nuclear incident. These locomotives would have be used to transport essential supplies and equipment up and down the country to maintain defences and the remaining population. Over the last 40-50 years many have tried to find this reserve but without success...

 

While many believe that this is nothing more than a tall story to be shared with the willing over a few pints in the pub there is some evidence to suggest that the government at least looked into maintaining a fleet of steam locomotives at some point. The most recent evidence is the unearthing of such reserve fleets in Europe with it now know that Russian, East German and Sweden had 'Strategic Steam Reserves' in the not so distant past.

 

Now... What if such a reserve of steam locos actually existed? Were would they be located? What provisions for providing a basic infrastructure to run steam on the network would have to exist? While the threat of a nuclear war seems to have dwindled over the last twenty years or so what other events could see the old steamers getting dusted off and returned to service?

 

Having watched a few documentaries it seems that the Earth is due a 'Solar Event' in the not so distant future. Such and event would knock out power stations, computers and just about anything else that would require electricity to work. One such documentary estimated that it would take between 8 and 15 years to restore the electrical grids around the world, so what would we do during that time?

 

The idea is focused around a military installation that houses around 20 of the Strategic Steam Reserve fleet. The world has suffered a major electrical crisis which will take years to sort out. The electrified railways are now a thing of the past and most of the diesel fleet is out receiving new electronic components due to damage from EMP. Enter the SSR with their fleet of heavy goods locos supplemented by suitable locomotives requisitioned from the various persevered centres around the country. Locomotives would be seen towing large tanker wagons carrying water (and possibly oil) to allow extended running between fuel and water stops. Long trains carrying troops and vital supplies would be seen running in and out of the major population centres.

 

A large underground area would be on display showing the various (secret) locomotive servicing shops with lifting cranes, welding equipment etc so that the Royal Engineers can keep essential rail operations going.

 

The idea seems endless and despite the doom and gloom (not to mention the extremely far fetched idea of the SSR) I think it would make a very unusual and interesting layout...

 

Not wanting to start the debate of the existence of an actual SSR (while my heart would love to believe its true my head says otherwise!) what do you guys (and girls!) think of the concept?

[Pinkmouse]

Like the idea, but you need to take it further. There would likely be no signals, so some sort of token working would be required using hardened MilSpec kit, no remote control of electrical operated points, so a squaddy and hastily constrected ground frame would need to be stationed by every junction that couldn't be welded shut to avoid accidents, armed guards on just about everything to avoid looting, etc., etc.

[28XX]

And no road vehicles before about 1974 either, silicon diodes in the alternators all blown, so landrovers, moggy minors early minis would be like gold dust as the spares are still be available for them in reasonable quantities, and they could be easily adapted to run on ethanol from hastily constructed stills.

[49395]

I think it is a great concept.

 

Its certainly different, I like layouts like that.

 

You would need (IMHO) some info with the layout explaining the background to it.

 

It might also be good to have a slightly altered livery, i.e. a different crest on the locos so it doesn't just look like BR steam.

 

I suppose if the timeframe is slightly in the future some modifications to the locos might also be a possibility, like small improvements on existing designs?

 

You could always set it in the 70s or 80s and say that armageddon had happened? (alternate timelines and such)

 

If its set in the future there is even scope for new designs, for instance if a strategic reserve were to be started up now?

 

Mike

[The Stationmaster]

If you want to model a suitable depot a lot of it is now available off the shelf (assuming the shelf hasn't emptied of course) - all you need to do is look for anything such as a shed or coaling toer etc based on, say Carnforth and you'd be doing a retty accurate job.

 

As far as locos are concerned don't forget the Black 5s.

[Karhedron]

Sounds like an interesting idea. A great many layouts are based on "what if" scenarios and yours is by no means the least plausible I have heard.

 

You might get passenger trains too to bring in workers. With most automated systems knocked out I can imagine a greatly increased need for manpower. Look at the worker trains of the 20s and 30s for the numbers of people factories required when manual labour was required for most processes. Mk1 suburban stock might be good for this as much of it had a fairly short life before being displaced by multiple units.

[jamie92208]

You might have to update the coaling tower to take more modern wagons as there aren't too many 16T minerlas around. Possibly an updated version of the Midland's on at Rowsley adapted to be fed by a hopper wagon and using a converyer to get the coal up to the bunker, with a dseteam donkey engine of course.

 

It sounds interesting.

 

Jamie

[woodenhead]

You'd need to add air brake equipment to your locomotives as well as covering over the tenders if they are all converted for oil burning as assuming the worst has happened then there wouldn't be much coal being imported and Welsh coal would be a common as hen's teeth.

 

As the Stationmaster mentioned, the likely location of any locomotives once out of hiding would be somewhere close to a mainline not at a military base in the middle of nowhere. The depot doesn't need to be a steam facility as such because your locomotives would be oil fired - avoiding the need for coaling plant & machinery.

 

For stock just look at what is used on steam charter trains and copy those, you might also want a few first generation diesels in there - (ex) preserved 24s, 25s, 37s and 40s - not too sophisticated to fix and capable of working the same stock as the steam locomotives.

 

For a motif on the locomotives, I would think MOD would cover it off nicely.

 

Doesn't even need to be an Armageddon scenario - a nice solar flare could easily put us back into the dark ages.

[Etched Pixels]

I've always thought some of this sort of stuff would make an interesting layout. Ditto Long Marston. Real world reasons to have lots of track and stock that doesn't particularly go together all in one location.

 

I have a feeling that what will make something like this work isn't actually the rolling stock - it's the dirt, functional focus, security, fencing, notices, checkpoint and all the other goodies that make up a sort of cyberpunk military-facist doom world future. You are at least tapping into a set of existing and familiar set of sci-fi/military imagery.

 

Lighting would be an interesting question of course ....

 

Alan

(now left pondering a 1930s 'if there hadn't been a WWII and the 1930s SF writers were right concept: high speed atomic trains, big bold 30s art-deco architecture, airships, giant moving travellators and multiple-layers of people moving tubes, univac terminals...)

[Guest Max Stafford]

Ah, from Cyberpunk to Steampunk! B)

 

Dave.

[Kris]

 

(now left pondering a 1930s 'if there hadn't been a WWII and the 1930s SF writers were right concept: high speed atomic trains, big bold 30s art-deco architecture, airships, giant moving travellators and multiple-layers of people moving tubes, univac terminals...)

 

 

Don't forget all those lovely looking sliver bullet style monorails.

 

 

[Kris]

Have you thought what sort of back scene you would want? Something apocalyptic? lots of really dark clouds, possibly with some lightning? This could give a really menacing atmosphere. Something tells me that this would transform the plan to something even more out of the ordinary than you are already considering.

[Colin_McLeod]

Of course your model locomotives would have to be either clockwork or live steam with all points hand operated. No DC or DCC in this post apocalyptic scenario.

[edcayton]

"And no road vehicles before about 1974 either, silicon diodes in the alternators all blown, so landrovers, moggy minors early minis would be like gold dust as the spares are still be available for them in reasonable quantities, and they could be easily adapted to run on ethanol from hastily constructed stills."

 

Before about 1971-2 would be OK as they still had good old-fashioned Lucas dynamoes. Silicon what?

 

Ed

[Burkitt]

For a motif on the locomotives, I would think MOD would cover it off nicely.

 

 

I created this version of the Royal Logistics Corps logo for a photoshopped image of a Strategic Steam Reserve 9F I did http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/gallery/image/18371-strategic-steam-reserve-9f/ .

 

Paul

 

 

 

[darrel]

i read somewhere a story that a batch of class 37s were built for the strategic reserve whether you belive any of it you could have a class 37 in MOD livery. before anyone says the electronics would have been damaged by the solar flare they may have been stored inside a mountain and therefore not affected.

if your setting it in the future is there any reason that the govenment had planned for the solar flare by buying a fleet of class 60s from DBS ditto class 58s or 56s?