RNAD Broughton Moor
Encyclopedia
RNAD Broughton Moor is a decommissioned Royal Naval Armaments Depot
located between Great Broughton and Broughton Moor
in the County of Cumbria
, England
.
The site was decommissioned in 1992 at the end of the Cold War
. The United States Navy
used the site for storage of its armaments for its North Atlantic Squadron
. The site had a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge railway
. Locomotives from this railway are preserved on the Almond Valley
and Whipsnade
railways. The weapons were taken by rail out of the site to Workington
.
The large majority of the buildings and bunkers remain along with underground storage and an extensive network of storage sheds and other military buildings. Ownership of the site was transferred from the Ministry of Defence
to Allerdale
Borough Council in 2008 who have yet to decide what to do with the site. The site was purchased by the Borough Council for £1. In October 2008 Cumbria County Council called for interest in the redevelopment of the site rebranded as Derwent Forest. As of yet there has been little interest due to the huge cost involved with cleaning up the site. There are unexploded ordnance
and large amounts of asbestos
as well as unmarked mine shafts when it was a colliery prior to World War II
. Furthermore, having previously ruled out allowing the site to be used for coal mining, Allerdale
council later agreed to allow mining by any prospective future owners as a way to raise funding for any potiental tourism development.
It was announced on 13 Jan 2011 that the 2 shortlisted developers for the site would not mine the site, allaying fears about the environmental impact of the development of the site. A decision is due by the end of February 2011.
In 1970 the locomotives in use at Broughton Moor consisted of:
Navy Department Locomotives
2 - Standard Gauge diesels:
1 x Hunslet 0-4-0DM.
1 x Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0DM Class 165DS.
14 – 2 ft 6in gauge locomotives in use:
2 x Hunslet 0-4-0DM 25HP
4 x Hunslet 0-4-0DM 50HP
2 x Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM Class 20DL, (Nos. R1/2).
6 x Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM Class 48DL, (Nos. R4/6/7/8/10/12).
Ministry of Public Buildings & Works Locomotives
4 – 2 ft 6in gauge locomotives:
2 x Motor Rail 4wDM
2 x Hunslet 4wDM
Industrial Railway Society, Pocket Book EL, Industrial Locomotives 1970, Part One - Second Edition
Royal Naval Armaments Depot
A Royal Naval Armament Depot was a group of armament depots dedicated to supplying the needs of the Royal Navy as well as the Royal Air Force, British Army and foreign/commonwealth governments; they were sister depots of Royal Naval Cordite Factories, Royal Naval Torpedo and Royal Naval Mine Depots...
located between Great Broughton and Broughton Moor
Broughton Moor
Broughton Moor is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It is situated on an extensive moor about north of Broughton and north west of Cockermouth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 726. The village is about south of Maryport. The...
in the County of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The site was decommissioned in 1992 at the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. The United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
used the site for storage of its armaments for its North Atlantic Squadron
North Atlantic Squadron
The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic Squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the North Atlantic Fleet. On Jan...
. The site had a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge railway
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
. Locomotives from this railway are preserved on the Almond Valley
Almond Valley Light Railway
The Almond Valley Light Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway running at the Almond Valley Heritage Trust site at Livingston, Scotland. The railway operates at weekends between Easter and the end of September, and daily during some school holiday periods. There are two stations, both with...
and Whipsnade
Great Whipsnade Railway
The Great Whipsnade Railway, also known as The Jumbo Express, is a gauge narrow gauge heritage railway that operates within Whipsnade Zoo.-Overview:...
railways. The weapons were taken by rail out of the site to Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
.
The large majority of the buildings and bunkers remain along with underground storage and an extensive network of storage sheds and other military buildings. Ownership of the site was transferred from the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
to Allerdale
Allerdale
Allerdale is a non-metropolitan district of Cumbria, England, with borough status. Its council is based in Workington and the borough has a population of 93,492 according to the 2001 census....
Borough Council in 2008 who have yet to decide what to do with the site. The site was purchased by the Borough Council for £1. In October 2008 Cumbria County Council called for interest in the redevelopment of the site rebranded as Derwent Forest. As of yet there has been little interest due to the huge cost involved with cleaning up the site. There are unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...
and large amounts of asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
as well as unmarked mine shafts when it was a colliery prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Furthermore, having previously ruled out allowing the site to be used for coal mining, Allerdale
Allerdale
Allerdale is a non-metropolitan district of Cumbria, England, with borough status. Its council is based in Workington and the borough has a population of 93,492 according to the 2001 census....
council later agreed to allow mining by any prospective future owners as a way to raise funding for any potiental tourism development.
It was announced on 13 Jan 2011 that the 2 shortlisted developers for the site would not mine the site, allaying fears about the environmental impact of the development of the site. A decision is due by the end of February 2011.
Accidents
An explosion occurred at RNAD Broughton Moor on the 18th January 1944 which resulted in the death of 11 people and left 70 people injured. The coroners hearing was reported in the Cumberland Evening Star in February 1944. The explosion appears to have occurred in one of the traverse laboratories, photos showing the aftermath include a 2 ft 6in gauge box van No. 267.Sale of Railway Equipment
The railway equipment at RNAD Broughton Moor was sold by tender in April and July 1992 and consisted of approximately 3 miles of standard gauge track and 25 miles of narrow gauge (2 ft 6in) track. The sale also included 4 standard gauge locomotives built by Ruston & Hornsby and Hunslet, 27 narrow gauge locomotives by the same builders and 127 wagons, including 6 box vans, 4 brake vans (2 x 4tons & 2 x 6 tons) and 99 flat wagons.In 1970 the locomotives in use at Broughton Moor consisted of:
Navy Department Locomotives
2 - Standard Gauge diesels:
1 x Hunslet 0-4-0DM.
1 x Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0DM Class 165DS.
14 – 2 ft 6in gauge locomotives in use:
2 x Hunslet 0-4-0DM 25HP
4 x Hunslet 0-4-0DM 50HP
2 x Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM Class 20DL, (Nos. R1/2).
6 x Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM Class 48DL, (Nos. R4/6/7/8/10/12).
Ministry of Public Buildings & Works Locomotives
4 – 2 ft 6in gauge locomotives:
2 x Motor Rail 4wDM
2 x Hunslet 4wDM
Industrial Railway Society, Pocket Book EL, Industrial Locomotives 1970, Part One - Second Edition