British military narrow-gauge railways
Name Opened Closed Gauge Location Notes
DOE Okehampton Gun Ranges ? after 1979 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) Okehampton , England Target railway
DOE Redesdale Ranges target railway ? ? 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) Redesdale , England Target railway
Fort George Range ? ? 2 ft ( 610 mm ) Inverness , Scotland Target railway
Lydd Ranges 1936 Present 2 ft ( 610 mm ) Lydd , England Principally a target railway , though also carries personnel and equipment around the ranges . At least 39 locomotives and powered trollies have worked here
National Rifle Association Bisley Tramways 1898 after 1971 2 ft ( 610 mm ) Bisley , England The NRA originally had a temporary shooting range and railway on Wimbledon Common but in 1888 moved to Bisley . Initially using a Merryweather steam tram locomotive , later using diesel locomotives
RAF Hell 's Mouth target railway late 1930s 1945 ? Abersoch , Wales A target range railway operated by hand or rope-hauled in the dunes southeast of the airfield
Romney Marsh weapons range railway before 1975 present ? 2 ft ( 610 mm ) New Romney , England Locomotive-worked network of lines across Romney Marsh
Rowtor Target Railway 1958 ? 2 ft ( 610 mm ) Okehampton , England Disused target railway with an unmanned Wickham trolley
Weapons range railways
Lydd ranges Redesdale ranges Bisley Tramway bridge Rowtor Target Railway
These are narrow-gauge railways at military establishments and former UK Government-owned explosives sites. These locations were often subject to the Official Secrets Act and other government restrictions, so many of them are less well documented. The industrial use of narrow-gauge railways was quite extensive amongst the various military and civilian explosive factories, for example ICI Nobel's works at Ardeer and the Agency Explosive Factories run by ICI Nobel in the Second World War. In another example, the Ministry of Supply (MOS) Factory Dalbeattie used gauge with a variety of bogie trucks mostly pushed by teams of three to six women. Stores, explosives, chemicals, rubbish and sewage, were all transported on this narrow-gauge system, which used at least of track.