Strategic Steam Reserve

[industry]

Many of you may know about the legendary myth of the Strategic Steam Reserve in the UK. It did really happen in some other country’s but has never been proven in the UK before.

Wikipedia History
"A Strategic steam reserve (SSR) is a collection of withdrawn steam locomotives which is kept in working order for possible use in a national emergency. During the Cold War several countries, including Sweden and the Soviet Union, kept SSRs.

The UK did not officially have a SSR. The UK government did discuss the matter in the 1960s but decided against it. Possible reasons include:

Britain has a smaller electrified mileage than most European countries,
the first generation of British Railways diesel locomotives had no solid state components and would not have been vulnerable to EMP.
However, rumours persist that the UK did have a SSR at RAF Rudloe Manor and photographs have been published purporting to show locomotives from the SSR at work. "

Basically hidden away since the late 1950's there has been a large collection or maintained and ready to run steam locomotives in the UK that are ready to run in the case of a nuclear attack to keep the country alive. There has been much speculation over the last 50 years as to were this collection of locomotives has been kept. As described above in the Wiki information this was always supposed to be in the tunnels at RAF Rudloe Manor to the south of Bath in the infamous Box complex. This has never been proven as obviously the maintenance and management team involved are subject to "The Official Secrets Act"

This location would make a lot of sense as it was also the HQ of the ROC and UKWMO - the organisation that would issue the 4 minute warning to us all in the event of a nuclear attack.

The research into the SSR has been a pet project of mine for many years and has included many thousands of miles travel and a lot of time spent talking to ex members of staff in contravention to the Official Secrets Act one of which finally relented over a beer and told me that the SSR was a fact and finally admitted that it did exist! Bingo!! What he did not know was if it still existed and the current location of the SSR. I was told that it was moved periodicaly to selected locations around the country under disguise and the cover of darkness.

After a few more meetings and the ex member of staff's trust in me increasing I was given a couple of the locations that the locomotives were moved to in the routine location changes and maintenance.

After once again trawling the UK to these locations and coming up against a lot of security (more than I have ever seen on any other explore) and a lot of closed doors I have finally found the top secret location of the SSR. I have spent a long time tracking down the train spotter, bearded types that only seem to be around at certain times and look after these locations and locomotives. I was finally allowed to view one of the locomotives as it was about to move on it’s annual works duties.






























Happy Christmas!!!