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  1. #1
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    Arrow ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    Founded in 1871 by Mr Alfred Nobel in order to produce his shiny new invention, Dynamite. The business then grew and moved onto the production of other explosives such as blasting gelatine, gelignite, ballistite, guncotton, and cordite. The workforce grew until it reached a peak of nearly 13,000 employees. In 1926 the result of a merge between Brunner, Mond & Company, the United Alkali Company, and the British Dyestuffs Corporation with Nobel Industries LTD resulted in the creation of ICI. The site was descirbed as the worlds largest explosives facotry, more like a town than a factory with an on-site bank, travel agent and dentist. A train station was once present to which transported workers to and from the factory. A nitric acid plant was built in the 1960's but was only operational for 12 years before being decommisioned, a large cooling tower was to be found in this area but this was destroyed during bad weather.

    All production has now been centralised to a smaller part of the site leaving a lot of the old buildings lying disused and abandoned...

    Photos are from visits between March and September.

    The Bunkers

    One of the bunkers from outside


    Switchgear


    Equipment


    Emergency Instructions


    "ICI EXPLOSIVES - AEROSPACE & AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH

    NOTICE TO VISITORS AND STAFF
    EMERGENCY PROCEDURES - BUILDING WPP3

    SITE TOXIC GAS ALARM
    FIRE ALARM SOUNDING
    AN ACCIDENT REQUIRING AN AMBULANCE

    SITE TOXIC GAS ALARM
    This is a siren alarm, when heard you should proceed immediate to the GAS SHELTER, for this is located in the Garnock West farm house. The way to the shelter is indicated by white arrows on a green background with the door to the gas shelter marked with EMERGENCY GAS SHELTER in white on a green background. Do not leave the gas shelter until the alarm has stopped, and the person in charge allows you to leave.

    FIRE ALARM
    This is a loud klaxon

    If you discover a fire immediately inform a member of the department who will set off the fire alarm and call the fire brigade.

    If the fire alarm sounds leave the building immediately by the nearest safe exit and proceed to the FIRE ASSEMBLY AREA, for WPP3 this is located in front of Garnock West farm house, and is marked with a sign of a white circle on a green background.

    AN ACCIDENT REQUIRING AN AMBULANCE
    The ambulance point for WPP3 - No. 19 - is located at the front of Garnock West farm house.

    From the manual labled 'ENERGETIC POLYMERS DRAFT-MANUFACTURING METHODS' "

    Corridors which run along the spine of each bunker, motors would have sat here which would have operated Tangye presses in the rooms in which they are connected to


    One of the presses


    Another Corridor


    The Mixing houses

    Nitroglycerine vats, notice the holes in the wall, should anything go wrong water would have been pumped through these flooding the entire mixing area


    Small building used to load/unload materials onto the carts which ran on the many miles of narrow guage rail track connecting the whole site


    The Laboratories
    Between this and the first visit I got a new camera, as a result...better pictures

    Test vault


    Viewing corridor


    Outside labs from 'The Street'


    Plate cameras, hooked up to a unit which would have allowed the cameras to shoot one after the other allowing the caputre of a detonation


    Large mortar to test the power of explosives.


    Inside one of the labs


    Monitoring equipment


    Archive room, probably my favourite part of this whole site, full of photographs and records of experiments, the outcomes and details of world first pioneering research for explosives and methods used today can be found in here, shaped charges for example used in modern demolition and warheads were discovered and created here.


    The Power Station
    An industrial gem, a giant in comparison to all the other smaller buildings here. It generated electricity for the facility and steam which was distributed throughout the site in insulated pipes for heating..Had a peak output of around 16MW

    External


    In the belly of the beast


    I was expecting an air tight chamber with a big blast door, flashing lights, gas masks and hazmat suits..instead it was only a make shift staff room with double glazing and a pretty normal wooden door, you can only imagine the dissapointment...


    Boiler faces


    Turbines


    Up and into the boiler towers


    At the top of the boilers


    Some juicy control panel goodness


    Switchroom


    Underneath one of the boilers


    Control panels in the tiny control room


    Coming back down, time to go home


    Eventually after 4 visits to the site I had seen enough to produce a report. Despite this future visits are in order as there's still a significant portion of the site to be visited....

    Thanks for taking the time to have a look

  2. #2
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    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    That is good. I like the control panel photographs.

  3. #3
    trencheel303 Guest

    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    Awesome pics and report, I *need* to get up here, soon...

  4. #4
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    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    Quote Originally Posted by pincheck View Post
    very nice mate shame it didn't come off on friday but never mind
    Cheers mate, aye bloody weather haha. Hopefully it'll clear up soon for round two

  5. #5
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    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    Cracking report
    The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    Nice stuff pyro - its worth the forest treck - the labs are still my favourite part
    My Flickr

    The treasure we take is captured in images not bags

  7. #7
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    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    Quote Originally Posted by pincheck View Post
    almost the same layout as Carrongrove Papermills power plant same manufacturer
    Haha aye I remember thats the first thing you said when we stepped in here

    Cheer Skin, yeah the labs are fantastic. Think I'll settle down in the archives and have a good read on the next visit.
    Last edited by Pyroninja; 18-01-2010 at 11:28 PM.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    Hahaha aye exactly...

  9. #9
    trencheel303 Guest

    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    that is if his book doesn't get every UE-able site in Scotland locked up and guarded with cameras, lasers and hounds

  10. #10
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    Default Re: ICI/Nobel Explosives, Ardeer, Mar-Sept 2009

    Nice pics there. Good to see the Cooper virus is being kept at bay. I've heard it's more lethal than swine flu.

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