Shed 84C - A celebration of all things Railworks

Rants, ravings, musings and forthcoming goodies from the world of Railworks 4: Train Simulator 2013

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Holyhead Breakwater Railway

This is something I have been attracted to for a long time. This unique stretch of industrial railway (or to be more accurate; tramway) was at its most extensive no more than two and a half miles in length and is perhaps best known as the final resting place of the BR class 01 diesel shunter.
It is to my mind the ultimate single purpose railway, existing entirely for the purpose of moving stone blocks from the quarry on Holyhead Mountain (Mynydd Twr) to the breakwater in order to maintain the structural integrity of the breakwater. I have modelled the line at it's most extensive when it ran from the quarry on Holyhead Mountain all the way down to the far end of the Holyhead breakwater itself via an engine shed at Soldier's Point and a small siding complex on the wharf at the mainland end of the breakwater. In later years the line was truncated just beyond the engine shed, and stone conveyed by lorry from the quarry to the wharf.
The line itself is steeply graded, and although I have been unable to unearth an actual gradient profile, the ruling gradient of approximately 1 in 50 seems a fair "guesstimate". In an additional break from reality, I have added three passenger platforms along the route at the quarry, Soldier's Point and breakwater lighthouse to increase operational potential. I also intend to add rudimentary signalling (probably using modified ground semaphore discs) to allow more than one-engine-in-steam operation.
I hope to have the route completed withing the next week or so, and uploaded to both UKTrainSim and RW-Trainsim.co.uk as freeware. Please note that I have made extensive use of assets from the Phorum Peninsula charity route and the Falmouth Branch Line by RailSimulator.com, both available on Steam, for this route.
Further information on the history, heritage and present day activities of the Holyhead breakater and its associated railway can be found at the excellent http://www.holyheadbreakwater.com/index.htm.

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