RANG Railway

Construction of an gauge railway was approved in 1866. The Crimean War had caused a major increase in ammunition production and the railway was needed to move materiel around the site. The railway was based on the Crewe Works Railway which had been operating since 1862 inside the London and North Western Railway's Crewe Works. The period from 1900 to 1916 saw the 18 inch gauge system grow become the most extensive locomotive-worked narrow-gauge railway on the British mainland. Between 1919 and 1933, various locomotives were advertised for sale.

This railway was initially linked into the national network via the South Eastern Railway near Plumstead railway station. According to local press reports, the link was opened in 1859 and this appears to be when the early plateways were replaced by more conventional permanent way. Horses appear to be the early internal motive power, whilst from 1871 to 1875 the 18 inch gauge locomotive Lord Raglan was likely trialled on standard-gauge stock movements using special bufferbeams (later removed) and mixed-gauge track. The first standard-gauge locomotive, Manning Wardle 0-4-0ST Driver, arrived at the Arsenal in 1875 and for the next thirteen years that type was their primary motive power (even…