www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/fact-or-fable-hunt-is-on-for-buried-spitfires/story-e6frg95x-1225995654752
These stories have been doing the rounds for years on the Aviation forums but many beleive there indeed real & there is rumour to be Lancasters in a field in Lincolnshire & spares dumps have been found recently in southern England.
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I remember reading about the buried Lancs years ago in either the Times or the DT - makes you wonder...!
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An Australian friend is an ex WW2 fighter pilot, Royal Flying Doctor Service pilot, and retired airline captain. He has told me of brand new RAAF Spitfires having their engines cut out with axes at the end of the war and the airframes going for scrap. The RAAF were using Mustangs at the time and the engines were kept as spares.
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There was military equipment belonging to the Japanese hidden in tunnels dug around the harbour at Rabaul, this was a big Japanese base in WW2. This included a hospital, living accommodation, aircraft, landing craft, and vehicles. When I was there the jetty was a sunken Japanese destroyer filled with concrete. The Australian government was selling off tunnels as job lots for scrap value.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 27 Jan 11 at 16:42
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Old Navy, Have you any pictures please?
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Unfortunately no, I was in Papua New Guinea 40 years ago.
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Rumours have been going round for a long time about a reserve government stock of withdrawn steam locomotives. These are believed to be stored in a sealed up tunnel on an abandoned line somewhere. Only a rumour, there are records existing of where and when all British Railways locos met their fate....unless the records are false.
There is a loco underground, however. Over 100 years ago a mineshaft opened up on Lindal Bank on the Furness Railway. One of their Beyer Peacock goods engines plunged into the hole. The crew escaped and efforts were made to pull it out. Only the tender was saved before the engine took a further plunge. It's still there to this day.
There are plenty at the bottom of the sea but the one that went off the Tay Bridge was repaired and put back into service with the nickname of ' The Diver '
Ted
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>> Rumours have been going round for a long time about a reserve government stock of
>> withdrawn steam locomotives. These are believed to be stored in a sealed up tunnel on
>> an abandoned line somewhere. Only a rumour, there are records existing of where and when
>> all British Railways locos met their fate....unless the records are false.
Thats more of a hope and dream than a rumour. If you want to know about secret rail tunnels and stuff underground, read about Corsham.
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Copenacre, just outside Corsham on the old A4, looks impressively sinister with its lift shafts, high steel fences and so on. But the complex of tunnels below, which is extensive, had nothing in it but old navy bedding, furniture and other tat when I worked there for a short time in the late fifties (as a dogsbody in the postal department, sitting over a small vat of molten sealing wax half the time). No weaponry or anything. It's a weird place though. I never got the hang of driving those Lister electric trolleys which were used as transport below ground. The steering was so counter-intuitive, like trying to fly a helicopter.
A few miles to the south, in Wiltshire, there's an even bigger complex of tunnels that contains equally glamour-free stores. Funny how keen the navy is on tunnels. I've seen them in Plymouth and Trincomalee as well.
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I think these tales of secret government stockpiles of "Civil Defence" or contingency equipment come from the days when it existed. During the firemens strike in the late 70's I collected a brand new Green Goddess from one of these stores which also contained ambulances, motor bikes, trucks, trailer pumps, and other kit, all brand new, well maintained, and owned by the then Home Office. I believe it has all been sold off now.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 27 Jan 11 at 17:00
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I recall a TV program where a guy makes a decent living in digging up old WW2 USAF bases in Britain. Apparently after the war there was so much surplus of vehicles, spare parts and equipment they couldnt sell it, couldnt take it back to the USA so simply dug great big holes and buried the lot. This guy then comes along 60 odd years later and digs up flying goggles, oil drums, plane parts, ammo boxes etc.
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On the subject of the STR
This is one of the better and more "believable" sites although in the end you realise it was never true (at least here in the UK)
Follow the tabs and links as well
tinyurl.com/6qmmsw
As always
Mark
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joe the miller had his own railway set,ask will hay
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>> Rumours have been going round for a long time about a reserve government stock of
>> withdrawn steam locomotives. These are believed to be stored in a sealed up tunnel on
>> an abandoned line somewhere.
One of the more enduring versions of that rumour that I've heard is that these are stored in the old Woodhead tunnel. How on earth they were supposed to have got them all in there when the line shut in 1981, and where they had been stored in the preceding 13 years, is anyone's guess.
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im sure 28 days went through the woodhead tunnels a few years ago?
www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/index.php
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Hunt is on for buried Spitfires. - R.P.
