The MF&FMLR model railway project: The Brennan Torpedo Launching Station

From what I can gather, the Brennan torpedo was launched from its launch station down a rail that was attached to a concrete ramp. The launching station had a 40ft/12m tall hydraulically-extended, telescopic control tower in which the torpedo's operator sat. The operator was equipped with a special pair of binoculars on which were mounted the electric controls for the twin winding engines that were used to both power and steer the torpedo. Using the binoculars, the operator followed the track of the torpedo and steered it towards the target with a considerable degree of accuracy. In fact, tests showed that an operator could hit a target at a range of 2,000 yards (1,800m) and was able to turn the torpedo through 180° to hit a head on target from the side.

To build my Brennan torpedo launching station I decided to make the structure as simple and easy to construct as possible. My starting point was a small wooden box that was sold in THE WORKS for the princely sum of £1.50!

I removed the top (which I put to one side for possible use later) and filled in the screw holes using PVA and sawdust.

I then added an entry hatch (made from thin plywood) for the crew and any torpedoes stored in the launch station ...

... and a smaller hatch (also made from thin plywood) through which the torpedo could be launched.

I then added the telescopic control tower. This was made from several discs of wood and was in the down (i.e. not extended) position.

The whole thing was then given two coats of PVA to seal the wood.

The next stage was to build the launching ramp. This was made from two short sections from a tongue depressor, a small piece of thin basswood, and some matchsticks.

The basswood was cut in the shape of a trapezoid and trimmed so that the two lengths cut from the tongue depressor can fit either side of it in the cutout section of the riverbank where the Brennan Torpedo Launch Station was to be located.

The underneath of the river end of the trapezoid was then gently sanded so that there was only a small gap between the top of the trapezoid and the surface of the river. The two pieces of tongue depressor were then glued to the sides of the trapezoid using Superglue so as to form a sloping ramp. Once this was dry, two lengths of matchstick were stuck along the centre of the ramp using Superglue to form the torpedo launch rails.

Once the glue was dry, the excess lengths of matchstick were carefully cut off and the whole thing was given two coats of PVA to seal the wood.

Before the Brennan torpedo launching station and launching ramp were painted, both were offered up to ensure that everything fitted properly.

The Brennan torpedo launching station and launching ramp were then painted. The building and ramp were concrete and were therefore painted with Reeves acrylic medium grey and then overpainted with a light coat of Humbrol matt acrylic light grey (No.64). The two hatches were painted green, and the launch rails were painted black with silver top edges.

The launch ramp was then glued in place using Superglue and a wooden lug was positioned where the Brennan torpedo launching station will sit when the model railway is in operation. (The launching station is removable for storage purposes.)

The completed Brennan torpedo launching station and launching ramp look like this:

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Please note that the design of my Brennan torpedo launching station and launching ramp is purely conjectural and based on a number of photographs of the remains of original structures, some of which were considerably altered when the torpedo was taken out of service.