The Abandoned Vehicle Test Laboratory - TRL Crowthorne - Past Present & Future

[@timmarotto]

Back in the 80s when I was 15 or so, I was lucky enough to score 2 weeks' work experience here in their graphics department. The boss there was a guy called Ted Briggs, and he was a legend. He took me around the test track in his Audi 100 and arranged for me to observe a test collision where they were testing car vs motorbike and measuring the damage to motorcyclists' legs with and without metal guards. The crash test was the bike hitting the side of the car at an angle of 30 degrees or so. The motorcycle was on a trolley which was towed to a point where the trolley stopped dead, and the motorbike carried on 'Ghostie' style into the side of the car. Both the car and bike were towed by the same Land Rover using cables and pulleys. They worked out the ratios so the bike was going twice as fast as the car, and they met at an exact point. It was fascinating and very loud when they collided. While I was walking down a corridor, I also bumped into William Woolard who was there a the time filming something for Top Gear. Such a fantastic experience for a 15 year old kid. They even took me to the pub with them one lunchtime.

[@richardhaywood4123]

Sounds a great experience!

[@stevekelly5166]

Pub. When that was normal. Then go back and do the other half of your shift, then drive home.

[@brantnuttall]

Happy days!

[@wertrocks123]

Quality memories haha

[@Lazy_Tim]

Did they buy you a pint?

[@pauldanks9878]

They shot a lot of film and TV here too to avoid filming on public roads. You can often recognise which ones from the large amount of pine trees alongside the roads.

[@balfronsocialclub4290]

I worked on a film there about twenty years ago, in which we raced a Ferrari and a Yamaha R1, which we later blew up. I arrived there an hour early and thrashed my car round the track. It was only a Citroen ZX diesel, but I honestly don't think I have ever had more fun behind the wheel of a car! So sad to see it abandoned and neglected like this.

[@thepainter3575]

What's the movie called

[@jdb47games]

The Sweeney (episode with Morecombe & Wise), Tales From The Crypt (Death following on motorcycle), Derren Brown's Trick or Treat....those are the ones I can think of. There must be umpteen others.

[@MartinE63]

The Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, a much bigger facility also with lots of pine trees alongside the roads features in several films as well as many Top Gear episodes.

[@barspeed]

Splitting Heirs was filmed here, John Cleese and Rick Moranis

[@markhaynes9923]

I used to visit the TRL site each year for the GTI international day which was held there in the 90s. Lots of fun.

[@Cowley46]

Me too. Have great memories of that event.

[@richykins]

I remember seeing an artic hurtling towards me at warp speed thinking I was about to meet my maker, then watched it glide away around the banking - which I didn’t know was there at the time. I ended up working there for a few years. It was a fascinating place and it employed some legends over the years. The social club was brilliant and served the cheapest beer around.

[@BeanoMark]

If you find yourself in Northern Ireland, some of the DeLorean test road still exists in Belfast where the factory used to be. I wouldn’t say it’ll be worth it going over there especially for it, but wanted to mention it.

[@Ulstermanlosr]

During construction of the DeLorean factory, my dad worked on it as a contractor, he took me for a spin around the test track in his old Bedford van one Saturday when nobody was about, very exciting, I was probably around 10 at the time.

[@RangieNZ]

Just don't go over 88mph...

[@willtricks9432]

Does it have the Clock tower?

[@John_Wood_]

Is it still accessible? I thought it was not in private hands and closed to the public.

[@jocopro1985]

shirakawa irl😢

[@edwinchappell2153]

So sad to see it run down. I went to a TRRL open day with my parents when I was a schoolboy and the thing that amazed me most was travelling on a driverless bus. It really stood out from everything else to me.

[@gerryg1056]

Test tracks do still exist (albeit run by the motor industry either privately or as a group) we have at least three within 35 miles of where I live MIRA near Nuneaton, Millbrook and Gaydon, I've been inside the "ring of steel" many times collecting or delivering development vehicles and I'm pretty sure the government use them on a contract basis for ongoing roads research. Such is the modern world, get rid of expensive infrastructure to pay even more for outside contractors.

[@willtricks9432]

My eldest son did his Landrover mechanic course at Gaydon, enrolment day offered a full circuit in the back of a Defender to anyone Jumped in and at one point on the down hill traction part I looked out the sunroof and could see another Defender doing 100 plus on the banked circuit.

[@juststeve5542]

Yup, Ford have one at Dunton just off the A127 near Basildon in Essex.

[@MrFlazz99]

I've just learned something - always thought that TRL and MIRA were just different names for the same beast, seeing as they do the same kind of work. Always harbored a desire to drive round a high-speed loop, ever since childhood - even wrote to 'Jim'll Fix It' around 1980 to ask for a 'fix it' (but never heard back - can't imagine why...).

[@johnabbitt690]

Another great video! My job is to survey roads with vans outfitted with lasers. TRL are the company who have to accredit the vehicles I've worked on. So every year we would visit the TRL test track and drive around the main loop at different speeds while surveying, 20.40.60 & 80kph. Then, to represent everyday roads, we would drive around and survey what was referred to as the small road network. If everything went well, TRL would give the vehicles the OK for another year. It's a little bit sad to see it all disappear. They often hired out the site to TV and film production companies. As I've been there so often, I can usually recognise when they have filmed something there. World War Z and 28 Days Later both filmed on the larger loop. The old AA commercial with Vinnie Jones running through the woods was filmed at the small road network. Keep up the good work!

[@blowmyhorn]

I worked on that project (HARRIS)...as a fresh out of Uni graduate. Also used to help out with FWD, Deflectograph and SCRIM acceptance testing.

[@corroded]

Any idea what bits of 28 days later and world war z?

[@johnabbitt690]

@@corroded Yep. The straight bit of road on the large loop running west towards the skid pan had three lanes and looked like a stretch of motorway. It also had a simple gantry over it. I think this is where they built the entrance to the camp run by army guys near the end of 28 Days Later. World War Z, when they escape Glasgow, sorry New York 😄, and pull over in the RV and have an argument. They're having the argument in Bracknell.

[@fighne]

I worked at TRL for a short time when the test track was still in use, part of the original buildings were used to film Officer and a gentleman. There was also an in joke which had a picture taken of it where a test driver had rigged the throttle of a London Double decker bus and it was running around the banked circuit with him sat in the front seats on the top deck.

[@cuddlepaws4423]

I like watching this channel. I love how he finds all these tucked away places along with their sometimes peculiar names and all the history that goes with them. It shows the history of this country from Roman times onwards. A real treasure of a channel.👍👍

[@pfield39]

As a local I went there to participate in an experiment in the late 70s, involved a driving simulator, film based I think, concerning motorway carriageway painted markings. Was quite a novel experience I seem to remember assessing the visibility of those following distance chevrons you see occasionally. Flown over it regularly and observed it over the past 50 years from when it was thriving until it fell into disuse and the concrete pan and other facilities started to disappear. I live about 2 miles away, the inevitable housing development looks quite reasonable and they seem to have made a good job of the rest of the site, you've prompted me to go and have a wander round, thanks.

[@paulyouphone2793]

... "prompted to go have a wander.." - make sure you take your video camera and keep us updated!

[@sarkybugger5009]

I think the "window in the road" was for recording the footprint of the tyre as it ran, and to see the water dispersion characteristics of different tread patterns.

[@jeremywilliams5107]

Reckon so, I've seen them elsewhere. Flood to a certain depth and see when aquaplaning starts.

[@markbradbury6076]

I remember there was an advert on TV that showed the tread contact presumably using this window. I think it was a road safety advert about tyre wear and pressures.

[@hairyairey]

​@@markbradbury6076was that the advert with the Police Officer in it? Can't remember his name or rank right now.

[@markbradbury6076]

@@hairyairey yes it was with an ex chief of police, or something like that. Tried finding it on google/ KZbin but nothing yet…

[@hairyairey]

@@markbradbury6076 Robert Mark - MET Police Commisioner from 1972-1977. Just before Bodie and Doyle's time with CI5!

[@MookVideos]

A decade ago myself and a couple of friends clambered over the nearly non-existent chainlink fence around the site and had a wander around whilst it was still an active facility - had a good look at all the crash test stuff dotted around the building you highlighted as well as some of the roads. It was a rainy winter Sunday and nobody was around unsurprisingly. I know some of my friends also explored the main set of buildings after they left the site and before it was demolished.

[@saintuk70]

We had something like this in Stirling - tho' it's mini, very mini, and built for kids. For many years had working traffic lights, zebra crossings, and crossroads etc., all built to teach kids road safety. The layout is still there - just the items have gone :(

[@willtricks9432]

There was one in a park in Tottenham, you could take your bike along or rent a wreck bike for 5p for 10 minutes.

[@EdwardMason9000]

TRL Crowthorne used to be the site for one of the Broadmoor sirens, a series of 13 sirens surrounding the Broadmoor Hospital designed to alert local residents if a dangerous patient has escaped. The sirens were commissioned in the '50s and slowly stopped being used throughout the 2010's. They used to be tested regularly on 10am on Mondays but most of the sirens have been removed now, with one louder siren still existing at the hospital itself.

[@mikebutcher1984]

There was a similar facility near me in Leyland that is now sadly being converted into a housing estate, always wanted to have a go at driving around the banked oval

[@mattyg4k233]

I heard a bit from one of the chaps I used to work with in consultancy who used to work for JLR specifying special vehicles. I recall he was specifying the winter fleets for local authorities and national highways, SWTRA, etc, and he would often attend tests where they'd confirm the amount of grit/salt dispersed. A tale from one of the TRL lads, unsure if this holds any water at all, was when they were testing loading arrangements for cylindrical objects on HGV's and roll over testing. He said one of the HGV's tipped over during the test, the driver wasn't belted in, fell against the window as it slid down the road sideways, and the drivers arm was abraded to the bone. Other than that the only testing I ever saw was research in to white line rumble strips for vulnerable road users. They had people walk and cycle over rumble strips and say which they felt was best, worse etc. We then had a motorcyclist, which was from Honda UK ride a scooter, adventure bike and super bike over the rumble strips in the dry, wet and at an angle while breaking to report their findings. Fun fact, you can grab a full handful of brake in the wet on a turn on a white line rumble strip and come away shiny side up. It's fascinating to find out that basically everything we can think of has been tested.

[@taliesinbourne7484]

A real shame that such an important place has partially been lost. Not only the road testing aspect but the filming locations. Kinda sad really.

[@highpath4776]

yeah, but when you vote for governments that want to reduce civil service headcounts this it what you get

[@taliesinbourne7484]

@@Trippenzoid the sad part is the houses won't even be nice in looks and quality.

[@mhk211071]

I did a bunch of research with TRL up until it was closed. Now they're just creating a ton of housing (quelle surprise!). Once again, should've popped in for a coffee :)

[@highpath4776]

I suppose they never tested Smart Motorways ?

[@mhk211071]

@@highpath4776 unfortunately something I wasn't involved in, otherwise I'd have tried to can it too.

[@CliffordDive]

I worked at what was then called TRRL in the mid-seventies The site was in its full glory then. I worked on projects studying pneumatic capsule pipelines and the Freightliner container network. Great to be reminded of those days.

[@cerysfrost3215]

I worked there in the 90s, just before it was privatised, there was a big social scene (though not as big as the 1970s when 1500 people worked there). The social club (the Highwayman) was the other side of the track, it had squash courts, tennis courts, and a football pitch. I remember many good parties there

[@BrianJones761-wc4hu]

The crash test at 3:45 I think was of the barrier rather than the truck. It looks like the Foreign Office Newey Barrier found at embassies and the like and probaly other government facilities.

[@JulianGough-z6z]

Thanks for the video. Went there a couple of times in the 90s as a volunteer tester. One involved testing the effectiveness of message board over motorways. I sat in a driving simulator, then they would project the messages top left of my view and ask me my reactions to them. Those message boards are all along the smart motorways now. My wife tells me that her grandfather who once worked there, had the original idea of putting bumps on the white line between lane 1 and the hard shoulder on motorways, to alert drivers when they stray off the carriageway.

[@toby10338]

I took part in the Dutch roundabout test that the satellite captured. It was indeed back in 2013 and I spent the afternoon on my bike cycling around that layout, along with other cyclists, while others in cars drove around it. We went four at a time and were told which exit to take. Each of the four arms had different markings and we then had to answer questions about which felt safest, clearest and so on. It's nice to see that absolutely nothing has come of this research.

[@M7RGTI]

Back in 2008 I worked for Millbrook proving ground as a crash engineer and we was contracted to run certain tests on the “pan” we did many of the anti terrorist devices like the barrier shown in your video, cheese wedges, bollard you see in all towns and cities etc, planters… there was 2 tests. A 7.5T truck at 7.5T at 50mph and a 18T truck again at 7.5T weight at 50mph. We also did things like central reservations (the cable ones were fun! When we did it with trucks the incursions into the other lane was an eye opener!) street signs etc. a lot of the videos from the makers of the devices are still on KZbin.

[@marksaxby607]

I frequently drive past there and have done for decades. Back in the early 1990s, we drove around the track as part of the Norwich Union Classic Car run - Thanks for the video!

[@richardwebb5317]

The skid pan was used as a car park for the 1989 British Orienteering Championships - quite exciting having seen it on television so many times.

[@ianhelps3749]

Well, a video close to.my heart. I grew up in poky old Crowthorne ( may have said so already). It was renamed from Road Research Laboratory to Transport and Road Research Laboratory ( TRRL) in the 1970s. My mum worked in the library from 1974 for about 15 years. Sometimes they had an open day so you could go to see what work they did. While at university I had a vacation job there for 2 months. I worked in the Bridges section, which often meant driving to a decommissioned bridge over the M1, taking concrete samples and analysing them for chloride and sulphate content to determine the effects of pollution on concrete stability. Happy days. Sorry to hear about the decline of the place. Btw, Martins Heron station near Bracknell is unofficially called Crowthorne Parkway. Have a great Xmas whatever you are doing.

[@Jim-Scott]

I've been to the Pinewood centre just over the road countless times, and never knew this place existed! I feel a bit of exploring coming next time I'm over there!

[@christopherwaller2798]

I visited to take part in the test of that Dutch style roundabout! It was nice to cycle around, as I recall, and I think they deliberately made each of the arms of the roundabout slightly different in terms of entry and exit layout, markings, etc. They also look good for pedestrians. That said, they do rely on trusting drivers to give way, especially on the exit arms, which UK drivers aren't really used to.

[@whyyoulidl]

There's a 'dutchie' somewhere in Cambridge; not had the best reviews, what with the odd prang and mangled bicycle in the mix...

[@CambridgecarclubCoUk]

@@whyyoulidl It's on the ring road at the junction of Fendon Road and Queen Edith's Way, near Addenbrookes. It took months to build and was way over budget. I've both driven and cycled round it, it's a bit confusing but perhaps that's just because it's unusual for the UK. On the bike I was very conscious of not knowing whether the drivers were actually going to stop or not.

[@ricequackers]

From what I understand the Dutch are looking to move away from this roundabout style due to the number of collisions on them. Instead they're looking at way to completely segregated bicycles from motor vehicles.

[@Matityahu755]

There's one of those 'Dutch' style roundabouts in St Helens, near to the Bull & Dog pub, on the Marshall Cross Road & Clock Face Road near Lea Green train station. It's a strange junction that's for sure, and I don't particularly like it. Give me the Magic Roundabout in Hemel Hempstead any day of the week.

[@thomash2806]

After having lived outside the UK for a long time and driven in other countries it looks like that ‘Dutch-style’ roundabout doesn’t fit in with the UKs positioning of crossings in relation to junctions in general. This is more about pedestrian crossings. I remember being taken from Manchester to Rochdale by my driving instructor to see an unusual roundabout with pedestrian crossings almost immediately adjacent to the entries and exits to the roundabout. Often junctions are fenced and crossings moved a certain distance from them. My instructor said this was to give sufficient visibility to drivers approaching them. If there’s a crossing immediately after a turn you only see it properly once you’ve turned and if it’s too close after a turn the likelihood is that drivers are in an acceleration phase when they realise there’s a crossing right there and that makes it more difficult to to slow and stop. Also other vehicles turning may be immediately faced with a slowing or stationary vehicle after turning. This is also the reason drivers in Britain can never cross a pedestrian crossing where the pedestrians have a green light. This is not the case in most other countries where vehicles can be faced with a pedestrian crossing immediately after turning where the pedestrians have green light. The thing I have noticed most about UK road design is a high degree of standardisation. It seems like in other countries I’ve driven in that the designs change with each junction or other obstacle or situation. Road design is a language and if road users have to learn a new phrase every time they encounter an intersection it leads to a drop in safety. I think the TRL has generally done a great job of designing road systems although I do agree that too much priority has been given to motor vehicles over pedestrians and cycles in the past. This has evolved recently however with the January 2022 Highway Code rules in the hierarchy of road users, which aims to protect vulnerable road users. Let’s hope things continue to go in that direction.

[@ronniel5941]

I attended two RRL courses. The thoroughness and intensity of the research being done was astonishing.

[@jpeel2066]

Always fascinating seeing old sites like that. Thanks. All the best 🇬🇧.

[@pauldonatantonio7785]

00:04:55 Can't believe you didn't lift the lid!

[@gavinallard9752]

In the late 90’s I was commissioned to design a replacement reception desk to the the entrance building to TRL and some other minor refurbishment areas. I remember the main client team was Dutch and the head of that claimed he was the director of Dutch mountain rescue. There were multiple outbuildings and strange test vehicles, I recall a 1963 landrover used around the site with only a few thousand miles on the odometer. Thank you for recording what happened since when I was there, it was inly a matter of time wasn’t it with the demand for land.

[@frasermitchell9183]

It was the TRL that drove the inhabitants of Slough to distraction with their town experiments. They called it "Slough Safety Town" and various experiments were undertaken on traffic in towns. The only one I have experienced was the linked traffic lights scheme on the A4 . This was set at the speed limit, and worked out so that once you started olong the section, and kept at 30 mph, you would get a "green wave" as you drove along. The bus me and my brother were on, the 'B' from Reading to London kept at 30 mph, so we never stopped. Cars would race past us and then get stopped at the next set of lights whilst we trundled up them and got a green ! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slough_experiment

[@shahedmc9656]

I remember the tyre adverts presented by Richard Marks (ex Police safety expert) who showed us photos taken from under the road (thanks to you John we now know where and how they were taken). He used to say something like "I'm convinced this is a major contribution to road safety".

[@JimmyTheRake]

Somewhere in the woods at TRRL was a concrete bunker where, in 1976, static test firings were conducted on the Sea Dart missile. I spent many freezing hours in there setting up transducers and ultraviolet recorders just for a 90 second firing.

[@planemadmatt]

Love the Gran Truism easter eggs.... damn that makes me feel old.

[@haydnd2764]

As part of an AXA insurance car Rally I drove round there in the late 1990s in the Triumph Stag with the family. I shall have to dig out our VHS tape of the day, great fun.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Nice one mate, thanks for watching!

[@mattbeddw]

I got to spend a day here on "The Pan" in the late 2000s shortly after passing my driving test learning how to drive in slippery conditions to avoid a skid and how to control over and understeer. There were always cars going round the track when we drove past too, had no idea it had closed!

[@RichardBarrett-m5b]

Thanks for this video, my grandfather Geoffrey Grime worked for the, then, TRRL. He was honoured for his work on the nouncing bomb. I have fond memories of open days there in the 70's seeing cars that had been crashed together or into walls, barriers etc. And double decker buses skidding on the skid pan.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Nice one, thanks for watching!

[@KevinLee-ww3ny]

Thanks

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks a lot mate, appreciate that

[@donalddodson7365]

Interesting episode. Thanks, Jon!

[@philsturdy]

Re the RRL in Hillingdon, there is a similar model of the Mohne dam at the Building Research Establishment, in Garston, Hertfordshire next to the M1.

[@jonbaldwin]

I went to school nearby and this was by far the most sought after work experience placement!

[@mattsmith-sb1ft]

Edgebarrow or Hatchride?

[@leedee2972]

It took me back to the late 70s when I worked on bridge design . It was a wonderful working environment with strong camerarderie. Great memories.

[@PaddyWV]

Interesting bit of "Land Grabbing" there for housing. I suppose they would call it a "Brownfield Site", but it wasn't really. 🤔

[@martxw]

I made a bit of pocket money as a volunteer driver in the cycle safety tests. I got the top-off for it from Diamond Geezer, the London blogger. I think one example of the Dutch Roundabout had been created, but isn't popular. The other tests which I regularly see the results of are the cycle lanes that run behind bus stops, and the ceramic armadillos for separating cycle lanes from traffic. I had my first lesson to learn to ride a bike there between experiments, but when I came back years later to try cycling round the banks it nearly killed me.

[@TonyLing]

There is also a disused Broadmoor escape siren on that site in the North West corner.

[@gilleyb1900]

Great vid thanks john and love the GT 2 music at the end.

[@regularguy3665]

I remember seeing some of the footage from testing of the Dutch roundabout - they invited a load of driving instructors and cyclists for a jolly. Within 30 seconds of them starting the test a cyclist went the wrong way (ie anti-clockwise), the DSA bloke damn near popped himself and exclaimed that ‘I never expected that’s (paraphrased). It was such a failure that they built one anyway in Cambridge and it was closed almost immediately for 3 days after a motorist ploughed some of the infrastructure.

[@sambensley3534]

10 minutes away from me, I remember hearing sirens when the launch track was used, and the original main entrance gate. Also try longcross test facility, maybe tricky as it’s also used as a film set location

[@ChrisDunnG4KVI]

That takes me back! Went there as couple of times with my Father when they had open days. Remember seeing the 'banana' car design, which became the Sierra, and a catcher installed on a car to catch pedestrians in a crash! Interesting to see McMichael ltd popping up. Worked for them for a VERY short time, when they were part of GEC.

[@AdamBuckley1964]

I went to school nearby (edgbarrow) and we used to go there sometimes to be cyclists and pedestrians for testing junctions and timing of lights, etc. It was a good day off school

[@nickhaag7803]

Weren't you tempted to lift that manhole cover? And what an eyesore those new houses are!

[@justimorris]

I live here so thanks so much for creating this! Landscaping my garden I dug up lots of old road signs 😅

[@AutoShenanigans]

Nice one, thanks for watching! Any good signs?

[@marcushinton772]

Sad to hear this as have been there for many years for the Golf GTI international, happy days

[@scottyg7284]

I remember going there to Gti international back in the late 90’s, sad to see it now, but as always thanks for showing us.

[@type17]

Hello, fellow GTI-er! We used to go every year from about 96 until they moved it to East Anglia. Must root out our old photos of hundreds of Mk1's & 2's in the car park on the pan. I also remember seeing loads of old X & Y-reg Cavaliers there, waiting to be painted matte yellow, and crashed on the test rig shown in the video.

[@RalfyCustoms]

Absolutely fantastic, and such a shame to see a wonderful old place disappear Such is life mate Have a wonderful holiday

[@TheRealYorkshireman]

One of your best. You do a good documentary piece when you put your mind to it. Let us hope there are more to come. Seasonal greetings and all that to you and yours.

[@stevennash9095]

Back in the late 1980’s and into the mid 1990’s when I was at BMW UK in Bracknell we used this TRL facility a lot. Shame to see it falling into disrepair…..

[@AutoShenanigans]

Nice one, thanks for watching!

[@nightw4tchman]

5:16 I can tell I live somewhere out in the middle of nowhere as I have yet to see a cycle traffic light, good idea though.

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Gosh I’m surprised at seeing it close down, or maybe I’m not in the current bulldoze and build culture. A few years back, I attended a private event there for the Light Car Company Rocket experience. We were driven at high speed around the track in the cars and used the skid pan etc. Well done on the success of your channel 👍🏼👍🏼👌🏼

[@Joe-lb8qn]

I took a speed awareness course here (dont judge) must have been one of the last before it closed. I still drive by (carefully) as its only a few miles from where i live. BIg billboards for the new houses I think they are (orw ere) building new ones quite recently..

[@mikebrennan9898]

When I worked for RS components they were a customer of mine made frequent visits there

[@fredericksaxton3991]

That banked bend can be very scary stuff. There is the same at MIRA and in the late 1980's I was on a Norwich Union car rally and we had the opportunity to drive one lap around the whole circuit. I was going hell for leather to the first bend in my open Jaguar and this road ahead just reared up and I KNEW I was going to fall off it... So I slowed to 80 mph and sailed round on the 2nd 'rung', even that was a tad nervous inducing. Kicked myself later. But in my defence, to get up on the 4th rung you would need to be doing over 100 mph and you would need to work you way up it and build your confidence. Perhaps at least 5 laps and it may have been plain sailing. As an afterword, some one was killed a few weeks later when the armoured car they were in rolled over. :(

[@Jonjooooo]

My dad worked here in the 90s for a company called Drive & Survive. They specialised in teaching blue lights drivers, but also did a lot of work with private security firms and chaeuffeurs. So he basically got to spend his work days racing Bentleys and Rolls Royces through the forest.

[@RopeforaCue]

I have worked there since 2008 and it was a real shame when we lost the track to the developers. But it was inevitable after privatisation as the land was not part of the deal. Its a different company now but still does important work. The overhead image of the Dutch roundabout you showed was just that, a trial of them took place there, I was not involved in the research directly but as a cycle commuter I was drafted in occasionally to participate if not enough members of the public turned up. I think it did lead to one such roundabout opening in Cambridge but it opened to mixed reviews.

[@deanfarrimond7543]

Good stuff as always Jon. Keep up the good work and happy holidays.

[@simonochana3189]

I’ve got one for you to look at. At Hornchurch in Essex. There is a strange flyover that links the A12 (Eastern Avenue East) to the A127 (Southend Arterial Road. I’ve heard that it was supposed to be a temporary solution, but I’m certain that it’s been there for over 50 years!

[@AndrewSmart32]

Wow I wasnt expecting you to video here! Ive been running my 5th scale RC cars on this road for a few years now. Great fun

[@RichN22]

It went there a few times in the late 90s when GTI International called the site home. The show was located around the pan next to the crash test building. I remember walking over the track set into the concrete. Was a great show back then.

[@markb159]

Happy Humpday :) Not sure I could have resisted the temptation to have a wee look under that cover to see if it was the old underpass

[@PRCOM]

John thanks for so many great videos this year, just wanna wish you and family a happy Christmas bud

[@barnabybeere1557]

Fantastic video, many thanks for sharing - I actually went for a job interview at TRRL in 1992, didn't get the job but always wondered what it would have been like to work there!

[@scrapyardsorcerer]

Many happy(!) hours spent here. Over the high speed track on the Bailey Bridge. Watching the secret testing of motorcycle leg-shields of the 1990's, looking at Nortons buried upto their engines in road salt. Good on-site cafe for staff. The whole place was like a "Carry On" film.

[@secretmanPFD]

The whole site, especially the banked corner, is a great place to take a high-power rc car - I speak from experience!

[@chrisharvey2571]

I drove an articulated lorry around the track back in the early 2000’s when CNG was being tested as an alternative fuel by Safeway supermarkets and other companies with the support from Mobil. It was a test day for other companies to try them out.

[@lewisingram6322]

I live around the corner from here. If you look at old maps from before the housing development you'll see the roadways inside map out a perfect outline of a very phallic shape! Used to make me laugh everytime.

[@lewisingram6322]

www.google.com/search?q=crowthorne+business+estate+map&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi6u4bXgp-DAxXXmicCHQkcDW8Q2-cCegQIABAD&oq=crowthorne+business+estate+map&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzIICAAQgAQQogQ6BAgjECc6BwgjELACECc6BQgAEIAEOgcIABCABBAYUO8MWOhQYNZUaABwAHgAgAHqAYgBzRSSAQY3LjEzLjKYAQCgAQHAAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=72SDZfqHB9e1nsEPibi0-AY&bih=826&biw=412&client=ms-android-sonymobile-rvo3&prmd=imvnbtz&hl=en#imgrc=AdNYJ3DEYZxJrM You're welcome 🍆

[@whyyoulidl]

Hey MNIJ, thanks again for bringing us this gem; another standout vid with interesting additions in the comments. Keep 'em coming 👌🏿

[@AutoShenanigans]

Nice one, thanks for watching!

[@BerlietGBC]

Very interesting, my late neighbour Jim worked there for many years after he left the RAF, he was involved in all kinds of testing from vehicles to road surfaces, my partner used to visit there when he was with the DOT

[@petetrundell5454]

I’ve been there a few times back in the 90’s. The VW GTi shows were there every year. A fascinating place and most of the test loop was open to drive on, if I remember correctly, as the parking arrangements for the events were quite extensive.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Nice one, thanks for watching!

[@PhilipMurphy8Extra]

A great episode Jon, Really interesting. Thanks

[@MrBLUEDEVILUK]

Thank you Jon, I really liked this episode. It reminded me of my research and development days.

[@scarlettsgarage1]

i remember it was used a a car meet show location location that allowed drag racing , i went to a couple of VW shows there in the 1990's.

[@TrippyNoodles]

Great video. Got to visit for a private hire driver exhibition many years back with armoured Audi’s & BMW’s wallowing around the track at silly speeds. The layout of those new homes look like a crammed in mess.

[@troytempest9729]

Another brilliant video - thanks Jon!

[@paulwhite2023]

I used to go there for sevetal years each May starting in 1989 for the GTI International event primarily for VW Golf GTI cars. Wow, its unrecognisable on the ground, the aerial shots make it possible though. I remember the building plus the buried track in the ground. Distant memories now of a great family show.

[@St-lb8yy]

Another great video, thanks. Fyi the police used to visit the site to practice motorway work safely before the real thing. Stinger training took place there too

[@lordpitnolen2196]

You're productions benefit greatly from the contributions of viewers. Keep the comments coming.

[@IDeltic]

You use Gran Turismo music a lot, but I still love it every time you do.

[@tradeplatetravels]

I've been past here so many times and had no idea this was here! Looks like it was fun to explore. Thanks for showing us around.

[@vernongoodey5096]

Worked at the TRRL for 18 months back in 1983/4. Loved walking around the track & forest during my lunch break! Also the MVEE at Chertsey, used to see the new Challenger tanks being tested there. Occasionally McClaren would use the track as well

[@sichere]

I don't know you though ?

[@SR-hz4ws]

That was fascinating!! Loving this channel - keep the content coming please.

[@richardbrown7153]

I remember doing part of my fast road course there - first and last time I ever saw a BMW on two wheels!

[@AutoShenanigans]

Nice one mate, thanks for watching!

[@StoatM]

Before I moved awya from home, this was one of my stomping grounds, the banking is a great place for jumping RC cars :) very cool to see it here

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Another fantastic and informative video Jon.

[@philtucker1224]

Really interesting (I live near there) and remember going there about 20 years ago to a speed awareness course. Yes that area is getting a lot of new homes now.

[@darrenrussell8980]

Never heard of this one. Only 20 minutes away is the very similar Longcross which has banking, steep hills, skid pan oval etc. That was used for films and motorsport rallies and sprints till sadly it was shut. Used to do well over 100 round the banking competing there

[@Car10121-s]

Ahh I didn’t know the competition stuff went on there. Not sure if the driving experiences, car magazines and McLaren still use it. They still did a few years ago when I worked across the road.