A Tale Of Tunnels (2)

fbb has been taking a look at the above volume, a collection of personal reminiscences from the halcyon days of steam when every small boy wanted to be an steam engine driver. fbb never had such aspirations. Trips to Northampton Castle station with auntie convinced him that steam was noisy, chaotic and very hard work.

Instead he became a teacher experiencing classrooms that were noisy, chaotic and hard work. But now the noise and the chaos were usually driven by fbb's seat-of-the-pants bombastic teaching style! His pupils were usually submissive.

Anyway, the third tunnel in the book is pictured here.

These, of course, are the twin tunnel mouths of the Woodhead Tunnel, on a hugely busy line carrying up to 250 train a day in each direction. Drivers referred to it as a hell-hole, partly due to the small size of the bore, and partly because the smoke and steam did not have time to dissipate before the next train passed through.

Driving through Woodhead was not fun!

The original Woodhead station was a magnificent castellated structure that at one time even boasted a refreshment room.

The road above the tunnel is the main A628 between Barnsley and Manchester. The property directly above the tunnel is now nothing more than a rectangle of stone walling.

There is even less sign of the cottages upper left in the above picture from the 1900s.

The decision to electrify the route, made pre WW2 but only implemented after the conflict, clearly meant that the two bores were too small. Thus it was that in 1953 a new Woodhesd Tunnel was opened.

The new alignment meant that the old station had to go and it was replaced with a modest short-platformed halt at which very few trains called.

The new tunnel lasted from 1953 to 1981 when the last freight train ran. It was a superb piece of engineering that had a life of only 28 years.

Recent developments have seen the high voltage electricity cables that once ran through the old north bore being transferred to the "new" tunnel. Despite vociferous protests, this move would seem to make it highly unlikely that the line could ever be reopened.

Alan sent fbb a Northampton news item about Kilsby Tunnel on the West Coast main line.

The southern portal is close to the junction of the M1 and M45.

But here is the "Chronicle" news report:-

Two years ago, work was undertaken to strengthen and repair the Great Ventilation Shaft - which lies tucked away behind a tall hedge on the A5 ...

... close to Kilsby village.

It looks more imposing photographed from the field ...

... or looking down from the top, here when the work was in progress.

But the best view, if only we humble mortals could ever see it, would be from the bottom of the shaft ...

... and looking up.

You cannot avoid being impressed with the engineering ...

The Kilsby Tunnel is on the West Coast Main Line in England. The railway tunnel is near the village of Kilsby in Northamptonshire roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Rugby and is 2,432 yards (2,224 m) long. On opening, it was the longest railway tunnel in the world

It was designed and engineered by Robert Stephenson for the London & Birmingham Railway (L&BR) and was constructed by contractors Joseph Nowell & Sons and later by the L&BR. It took much longer to construct and exceeded its estimated cost, attributed to a roof collapse and consequential flooding.

... still going strong after 183 years.

Tomorrow, a "new" tunnel with a new look; and a new tunnel never built but being promoted yet again.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Joining the shed (of fond memory), is a "half greenhouse", a cold frame and smart oak bench. Shown in provisional settings and awaiting painting, these come from a Wills (part of the Peco empire) being assembled by a sticky fingered fbb.

The old man does not know what is growing in the cold frame ...

... but it is cropping very well.

Also in place (and awaiting touch-up) is the recently delivered half-round plastic strip ...

... installed as coping stone stop the brick walls; more still to be added.

 Next Tunnels blog : Sunday 7th June