Marteg Tunnel
Marteg Tunnel
The tunnel's south-west portal is now largely masked by trees.
(Photo 13 © Bill Blair)
The Mid-Wales Railway plotted a circuitous course for 48 miles from an end-on junction with the Llanidloes & Newtown Railway at Penpontbren to Talyllyn Junction, where it joined the Brecon & Merthyr Railway. It was intended to form part of a trunk route connecting the industrial centres of north-west England with the coalfields of south Wales and sea port at Milford Haven, but its ambitions were thwarted by competing Parliamentary proposals whereby 23 miles of line were excluded from the approved scheme. The authorising Act was passed in 1859.
As surveyed, the single track would have a challenging maximum gradient of 1 in 77 and sharpest curve of 30 chains radius. Responsible for the engineering were brothers Benjamin and Robert Piercy who were pivotal in developing the railway network of north and mid-Wales. Mr Atkinson fulfilled the role of resident engineer, with help from Messrs Wilson, Donaldson and Parkinson who individually managed specific sections of the line.
The first sod was cut on 2nd September 1859 in a field close to Rhayader by Mrs Pyne, a descendent of James Watt, the renowned Scottish inventor, engineer and chemist. She was presented with a spade and wheelbarrow by Messrs David Davies and Thomas Savin, the original contractors. Newspaper reports describe the crowd of 300 people contending with miserable weather, the colourful lunchtime procession taking place “amid the pelting of the pitiless storm”.
The company found it impossible to raise the subscriptions for construction so the contractors accepted shares to cover most of their payment. However, Davies and Savin fell out before work had actually started, with Alexander Thomas Gordon taking over the project. But very little work was undertaken due to ongoing financial difficulties and replacement contractors, Messrs James Overend and John Watson, were appointed on 26th March 1862 to push the job forward.
For much of its length, the railway followed the valleys of the Marteg, Wye and Llynfi rivers. Consequently, the requisite works were comparatively easy, the exception being a number of extensive rock cuttings, a great number of bridges and two tunnels.
The longer of these tunnels (MLT/70m 22ch) passes through a spur of land two miles west of St Harmon. It measures 372 yards in length and its gradient falls to the south-west at 1 in 73. Also known as Gilfach or St Harmon Tunnel, it is lined throughout with rubble masonry sidewalls in lime mortar and a brick arch. Refuges are provided at nominal intervals of 22 yards (1 chain) – although the actual distance varies significantly – alternating between sidewalls.
The tunnel was driven through mudstone of the Rhayader Mudstones Formation. At both ends, its arch comprises four rings of brick to carry load from superficial deposits overlaying the rock, but the central section appears to be formed of just one brick ring, indicating that its role is not structural.
In February 1863, engineer Benjamin Piercy told shareholders that a construction shaft had been sunk to expedite the excavation work. Historical maps record a small spoil heap around 140 yards from the north-east portal.
In September of the same year, it was reported that the Board of Trade inspector had instructed the engineer to line Marteg Tunnel throughout, despite it being driven through solid rock; this was to prevent any falls of material onto passing trains. It had previously been intended to leave the structure unlined; thus the edict drove a lengthy delay and increase in cost.
On 17th March 1864, two workers sustained severe injuries due to a fall of rock in the tunnel which a local newspaper cited as justification for the structure’s full lining.
Hostility towards Irish navvies amongst their English and Welsh counterparts spilled over into violence on 3rd May 1864, amidst rumours that the contractor was treating local workers less favourably. A group of miners employed on the excavation of Marteg Tunnel were drinking in a public house at nearby Gamallt, when the subject of how the Welsh were treated in Newry (Northern Ireland) became a talking point.
They collectively decided that every Irishman engaged on the tunnel works should be expelled, and this was immediately put into action, with some of the victims “carrying with them unmistakable evidences of the rough kind of treatment they had received.” One man was discovered hiding in a haystack, from where he was removed, abused and pushed into a brook.
The following day, an organised band of English and Welsh navvies – more than 200 in number and armed with staves – proceeded along the line, driving every Irishman out of town, after first escorting them to the contractors’ office to collect any wages due. It was reported that “the streets were completely in the hands of the mob.” One Scottish worker was mistakenly subject to a severe attack and another, from Somerset, was also beaten when he refused to give his country of origin. The rioters returned to work on the Tuesday.
Colonel Yolland from the Board of Trade inspected the line on 15th August 1864. Whilst expressing general satisfaction, he concluded that remedial works were needed before the line could be safely opened to passengers.
However, locals turned out in large numbers to celebrate the ceremonial opening of the line on 23rd August 1864 when a 14-carriage demonstration train ran from Llanidloes to Brecon, a journey which started at noon and took two-and-a-half hours. Once there, a dinner “on a very liberal scale” was served at the Castle Inn.
Goods services began on 1st September, with public passenger traffic introduced on 21st September.
From the outset, an intermediate connection was established with the Hereford, Hay & Brecon Railway at Three Cocks Junction, whilst a chord line to the Central Wales Railway was laid near Builth Wells, opening in 1867.
The flow of goods traffic over the line was initially modest, with the Mid-Wales Railway unable to compete with the collective forces of the Great Western and London & North Western. Traffic in the second half of 1865 amounted to 12,000 tons, yielding about a quarter of the company’s gross income. Figures for the first half of 1865 showed that working expenses of £6,550 represented 58% of receipts, considerably more than the 46% national average.
A receiver was briefly appointed in 1879, the company being unable to pay the interest on its debts. In 1887, operation of the line was transferred to the Cambrian Railway, an arrangement which proved so successful that the two companies merged in 1904.
In 1892, Birmingham Corporation confirmed plans to dam the Elan Valley to meet some of the city’s water needs. The huge scale of the civil engineering works required rail access for the movement of men, materials and equipment, and a 33-mile network of lines had been completed by 1896 to serve four worksites. The line diverged from the Mid-Wales Railway at a junction just to the south of Rhayader Tunnel where a 40-lever signal box was erected, together with nearby exchange sidings. Construction work continued until 1906.
On the morning of 27th June 1906, a gang of four men were about to start work on the line 50 yards from the south-west portal of Marteg Tunnel. When a goods train approached, one of the workers – positioned at the far end – displayed a red flag whilst the others endeavoured to remove a trolley – which came in two sections – from the line. The driver made an emergency brake application, but the rails were wet and the train heavy, comprising 22 wagons and a guard’s van.
One part of the trolley had been removed and all the men were standing clear as the train emerged from the tunnel. Then, experienced ganger Thomas Morris went back onto the track in an attempt to move the trolley’s wheeled base. He was struck by the train – which by this time was only travelling at 6-7mph – and left “fearfully mangled”, with his left leg severed below the knee; his skull and right arm were also fractured, whilst the ribs on the right side had been pushed into Morris’ heart. The 59-year-old died within a minute.
In late-March 1914, a man and woman were the only occupants of a carriage which was part of an afternoon passenger service heading north from Rhayader. As it passed through Marteg Tunnel, the woman heard a loud crash of glass. On emerging from the darkness, she was shocked to find that her companion – who had been sitting in a corner seat – was missing and the door had been wrenched from its hinges.
The incident was reported at St Harmon and the line searched by the local ganger. The door was located inside the tunnel; 50 yards further on, William Stallard was found walking along the line, shocked, bruised and with a broken finger, but otherwise unscathed.
After grouping in 1922, the Great Western Railway made efforts to promote the line and stimulate traffic, with special services and cheap tickets focussed around events such as agricultural shows. The beauty of the landscape through which the line passed was widely recognised as “one of the favourite routes for Welsh tourists who could scarcely find a pleasanter excursion”.
A variety of goods continued to be carried, with timber, stone, steel and sheep trains operating over the line. But the direction of travel was towards closure and 1962 saw the emergence of proposals to lift all three lines converging at Brecon, with the Mid-Wales Railway hosting its last train on 30th December 1962 when a Stevenson Locomotive Society ran a special service in heavy snow, during one of Wales’ worst winters.
In 1993, Rhayader Tunnel, four miles further south, was transferred to the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust as part of a project to provide foraging and roosting sites for the local bat population, with five species subsequently recorded therein. Marteg Tunnel is also managed by the Trust. Neither structure is accessible, but the public is encouraged to visit and explore the nature reserve established above Rhayader Tunnel.
Whilst the north-east portal is Fair and the south-west portal Poor, the tunnel itself is in generally Good condition. There is localised brickwork spalling in the arch and patch brick repairs to the sidewalls. At the north-east end, two short additional sections of blockwork wall have been erected against the north-west sidewall.
The tunnel supports the road between St Harmons and the A470, with an estimated 33 feet of overburden where it crosses the tunnel 37 yards from the south-west portal and 50 feet of overburden where it crosses 87 yards from the north-east portal.
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Marteg Tunnel
Litton Tunnel
The land rises sharply to the tunnel's south side, ensuring only a short northern approach cutting had to be excavated.
(Photo 13 © Bill Blair)
30th May 1863 saw the opening of an exceptional section of railway, eventually forming part of a main line link between London and Manchester. Built by the Midland, it cut a route through the limestone landscape of Derbyshire’s Wye Valley between Hassop and Buxton, demanding eight tunnels totalling 2,426 yards, two major viaducts and a number of smaller ones in the space of just 11 miles. But the audacity and investment did not live long. Barely a century after it opened, most of the route became an unlikely victim of the Beeching-era cuts, officially closing on 1st July 1968.
In 1981, the Peak District National Park Authority concluded lengthy negotiations with British Rail to secure the trackbed. Along it was laid the Monsal Trail – a nine-mile path linking Blackwell Mill Junction, east of Buxton, with a bridge over Coombs Road on the Matlock side of Bakewell. Since the summer of 2011, four of the tunnels – which had previously been closed for safety reasons – have been opened up for walkers, cyclists and horse riders to use, creating an easy linear connection between the Trail’s two ends.
Litton Tunnel, structure number 69, follows a curved alignment, extending for 515 yards. Neither approach cutting is long thanks to the steeply rising hillside on its south side. At the east end, the cutting features impressive vertical rock faces.
Westbound trains encountered a very short straight section before a long southerly curve of 40 chains radius. The gradient throughout rises at 1:100. The predominant lining material is engineering brick although patch repairs – some of them extensive – have been carried out in both red brick and masonry. The tunnel’s segmental roof arch is supported on limestone walls which lean outwards at the top. At the west end, a change in section sees much higher side walls and an arch with a very shallow rise.
Refuges of inconsistent sizes are provided at both sides. The installation of a 12″ concrete-encased water main, located at the foot of the south wall, was authorised in 1979. One refuge in the south wall leads to a short chamber, reputedly cut in connection with mining activity. Whilst generally dry, small deposits of calcite are found in places.
May 2026
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Litton Tunnel
Yelverton Tunnel
Damp, overgrown and devoid of sunlight - Yelverton's north portal.
(Photos 13 & 14 © Peter Green, Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (RCTS)/Courtney Haydon Collection)
The broad gauge South Devon & Tavistock Railway was constructed in the late 1850s, opening to traffic on 21st June 1859. It featured six viaducts and three tunnels. The Princetown Railway then drove a meandering line southwards to connect with the SD&T at Yelverton, opening in August 1883. Almost two years later, after agreement to build it was reached with the landowner, a junction station there welcomed its first passengers.
A few yards beyond, the single track penetrated a tunnel, running through it on a straight northerly course for 641 yards. It marked the summit of the main line. The masonry south portal sheltered at the end of its approach cutting. Inside, the rough lining was also fashioned from stone, accommodating signalling wires at a high level. Regular refuges were provided.
The route was converted to standard gauge in May 1892 but the rails became redundant on 29th December 1962 when they succumbed to closure, snowfall curtailing the service and the planned commemorations.
A footpath has already been laid along parts of the former trackbed, with plans being developed to extend it further. It will not however pass through Yelverton’s tunnel which remains as a silent and rather damp reminder of the railway’s former role in the town.
January 2013
Yelverton Tunnel
Woodhead Tunnel
Woodhead's abandoned platforms on the western approaches to the new tunnel.
(Photos 1, 2, 4 & 6 © Andrew King, photos 3, 5 & 7© Iain Skinner)
The first of Woodhead’s two single bores, engineered by Charles Vignoles and Joseph Locke, opened to traffic in 1845. It rises on a 1 in 200 gradient towards Dunford Bridge at its east end. Seven years later, the second tunnel was finished.
By the end of the Second World War, they were in such poor condition that Halcrow & Partners was contracted to build a new double-track tunnel. The line was also electrified. After five years work, the ribbon was cut by Transport Minister Alan Lennox-Boyd on 3rd June 1954. It cost £4.6million and six lives.
The little-used passenger service bit the dust in January 1970 but it was not until Saturday 18th July 1981 that a Harwich ferry train became the last service ever the pass through the tunnel.
July 2011
Woodhead Tunnel
Withcall Tunnel
A small retaining wall protected the line on the approach to Withcall's western portal which sits in an impressive chalk cutting.
Work on Withcall Tunnel got underway in January 1852 with the driving of a 10-foot heading through sandstone and chalk. The Louth & Lincoln Railway’s original plan was for a bore of 803 yards but this was extended to 971 yards when a revised route was authorised. Construction was beset by problems with bad weather causing frequent delays. In October 1874, a deluge of water washed navvies out of the tunnel. A month later, bricklayers went on strike because their hands were being scalded by wet lime. And December saw the death of a workman who was struck by a wagon.
The first goods train passed through the tunnel on 26th June 1876, with passenger traffic starting in the following December.
The tunnel is straight but no light can be seen at the other end because the summit of this part of the line is located around 300 yards in from the eastern portal. The climb up to and within the tunnel (1 in 54) often caused difficulties in wet conditions – some locomotives required two or more attempts to reach the top. Smoke could become so dense that the footplate crew would kneel on the floor, covering their faces with wet handkerchiefs.
An oversight by the architect resulted in no refuges being constructed – an unusual and potentially dangerous feature for a tunnel of this length.
Today, the portals are bricked up but doorways are provided for access. Humidity levels are high and temperatures stable – ideal conditions for bats. The structure is now a hibernaculum and has SSSI status. Although wet at its western end, Withcall Tunnel remains in excellent condition despite a 50-year absence of regular maintenance. The last train passed through on 17th September 1956.
July 2008
Withcall Tunnel
Windsor Hill Tunnel
The south portal of Windsor Hill's original tunnel which was used by Down trains after the route was doubled in 1892.
In 1872, work began on an extension to the Somerset & Dorset Railway, linking a new junction at Evercreech with the Midland Railway at Bath. Costing £400,000, this single track ‘branch’ became the S&D’s main line when it opened on 20th July 1874 as it created a direct link between the Midlands and south coast.
North of Shepton Mallet the line climbed a 1:50 gradient, passing through Windsor Hill in a tunnel of 242 yards. Its construction was attended by tragedy on 18th August 1873, shortly after six navvies started work on the night shift. A block of stone weighing several tonnes fell from the roof, fatally crushing four of the men beneath it and seriously injuring a fifth. Miraculously, the other escaped with only bruises.
As built, the tunnel was largely unlined, exposing its natural lias limestone, but incremental repairs saw discrete sections of wall and roof added, mostly in brick, over the years that followed. The portals are masonry with a few yards of brick arch extending inwards from both. Towards its northern end, the structure curves to the west. Beyond was access into the sidings for two quarries.
Through the 1880s, traffic levels grew quickly. This prompted the line’s doubling in stages. The last section to benefit, in 1892, was Shepton Mallet to Binegar, necessitating the boring of a second tunnel for Up trains. Driven further west with more extensive approach cuttings, this one was shorter at just 132 yards. It is lined throughout with masonry sidewalls and a brick arch. Neat refuges are provided in both walls at regular intervals.
An active campaign to save the S&D was lost in 1965 when the then Transport Secretary Barbara Castle confirmed its closure. Scheduled for 3rd January 1966, it was deferred when one of the operators withdrew its application for a licence to provide some of the alternative bus services; an emergency rail timetable was instead introduced on that date. But on 7th March services on the S&D between Bath and Bournemouth finally came to an end.
Shortly after its closure, Windsor Hill’s original Down tunnel was used to test Concorde’s Rolls Royce engines. In 1968, steel doors were attached for this purpose and, three years later, a sign warned people to stay out because of possible contamination from “radioactive oil”. In 1981 planning permission was granted for the tunnels’ conversion into nuclear bunkers, although this lapsed without being exercised. The doors were removed in 1990 but the tunnel remains fenced off.
The newer Up bore now forms part of a greenway incorporating the nearby Bath Road and Ham Wood viaducts. It is particularly benign, but lacks the character of its neighbour.
June 2009
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Windsor Hill Tunnel
Whitrope Tunnel
The rarely visited north portal never sees the sun; moisture in the air encourages moss to carpet its stonework.
(Photo 13 © Jeff Grayer, photo 14 © John Lakey)
The Border Union line, built by the North British Railway and known as the Waverley, plotted a course through the often-remote landscape of the Scottish Borders from Carlisle to Hawick where it joined the company’s existing network. Here the first sod was turned on 7th September 1859, the line having been authorised by a Parliamentary Act earlier that year.
The Whitrope Contract, awarded to William Ritson, extended for 4 miles 5 furlongs and within it were two of the line’s most challenging structures: the 14-arch Shankend Viaduct and Whitrope Tunnel, Scotland’s fifth longest at 1,208 yards. Its construction, beneath Sandy Edge, was a remarkable triumph. It climbs a rising 1:96 gradient to the south and features curves at both ends, describing an S-shaped alignment. Rail level is 311 feet below the highest point of the hill, the strata being predominantly red sandstone, with limestone at the southern end. Whitrope Summit, 1,006 feet above sea level, lies 300 yards further Up the line towards Carlisle.
Headings were driven from five construction shafts. 400 gallons of water gushed into the workings every minute; of this, about 216 gallons entered by No.2 shaft alone. To minimise its impact on the work, this influx was managed by a complex drainage system.
At its peak, 600 navvies worked on the tunnel, experiencing huge variations in temperature which caused them to work in coats one minute and topless the next. At least two of them lost their lives. On 22nd April 1859, a ganger named Kingdom chose to descend one of the shafts by rope instead of the ladder provided. About 90 feet from the bottom, he lost his grip and fell, sustaining hideous injuries.
In March 1862, a group of Irish navvies celebrated St Patrick’s Day by stealing all the food and drink from a pub in Longburnshiels, wrecking the place and then attacking a number of Scottish and English labourers who lodged there. The rioting continued for days after.
The tunnel was inspected for the Board of Trade by Captain Tyler on 21st June 1862. Six weeks later, with freight services already running, the route’s formal opening for passenger traffic was marked by a huge banquet in Hawick, attended by upwards of 700 dignitaries.
At its southern end, the tunnel features a modest masonry portal with ashlar voussoirs, projecting band course and plain spandrels, with a tall parapet set into hillside. On the approach cutting’s east side, a vast retaining wall of engineering brick – built as a result of the soft, unstable rock – comprises irregular terraces to hold back the hillside. Inset bricks are laid to form a sloped wall, all benefiting from a rock-faced ashlar supporting wall to ground level with plain copings. To the west is a lesser structure of similar style. The north portal enjoys the same design but the retaining walls are less extensive.
Although the tunnel was originally lined with masonry, substantial sections were replaced in brick over time. However much of this remedial work has itself deteriorated to the point where a large proportion of the bricks have lost their outer face, except where engineering brindles were used. Generally, the lining is in a poor condition, a consequence of the considerable water ingress. Despite all the shafts being hidden behind the lining, at least three of them discharge vast quantities of water into the tunnel through weep holes. The downpipes that used to carry this deluge to the drain have been removed, together with a number of catchment trays. Large areas of calcite are apparent on both walls but there is surprisingly little pondling.
The tunnel still boasts its ballast base, with one open catchpit providing access to the large central drain below the trackbed. Inserted into both sidewalls, which locally are supported on exposed rock footings, are generous refuges of assorted proportions.
At the south end, distortion of the lining prompted the insertion of 16 steel ribs with infill brickwork; several of the ribs have strengthening webs at the crown. However in March 2002, a section of roof immediately to the south of this section gave way, depositing many tonnes of rock and debris onto the solum. Since then the previously-open tunnel has been secured with steel fencing.
The Waverley line closed in January 1969 after which the Up line was soon lifted. The Down line was visited by an engineer’s special on 1st April 1970 before it too was taken up. In recent years, the efforts of the Waverley Route Heritage Association – which has laid a section of track on the approach to the tunnel – have been rewarded with the Grade B listing of the tunnel, affording it some future protection.
Click here for Dick Sullivan’s story ‘Navvymen’ which covers the construction of Whitrope Tunnel and other nearby structures.
January 2013
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Whitrope Tunnel
Wheatley Tunnel
Wheatley's stone portal contrasts with a serious brick retaining wall.
(Photos 15 © Transport Treasury/Norris Forrest, photos 16 & 17 © Bruce McCartney)
Conceived as part of a grander scheme in 1883, the Halifax High Level and North & South Junction Railway – abbreviated in 1892 to the Halifax High Level Railway – extended for a little over three miles, leaving the Halifax-Queensbury line at Holmfield and terminating at St Pauls Station. Construction got underway late in 1887, requiring a workforce of between 1,100-1,200 men employed by the contractor, Messrs Baker of Bradford.
Two substantial structures were required towards the northern end – a viaduct of ten arches reaching 100 feet in height and an 819-yard tunnel, both at Wheatley. Construction of the latter was not devoid of incident. At noon on 23rd January 1888, with the 10-foot heading having been driven 40 yards into the shale, a rockfall buried two miners. One was extricated within 20 minutes relatively unharmed but efforts to rescue the other were hampered by a second fall. The body of John Potter, aged about 50, was removed three hours later.
In August 1889, the half-yearly shareholders meeting was told that the viaduct’s arches had been turned and its masonry was complete except for the parapets. 620 yards of tunnel had been enlarged to full size, 586 yards of which had been lined.
The inaugural passenger service ran on Thursday 4th September 1890 although goods had been carried as far as Pellon – the only intermediate station – since 1st August. Running northbound, it stopped at the tunnel’s western entrance to allow Mrs Booth, the Mayoress, to unlock the gates with a silver key. There was much rejoicing. This was, however, short-lived as the passenger service linking the higher and lower parts of Halifax lasted only 26 years, ending on 1st January 1917. Goods trains continued to shuttle back and forth until 25th June 1960.
A lengthy brick retaining wall dominates the north side of Wheatley Tunnel’s western approach cutting. The portal is a substantial affair, built in stone and featuring buttresses to both sides of the entrance. The headwall extends above a string course and is topped with masonry copings brought to a central point. The voussoirs are relatively modest.
The tunnel’s interior is lined in brick throughout. Refuges are inserted in both walls although many have been filled with breeze blocks as part of recent remedial works. Around 520 yards from the west end is the only ventilation shaft which emerges to the east of Cousin Lane as a square brick tower. Telegraph cables were carried on the south side wall and many of their insulated mounting arms remain in situ. The tunnels is generally dry, despite which localised spalling of the brickwork has occurred.
The eastern approach cutting has been backfilled, burying the portal. However there is a high-level doorway in the blockwall leading to a concrete access shaft. A mound of rubble extends into the tunnel at the base of which is an area of thick orange sludge.
Click here for more of Phill’s Wheatley pictures.
June 2014
Wheatley Tunnel
Wenvoe Tunnel
Knee-deep in muddy water, Wenvoe's northern portal.
(Photo 10 © Phill Davison, photo 11 © Richard Barnes)
The Barry Railway Company was born to release the stranglehold of the Taff Vale Railway and Cardiff Docks on the export of South Wales’ coal. Work on it started in 1885 and thanks to their efficiency, by 1910, Barry Docks had overtaken their near neighbour in terms of tonnage shifted.
Within four years, the company had built a substantial rail network including several branches and an 18½-mile main line from Trehafod into the docks. Included in this was a double-track bore of 1,868 yards at Wenvoe which first saw active service in 1889.
The tunnel is brick lined except for a short section at its southern end where a change in geology occurs. Towards its centre is a single ventilation shaft, also brick lined and almost the full width of the structure.
Traffic through the tunnel came to a premature close on 31st March 1963 thanks to a fire which destroyed Tynycaeau North signal box. Since then, it has become home to a large water main and extraordinary mineral deposits which adorn the walls. A pile of junk has come to rest at the foot of the shaft and the tunnel now suffers badly from flooding, with waters reaching a depth of four feet after heavy rainfall.
Click here for more of Sparhawk’s pictures.
Click here for more of Ben Salter’s tunnel shots (Flickr).
August 2012
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Wenvoe Tunnel
Well Heads Tunnel
The well-secured south portal boasts access for bats.
(Photos 2-7 © Sparhawk, photos 8 & 9 © Ben Salter)
Construction difficulties brought delay to the extension of the Great Northern’s route from Thornton through to Keighley. The 1½ miles to Denholme was opened as a single-track goods line on 1st September 1882, incorporating two tunnels – Hamer’s Hill and Well Heads, the latter being significantly longer at 662 yards. The through route to Keighley didn’t appear until 1884.
The northern end of Well Heads Tunnel marks the highest point of the line – 887 feet above sea level. The structure boasts characteristic GN stone portals with buttresses either side of the entrance. Inside, vertical masonry-built walls – accommodating tablets and supports for signalling cables on the Down side – give way to a brick arch. Regular refuges, also in brick, are provided. There are no ventilations shafts.
Closure of the Thornton-Cullingworth section came on 11th November 1963.
Part of the northern approach cutting has been infilled since the railway was removed, effectively sealing the tunnel at that end. Its ownership is divided, with the southern section being in the hands of British Railways Board (Residuary). Work to repair spalled brickwork has taken place in the past 20 years.
It is hoped that the Great Northern Trail will eventually be extended northwards from Thornton to pass through the tunnel.
Click here for more of tunnelrat’s pictures.
June 2011
