Butterhouse Tunnel
Butterhouse Tunnel
![The remaining portal looks austere and unattractive, having suffered from vandalism in the years following closure. The lining appears to have been strengthened with rings of red brick.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image1-85.jpg)
![The approach cutting features a long series of cable hangers mounted on functional concrete posts.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image2-85.jpg)
![Although the tunnel is dry, evidence of water penetration can be seen on the south-side haunch.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image3-85.jpg)
![Ceremic tablets in the north sidewall benefited the local ganger.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image4-84.jpg)
![The neat refuges incorporate a segmental arch of three brick rings.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image5-84.jpg)
![A collection of track fixings evaded the salvage men.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image6-83.jpg)
![Square holes, many in number, can be found in the lining, possibly allowing water to escape from behind it.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image7-82.jpg)
![Cable hangers continue at a high level on the north wall.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image8-75.jpg)
![A pile of concrete troughing sections have also been abandoned.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image9-65.jpg)
![The western approach cutting has been backfilled, with the spoil heap extending some distance beyond the portal.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image10-51.jpg)
![Short stalactites can be seen in large groups throughout the tunnel, mostly running along the crown.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image11-38.jpg)
![Although initially straight, the tunnel incorporates a gentle curve to the south towards its western end.](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image12-26.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image1-85.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image2-85.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image3-85.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image4-84.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image5-84.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image6-83.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image7-82.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image8-75.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image9-65.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image10-51.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image11-38.jpg)
![](http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image12-26.jpg)
Butterhouse Tunnel was the first structure encountered by westbound traffic on the Micklehurst loop – a two-track ‘relief’ railway running along the east side of the Tame Valley, effectively four-tracking the main trans-Pennine route via Diggle. Opened in 1885, it was mostly used for freight. Laying additional tracks on the original alignment was impractical due to the valley’s steep sides and a lack of space.
The tunnel’s western approach cutting has been buried since the route’s closure in 1966 but the scruffy-looking eastern portal remains. A fleeting glimpse of it can be caught from passing trains. Most of the copings have succumbed to time and vandalism.
Constructed in engineering brick, the main lining is seven courses thick at the crown. Towards the eastern end, 3-6 rings of red brick have been inserted as a secondary lining, presumably for strengthening purposes.
329 yards in length, the tunnel incorporates a gentle curve to the south towards its western end. It boasts a patchwork of red and engineering brick, with refuges provided for platelayers and ceramic tablets in the north sidewall to benefit the local ganger’s note-taking. A high-level row of cable hangers is also apparent, together with hundreds of short stalactites.
A previous draft Route Utilisation Strategy for Yorkshire & Humber had put forward the reopening of the Micklehurst loop as one possible solution to the capacity constraints across the Pennines. But this idea was not incorporated into the Northern Hub scheme. As a result, the tunnel is unlikely to ever find function again.