Clayton Tunnel

These bungalows are built on the infilled eastern approach cutting. The portal lies beneath the back garden of the home on the right.

The buried eastern end. This heap of debris could well extend 30 feet above roof level.

Clayton boasts two structures formed from bullhead rail, probably used by labourers to repair the lining. This is the larger one.

Bare rock is now exposed, some of which has parted company.

An 8-feet square section of lining has lost its fight for survival, possibly the result of a test bore being drilled above it.

The shaft has been reinforced but appears structurally sound.

The second shaft is next to the 23rd tablet. Brickwork and half of its pepperpot were thrown down before the concrete cap was fitted.

An insulated support for a telegraph wire.

Who did this boot belong to? And did its owner also leave behind the crutch which was lying nearby?

The first ventilation shaft, with its obligatory pile of rubble, is around 350 yards from the western portal.

Part of a track panel, now overturned, was left by the salvage men. Did it fall from the back of a wagon?

Tablets occur every 50 feet. The first is 7 yards from the portal.

The bricked portal is similar in design to its Great Northern relatives, including Lees Moor on the Keighley line and nearby Queensbury.

The portal is towered over by an embankment of infill.

Clayton's western approach cutting is now infilled. Close to the horizon is a mound of spoil from the original excavations.

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These bungalows are built on the infilled eastern approach cutting. The portal lies beneath the back garden of the home on the right.

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Clayton Tunnel is a 1,057 yard brick-lined tube which formed part of the rail connection between Bradford and Queensbury.

During construction in 1874, Thomas Coates (20) and William Elliot (27) lost their lives when their lifting cage fell down No.1 shaft. The man in charge of the winding engine was found to be under the influence of alcohol. Both casualties are buried in the graveyard of Clayton Parish Church where a headstone commemorates the accident.

Since closure, the eastern approach cutting has been completely filled-in and a housing estate built on the surrounding land. A bungalow sits directly above the portal – its conservatory recently suffered subsidence, possibly due to the void beneath it.

Infill has also claimed much of the cutting at the tunnel’s west end but it stops short of the portal by about 50 feet, allowing access for inspections which take place annually.

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Clayton Tunnel

Clayton Tunnel

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