Counties with the most tunnels

[eastglosmog]

4 hours ago, russ p said:

 

There always seems to be talk of opening this tunnel out.

..................................

Yes indeed, and I've been one of those peddling it being opened out (on behalf of the quarry alongside).  It is of restricted loading gauge (I'm told that in the days when coal hoppers ran through it they often scraped the sides).  Trouble is that whilst it is generally agreed that it would be a good thing if it was removed (no more maintenance required) none can agree how it can be done whilst the trains are still running (that didn't stop the Taff Vale from opening out a tunnel whilst still running through it back in the day, but standards are different now).

[Wickham Green too]

You've answered your own question, there ............ send through a rake of coal hoppers - each one built up half an inch higher than the previous one - and you'll end up with a train load of overburden for disposal.

[The Johnster]

5 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

Yes indeed, and I've been one of those peddling it being opened out (on behalf of the quarry alongside).  It is of restricted loading gauge (I'm told that in the days when coal hoppers ran through it they often scraped the sides).  Trouble is that whilst it is generally agreed that it would be a good thing if it was removed (no more maintenance required) none can agree how it can be done whilst the trains are still running (that didn't stop the Taff Vale from opening out a tunnel whilst still running through it back in the day, but standards are different now).

It's when tunnels are opened out by running through them you have to become concerned...

[Edwin_m]

10 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

Yes indeed, and I've been one of those peddling it being opened out (on behalf of the quarry alongside).  It is of restricted loading gauge (I'm told that in the days when coal hoppers ran through it they often scraped the sides).  Trouble is that whilst it is generally agreed that it would be a good thing if it was removed (no more maintenance required) none can agree how it can be done whilst the trains are still running (that didn't stop the Taff Vale from opening out a tunnel whilst still running through it back in the day, but standards are different now).

Cofton tunnel (Longbridge) collapsed onto a train during works to open it out in 1928.  Attempts to enlarge the original City and South London Tunnels during overnight works were also abandoned when the temporary shoring collapsed during the day, resulting among other things in a gas explosion.  

Edited August 21, 2020 by Edwin_m

[caradoc]

And of course there was the tragic collapse of Penmanshiel Tunnel during enlargement work in 1979, costing the lives of two workers. The tunnel was subsequently bypassed and abandoned. 

 

[John-Miles]

There was a short tunnel (Broomhill) between Chesterfield and Sheffield (near Whittington) which was opened out probably in the 1970s. It's a busy main line and I don't recall any major problems - by the way, that's another Derbyshire tunnel.

[Nearholmer]

Not any more it isn't.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

On 18/08/2020 at 03:30, pH said:

 

I think Nearholmer explained ‘subterranean’ in the post below:

 

Tunnels passing under water are generally longer e.g. the Channel Tunnel, the Severn Tunnel and the Mersey Railway tunnel between Liverpool and Birkenhead.

 

(Or have I been “whooshed”?)

With regards to the Mersey Railway Tunnel, I think it only comes back above ground level on the Birkenhead side - on the Liverpool side it goes straight into the return loop under the city centre and I don’t think it comes up for air anywhere?  I don’t know if there is a technical dividing line between the ‘tunnel’ and the ‘underground railway.’
 

On the Birkenhead side the line from Birkenhead North has a separate entrance to the line from Rock Ferry before the two lines converge at Hamilton Square, so there is a portion of underground railway on the Wirral side too.  I think all trains from Rock Ferry come back out headed to Rock Ferry and all those from Birkenhead North also return to Birkenhead North (ie: they don’t swap routes).
 

So...If you treat Wirral as a modern county (it is a unitary authority) I think it is the only tunnel - you go into it in our county, and come out again in our county at the point where you went in, but having passed under another county and come back again.
 

There are other reasons I like it here too 
 

 

[iands]

4 hours ago, John-Miles said:

There was a short tunnel (Broomhill) between Chesterfield and Sheffield (near Whittington) which was opened out probably in the 1970s. It's a busy main line and I don't recall any major problems - by the way, that's another Derbyshire tunnel.

Might that be Broomhouse rather than Broomhill? If so, it's listed as 92 yards long between Sheepbridge and Unstone, and was opened up in 1969 - according to the Railway codes website.

[Edwin_m]

2 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

With regards to the Mersey Railway Tunnel, I think it only comes back above ground level on the Birkenhead side - on the Liverpool side it goes straight into the return loop under the city centre and I don’t think it comes up for air anywhere?  I don’t know if there is a technical dividing line between the ‘tunnel’ and the ‘underground railway.’
 

On the Birkenhead side the line from Birkenhead North has a separate entrance to the line from Rock Ferry before the two lines converge at Hamilton Square, so there is a portion of underground railway on the Wirral side too.  I think all trains from Rock Ferry come back out headed to Rock Ferry and all those from Birkenhead North also return to Birkenhead North (ie: they don’t swap routes).
 

So...If you treat Wirral as a modern county (it is a unitary authority) I think it is the only tunnel - you go into it in our county, and come out again in our county at the point where you went in, but having passed under another county and come back again.
 

There are other reasons I like it here too 

There's a connection for empty stock in the former Mersey Railway tunnel between James Street and Central, so it's possible to emerge at the portal going towards Hunts Cross, or going towards Southport by reversing at Central, though obviously no passenger train does so.  I'm not sure if this makes it a single tunnel with four portals, and if so how that might count towards Merseyside's tunnel quotient.  

Edited August 21, 2020 by Edwin_m

[ElectroSoldier]

 

On 21/08/2020 at 21:32, Edwin_m said:

There's a connection for empty stock in the former Mersey Railway tunnel between James Street and Central, so it's possible to emerge at the portal going towards Hunts Cross, or going towards Southport by reversing at Central, though obviously no passenger train does so.  I'm not sure if this makes it a single tunnel with four portals, and if so how that might count towards Merseyside's tunnel quotient.  

Different tunnels but they count as both im afraid.

 

The Birkenhead tunnel goes from Birkenhead to the north side of Central station

The Loop tunnel leaves the Birkenhead tunnel at Mann Island Jn and re-joins it at the point the Up West Kirby becomes the Stock Interchange Line. There is no junction here, there are two tunnels joining each other.

The Link Tunnel is a multi bore tunnel with single bore sections as necessary. It starts at 59 chains in the Up Direction (north) from Central station, and ends at 36 miles 17 chains in the Up direction from central (south), counting up from Southport, so in layman's terms it starts 36 miles 17 chains from Southport and ends 59 chains past Central station when travelling from Southport to Hunts cross), it intersects with the Birkenhead Tunnel at Paradise Junction which is at the 36 mile 71 chain position within the tunnel, access to the Stock Interchange Line is in the Down Direction only from Central station however both the Stock Interchange Line and the Down Southport lines are bi directional. It is at this point, 36 mile 71 chain that the tunnel was originally the Birkenhead Tunnel, as it went from Birkenhead to what is not the reversing sidings north of Central station, when the Link tunnel was made it became the "Underground section" and the Birkenhead Tunnel portal into Central Tunnel (The Link Tunnell) at Pradise Jn became the new tunnel portal for it and that is where it now ends.
No passenger services are allowed to use the Stock Interchange Line, the line is 5mph only and I doubt it will ever be used for passenger services, the ground would need to be replaced to allow services to carry passengers.

 

The Northern Line from Hunts cross to Southport has 

Woolton Road Tunnel
Fulwood Tunnel

St Michaels Tunnel

Dingle Tunnel

St James No 4 Tunnel

St james No 3 Tunnel

St James No 2 Tunnel

St James No 1 Tunnel

Central Tunnel (The link tunnel, "the Underground section")

 

There are also 14 level crossings on the line.

 

The Northern line beats most claims to fame into a cocked hat and its just the start as there are serious plans now to open the Central Tunnel up either to The Waterloo Tunnel or The Wapping Tunnel (First railway tunnel under a metropolis and just The worlds first railway tunnel) to extend services.

[Gibbo675]

On 17/08/2020 at 19:04, Aire Head said:

 

It seems to be locked in a vicious battle with Yorkshire which seems to be dependent on how your define Yorkshire.

Easy, nothing like as good as Lancashire !!!

 

Gibbo.