I've never done a railway tunnel before, but I've always wanted to. I find them really photogenic and interesting. In addition to that, they're eerie, silent testaments to an older era, when the train lines around the UK were much more abundant. Since the more well known Bridgnorth tunnel was quite formidably secured, and we don't force entry ever, I needed to get my tunnel fix elsewhere.
Tunnels can be hard to find, even if one knows the basic whereabouts, and this one was no exception, hidden in dense woodland. It also didn't help that we approached in the dead of night.
If you think it's scary to come here in the dead of night, look at it this way- the interior of the tunnel is pitch black anyway. The most we'd get now is roosting pigeons or something. Personally pigeons give me the willies ever since I got trapped in a derelict brothel with eight of them flapping around terrified in the dark. But on rooftop adventures they're somewhat more tolerable. They just fly away.
But of course, if given a choice of avian to deal with, I'd go with a goose, and name it Bethia Barleycorn.
Onto the tunnel!
The railway system of the UK is the oldest in the world, with its earliest examples dating back to the 1560s, when they used wooden wagons pulled along by animals, mainly for the conveyance of coal and other goods. These lines were nowhere near as sprawling as they were today, rather made up of small localised lines owned by various companies.
Over time, the technology became more refined, most notably with the introduction of iron rails in 1793. And then during the 19th Century, it all grew very rapidly, with the steam locomotive being invented in 1802, and trains being opened for passenger use in 1830. From that point on, trains became quite the craze. All the little privately owned isolated tracks were linked, creating a countrywide network, although still run by dozens of competing companies. The craze reached its peak in 1846 with the planning of a few new proposed routes totalling around 15,300km of extra tracks. However, a third of these lines were never actually built, due to companies collapsing, being bought out, or turning out to be fraudulently channeling investors money into other projects. Nevertheless, Britain still ended up with a network of some 37,720km of tracks crossing the country.
And then during the first world war, it was all brought under government control.
That never ends well. Never have reptiles do a mammals job.
This particular tunnel was part of a railway line that stretched from Buildwas near Ironbridge to the Marsh Farm junction just north of Craven Arms in South Shropshire. The tracks from Much Wenlock to Buildwas opened in 1864. Later that year, Much Wenlock was then connected via rail to the nearby Presthope, and then in 1867 the remaining eleven miles to Craven Arms were completed, with additional stations at Rushbury, and Harton Road.
The tunnel was a reluctant addition. Those planning the track would have preferred to have a regular over-ground train line, but they were met with harsh resistance from local landowners, and so they were forced instead to plot the track 207 yards underground.
There's really not a lot I can personally say about the tunnel. Unlike a great many places that I go to, this is pretty straightforward, a linear path from one opening to the next, with nothing really to comment on. There's a small stream running through it.
I'm sure if I worked for the mainstream media, I could put a nefarious twist on this in order to sell a newspaper and get people angry, but honestly, I'm just here to appreciate that which has come before me.
Although if I really wanted, I could make it more terrifying by photoshopping a stampede of angry llamas charging out of the shadows...
For those who don't know, railway tunnels tend to have these archways so that maintenance workers can refuge from passing trains.
While the decline of railways began between 1923 and 1939 when about 2,100km of tracks closed, the most notorious blow to the industry was what is now referred to as the Beeching Cut.
In 1955 a modernization plan was put forward, replacing the traditional steam engine with the superior diesel engine. At the time, their largest competition was road transport, and it was predicted that this development, while costly, would be a worthwhile investment, because there would be a passenger increase due to the new technology.
This didn't happen, and by 1961, it was reported that they were suffering financial losses of about £300,000 a day. And if you think that's a painful amount to lose, just remember, this was 1961. Due to inflation, this value today is several million. So it really wasn't financially viable to keep so many lines or stations open.
A chap named Dr Robert Beeching passed a report that saw some 2,363 stations in the UK closed, as well as about 8000km of railway line, mostly rural. The British countryside is littered with former railway lines, and the remains of railway platforms where stations used to be. Some that spring to mind in the Shropshire area can be found in Dorrington, Baschurch, and perhaps the most well known, Oswestry. Protests from locals did save a few lines, but many were closed for good, and Beeching was forever known as the man who brought about the mass closure of Britains railways.
For this particular route, it was closed to passengers in 1951, although the line remained active from Buildwas to Much Wenlock. However, this tunnel was still utilised for goods transport until 1960. The passenger timetables were taken down in 1962, and the line faced full closure in 1963.
Much later in 2012, plans were drawn up to set up a bridleway, for horse riders, along this tunnel but as of yet these plans have not seen fruition. If they ever do, the tunnel could be put to good use, and be more than just a crumbling ruin in the woods.
Probably also worth noting is that in 1954 the area surrounding this tunnel, and part of the tunnel itself, were officially designated a site of special scientific interest, due to its geology.
And here we are at the other side, and the adventure comes to an end.
To conclude, the tunnel is incredibly eerie, and photogenic. I personally find the mass closure of various railways across the UK oddly fascinating in that it's given us plenty of historic ruins dotted around, but as someone who loves a train ride, it's somewhat inconvenient. I could be getting a train to work every day if it wasn't for that Beeching chap.
Rumours are out there of personal railway carriages for the government, which were established in preparation to whisk them away to the countryside during the second world war, and then hidden inside old railway tunnels when the war ended. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. It would be cool to find and explore those. Although as I've learned, messing with the Illuminati is like prodding a giants hornets nest, and I certainly don't want to Die In A Nasty Accident.
It's not going to stop me pointing out that our prime minister is named after shampoo, while Americas president is named after flatulence and looks like the child of Miss Trunchbull and the Lorax.
However, for a short tunnel in the middle of nowhere, I enjoyed it. But then, I have fond memories of the now demolished "Nuisance House" too. I'm easily pleased, and always wanting to document the legacy of humankind and all the stuff we leave behind us as we bulldoze our way through existence.
I think centuries from now, the time before the internet will be regarded in much the same way as we regard the dark ages. The dark ages weren't literally dark, but they are called that because there are barely any records of it, unlike the romans before them. The internet is a means of immortalising everything. It is history being recorded. I see absolutely nothing morally wrong with sneaking into places like this to photograph them for future generations. It sure spices things up for those poor 40th Century historians studying the 21st Century and wading through an ocean of pointless Facebook updates. You haven't been born yet, but if you're reading this, you're welcome.
My next blog will be on my National blog as Jess and I explore a derelict mansion. After that we'll be back here for some south-Shropshire goodness.
In the meantime, follow my Instagram, my Twitter, like my Facebook, and subscribe to Jess's Youtube so that you can listen to my annoying voice too.
Thanks for reading!
I find it odd there's no comments.. I felt the need to comment and say this was a brilliant read! Especially the end parts. I do a lot of railway tunnels so have now located and added to the list thankyou 😊.
ReplyDelete