Railway Tunnel -Rugby
Matt
Leicester (not Great Central) line, it is situated near Pailton Radio
Station, about a mile from Magna park
I cannot see any air shafts or openings but the only give away is a cottage
called
believe it or not Tunnel Cottage
Thanks
Matt
Shawn Sanders
"Matt" <ma...@calibra65.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:9bvd75$otu$1...@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
Matt,
Do you have an OS Grid for it ? I'm guessing you mean the track which ran
through Broughton Astley and Ullesthorpe down towards Rugby. I've had a look
at the small tunnels under the railway bed just north of the A5, and the
larger tunnel in Ullesthorpe but I was not aware of any tunnel near
Painton.
However, closer inspection of the OS map of 1890 does show a tunnel near
Little Walton called "Gills Corner Tunnel" which passes under what is now
the B4027 at SP 4990 8270. Is this the one ? If I remember I will have a
quick look on the way home.
Regards
Shawn
Dan McKenzie
Grid Reference: SP 499827
Name Of Tunnel: Gills Corner
Position & Location: Ullesthorpe-Rugby Midland
Railway Line: Leicester-Rugby
Company Name: Midland Railway
Length (in Yards): 96
Tunnel Bore
Internal Condition: Southern Approach & Internally Flooded with deep
polluted water
Access View: South Portal easy thro gate along drive : North Portal earthed
over
--
Dan McKenzie
Peterborough, UK.
http://fp.coldwar.f9.co.uk
This message is CONFIDENTIAL and meant only for the recipient above. If
received in error please delete it at once.
Any opinions given are my own and are not those of my employer or any other
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Shawn Sanders <sh...@nospam.ntrigue.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:988046842.11395.0...@news.demon.co.uk...
Shawn Sanders
news:988046842.11395.0...@news.demon.co.uk...
> Little Walton called "Gills Corner Tunnel" which passes under what is now
> the B4027 at SP 4990 8270. Is this the one ? If I remember I will have a
> quick look on the way home.
Hmmm, OK. Had a look just now. First I looked at the grid above. The
southern portal is as described in Dans post:
>Length (in Yards): 96
>Tunnel Bore
>Internal Condition: Southern Approach & Internally Flooded with deep
>polluted water
>Access View: South Portal easy thro gate along drive : North Portal earthed
>over
The tunnel portal itself is fenced off across its whole width and to within
a couple of feet of the top. The cutting leading up to the tunnel has a
perimiter fence for maybe 60 or 70 yards back from the portal to a point
where the original trackbed is raised up. The enclosure thus formed is
indeed largely filled with not very nice water. A sign at the top of the
access track leading down to the trackbed reads "Willey Effluent Treatment
Plant" and gives the Warwick County Engineer as a contact. The installation
certainly looks like a treatment facility, although it does not appear to be
very active. The fencing and gates all seem to be quite new however. The
portal has a date at the keystone of "1892". The trackbed runs off to the
south.
Now the slightly confusing part. The OS map of 1890 clearly shows a tunnel
at this point. However it emerges immediately on the other side of the road
(now B4027) into another cutting and then runs in the open for nearly a mile
before passing in another tunnel under the 'Long Spinney' road and then
running in the open again before passing under Watling Street (now A5) and
heading off to Ullesthorpe. Many of the tracks and geographical features
near the trackbed on the 1890 map can still clearly be seen on both the
modern OS map and the landscape - BUT - there is no visible sign of the
trackbed. Given the current situation with foot and mouth, I did not
attempt to follow the route across the farmland at all.
Tracing the route along to where it passes under the Long Spinney, the
trackbed suddenly reappears again in a deep cutting on the North side of the
road and heads off North towards the A5, from where it can be followed
visually most of the way to Leicester. I was not able to go down into this
cutting (dressed in my suit as I was) but the portal gives every impression
of being there.
Now (finally), my question. The map of 1890 shows a short tunnel under the
B4027 - most likely the 96 yards specified. However, the portal that is
there is dated 1892 - two years later than the map. There is also a tunnel
portal on the route almost a mile away. There is no sign of the trackbed or
any cuttings between these two portals. Given that the trackbed for most of
its run between Leicester and Rugby is largely extant, what is the
possibility that at some point after the 1890 map was surveyed, the mile of
track between the B4027 and the Long Spinney was covered over and formed
into a tunnel ?
I appreciate that this is unlikely - there is no obvious reason to drive a
mile long tunnel under farmland, but the other explanation is that the
landowners made a very good job of erasing the route of the track after
closure, even to the extent of levelling the land across the cuttings -
there is even (what appears to be) a relatively old building on the South
side of the Long Spinney where the 1890 OS map shows the Southern Portal of
that tunnel.
I think I'm rambling now, so I'll shut up ;-) I'll see if I can get a
better look at the other portal / cutting in more suitable attire.
I'm still not even sure this is the tunnel that Matt was referring to !
Regards
Shawn
Shawn Sanders
> mile long tunnel under farmland, but the other explanation is that the
> landowners made a very good job of erasing the route of the track after
> closure, even to the extent of levelling the land across the cuttings -
> there is even (what appears to be) a relatively old building on the South
> side of the Long Spinney where the 1890 OS map shows the Southern Portal
of
> that tunnel.
>
> I think I'm rambling now, so I'll shut up ;-) I'll see if I can get a
> better look at the other portal / cutting in more suitable attire.
OK, I was definitely getting carried away there ;-) I've had sight of a
photo of Gills Corner tunnel in the 1950's not long before closure. It's
not that long, you can see the other end ! The datestone of '1892' was when
the tunnel was refurbished.
So, Gills Corner tunnel, a mile of (above ground) track, a bridge under the
Long Spinney then the level crossing across Watling Street.
I guess that the landowners had access to a whole lot of soil to level their
ground off.
The road bridge to carry the Long Spinney over the tracks has been filled in
too - there is a lot of quite good quality brickwork lying on the cutting
walls and the the (flooded) trackbed below.
I assume Matt was talking about the Gill Corner tunnel, and Dan has answered
that.
I'll get me coat.
Shawn
Matt
yes, that is the correct tunnel. I found it very difficult to locate the
exact location of the north and south portals as the landscape has changed
so much
also like you say it is very difficult to explore due to the F&M predicament
I assumed the north portal was located in the copse due north of the
cottage
I hope to take a further look quite soon
Matt
"Shawn Sanders" <sh...@spambegone.ntrigue.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:988056655.19048.0...@news.demon.co.uk...
Shawn Sanders
> Thanks Shawn,
>
> yes, that is the correct tunnel. I found it very difficult to locate the
> exact location of the north and south portals as the landscape has changed
> so much
> also like you say it is very difficult to explore due to the F&M
predicament
>
> I assumed the north portal was located in the copse due north of the
> cottage
Matt,
The North Portal is buried - gawn, disappeared. To see the South Portal, if
you go a short way down the B4027 from the A5, park in the entrance to the
gate which is signed "Willey Effluent Treatment Plant", hop over the gate
(ignoring the keep out signs - ooh !) and walk down the small private road,
passing the stand of trees on your left. At the bottom of the slope you'll
be standing slightly above the old trackbed. Looking towards the tunnel
you'll see the portal and the stone lined cutting leading up to it. The
cutting is full of waste water and has a concrete affair in the middle that
I guess once held machinery for the waste treatment facility. If you walk
up the right hand side of the fenced enclosure round the waste water you can
get quite close to the portal. It seems in very good condition considering
it's last major refurbishment was nearly 110 years ago, and it's been out of
service for 40 years !
Having seen a picture today of the tunnel in use, and the figure of 96 yards
provided by Dan, I may go back and try to figure out where the North Portal
should be and get some photos.
If you're local and fancy having a look one evening let me know.
Regards
Shawn
madhat...@gmail.com
Nick Leverton
tunnel but nothing that really expands that thread much, have you found
something ?
Nick
--
"The Internet, a sort of ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996
rto...@gmail.com
There is some useful information and pictures in the number 7 edition of Railway Archive. My father used to work on Broughton Astley station so I have an interest in this line and whats left of it. Editions 6 & 7 cover the whole line from Leicester to Rugby.
Richard Ormond...........
