Woodhead Tunnels. The railway ran between Manchester & Sheffield and the tunnels were built to enable the line to pass under the Pennines. The route opened in 1845 with initially one single bore railway line. A second tunnel was soon built alongside following a huge growth use, especially in coal, being transported between the Yorkshire coalfield and the Lancashire woollen mills. The two original single bore tunnels are on the left, with the new (1954) tunnel almost ready for the introduction of the new Electric locos, brought in to replace steam engines. This was the first overhead main line electrification project in the UK, and was the for runner of the electrified main lines that we have today.
The three tunnels in 2022. National Grid’s high voltage power lines were run through the old tunnels once the trains had transferred to the new one. This enabled the removal of ugly electric pylons on a 3 mile stretch across the top of the Pennines. However, after 150+ years of use, the old tunnels became unsafe. The new tunnel was closed when the remaining coal traffic was diverted to other routes in 1982. The power cables were then moved to the new tunnel with the old ones being sealed up. In 2022 further work was being undertaking at the opposite end of the new tunnel to remove a further stretch of pylons and bury the power cables under the track bed of the old railway line.
The line approaching the old tunnels in 1952. Note the new bridge being built over the river to the left, to carry the new line on its approach to the new tunnel. The climb up to this point from Manchester was severe but the worst was still to come. When travelling in a tunnel, the cab of a steam engine was not a place for the fainthearted, especially when a heavy train was climbing hard on a step gradient such as this. It was much worse in a single bore tunnel and enginemen have been known to be completely overcome by the noxious gases and smoke – definitely no fun in a three-mile-long uphill tunnel. How they must have welcomed the luxury of the cab on an electric loco!
The completed bridge (bottom left) still stands, with what was the main line extending in a straight line through where the trees now stand. The original river bridge (bottom right) has been rebuilt to carry heavy equipment on a new access road to the National Grid site. It is here that the high voltage power cables drop down from the last pylon (top centre), to travel underground through the new tunnel. It’s difficult to believe that expresses from London to Manchester and from Liverpool to the East Coast (for ferry connections to Europe) once ran though the beautiful Woodhead Pass. These days the nearby road is crammed with hundreds of artic lorries slowly climbing up the side of the Pennines, making their way to Immingham docks. And they call it progress!