Rusher Cutting Tunnel - Chee Dale, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 15.170 W 001° 49.183
30U E 578744 N 5901046
This tunnel is on the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway which is now the 'rails-to-trails' Monsal Trail route.
Waymark Code: WMRJ07
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/25/2016
Views: 1
"
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton.
In time it would become part of the Midland Railway's main line between London and Manchester, but it was initially planned as a route from Manchester to the East of England, via the proposed Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway which would meet it a little further north along the North Midland line at Ambergate. The Act for a line from just south of Stockport to Ambergate was passed in 1846."
link
Monsal Trail
"The Monsal Trail is a traffic free route for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair users through some of the Peak District's most spectacular limestone dales.
The trail runs along the former Midland Railway line for 8.5 miles between Blackwell Mill, in Chee Dale and Coombs Road, at Bakewell.
Most of the route was opened to the public in 1981 but four former railway tunnels had to remain closed due to safety reasons, with public footpaths taking people around them. From 25 May 2011 the four railway tunnels - Headstone Tunnel, Cressbrook Tunnel, Litton Tunnel, Chee Tor Tunnel – also opened for trail users. Each tunnel is about 400 metres long and is lit during normal daylight hours."
link
The Rusher Cutting Tunnel
As well as the four tunnels that opened in 2011 there were two shorter ones that had been open when the Monsal Trail opened in 1981 and so this tunnel is one of six along the route.
This is the westernmost tunnel on the trail and the longest of the two short tunnels that were open right from the start.
This waymark is at the eastern portal. This interesting website tells the story behind the work to open the tunnels to the public and has pictures of the work undertaken.
link