Woodhead Tunnels - Woodhead, UK - Abandoned Train Tunnels on Waymarking.com

"The Woodhead Tunnels are three parallel trans-Pennine 3-mile (4.8 km) long railway tunnels on the Woodhead Line, a former major rail link from Manchester to Sheffield in Northern England. The western portals of the tunnels are at Woodhead in Derbyshire and the eastern portals are at Dunford Bridge, near Penistone, South Yorkshire.

The first tunnel, Woodhead 1 was constructed by the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway. Work on the tunnel commenced in 1837. It was designed by the railway engineer Charles Vignoles, who was later substituted by the civil engineer Joseph Locke. When opened in 1845, Woodhead 1 was one of the world's longest railway tunnels and the first trans-Pennine tunnel.

Woodhead 2 was completed in 1853. Both tunnels were subject to heavy traffic; they were difficult to maintain because of their narrowness and the heavy traffic, estimated to be around 250 trains per day in either direction. As both tunnels were too narrow to allow for electrification, it was decided to construct a third tunnel in the 1950s. Woodhead 3 opened in 1953, almost 100 years after Woodhead 2. Traffic on the route diminished. In 1970, the last passenger services ran through the tunnel and the last train passed through in 1981 when it was closed.

The tunnels are maintained and used for other purposes. They are owned by National Grid plc, which used Woodhead 1 and 2 to carry power cables and in 2008 controversially installed cables in Woodhead 3 which would create difficulties in reinstating rail services, and was resisted by a sizeable campaign."

Construction: Other Condition: Good Rail Status: No Current status: Closed / Blocked Original Use: Passenger Train Tunnel Length: 15,748.00 Terrain: Website: [Web Link] Date Built: 1845 Date Abandoned: 1981 The "Other End": Not Listed Suggested Parking Area: Not Listed

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