Thackley Tunnel

Western portal of Thackley Tunnel, now disused

Thackley Tunnel is on the Airedale Line between Leeds and Shipley on the lines to Bradford or Skipton.

Completed in 1846[1] and opened on 30 June, the tunnel is approximately 1,300 yards (1,200 m) long through Thackley Hill. The contractor for the tunnel was James Bray, an iron and brass founder from Leeds who later contracted the construction of the Bramhope Tunnel on the Leeds to Thirsk main line.[2]

As built, the single tunnel bore contained a pair of lines. In 1900, the railway was increased to four tracks, with two lines in a second tunnel. One tunnel carried the fast lines from Leeds and the other the slow lines. In 1968, the original southern tunnel was closed, coinciding with the closure of the Great Northern Branch Line from Shipley to Laisterdyke via Idle and Thackley. The second northern tunnel is in active use. The disused tunnel is periodically maintained.

History

Construction

In 1830, the first proposals for a railway between Leeds and Bradford appeared before Parliament; according to author Graeme Bickerdike, stimulated by the burgeoning wool trade in Bradford.[3] The 9.5 mile direct route was viewed as posing difficulties, particularly with steep gradients; one towards the western section of the line where a stationary steam engine could have had to have been used to assist trains in the ascent of a 1:30 incline. As a result of rising cost estimates, backers withdrew, leading to the failure of the first Parliamentary Bill.[3] Nine years later, in 1839, a revised scheme was put forward, but this failed to secure enough financing and was shelved.[3]

Four years later the project gained the attention of George Hudson, who became known as ‘The Railway King’. Bickerdike credits Hudson's intervention as having playing a critical role, when difficulties were encountered in raising sufficient capital, Hudson offered a guaranteed return of 7.5% to prospective investors, leading to a surge in demand.[3] The project benefitted from the expertise Robert Stephenson, who was consulted from an early stage. Stephenson surveyed a new route for the proposed line along the Aire Valley to enter Bradford from the north.[3]

Stephenson's proposed route included a 1,364-yard tunnel through Thackley Hill.[3] While some opposed the new route on the grounds that it was about four miles longer than the original plan, Stephenson stood defended his decision. He explained to the Parliamentary committee that the revised line's ruling gradient of 1:200 would be more suited to the low-powered locomotives available at the time, which meant journeys would be quicker and cheaper than if traversing the more direct route.[3]

In July 1844, the project received Royal Assent, clearing the way for construction to proceed.[3] Staking out of the line got underway including at Thackley Hill, where seven shafts were started under the direction of engineer Francis Mortimer Young. A condensing steam engine, generating up to 25HP, was installed for lowering men and equipment into the shafts, which reached depths of up to 252 feet and raised spoil from them.[3] During January 1845, a £68,000 contract for substantive works in the tunnel was awarded to Messrs Nowell & Hattersley.[3]

Conditions experienced by the tunnel workers were extremely challenging and worsened by rudimentary working practices and lack of safety measures.[3] Construction was near-continuous, working around-the-clock in eight-hour shifts for six days a week, breaking only on Sundays. Accidents were commonplace and deaths were a frequent occurrence and it was commonplace to attribute incidents as the result of personal error.[3] The efforts of the workforce were praised by Hudson, who spoke of their energy and spirit during a celebratory meal marking the tunnel's completion after sixteen months of work. On 30 June 1846, the route, now known as the Airedale Line was opened to great fanfare and public spectacle and a special train departing from Leeds carrying shareholders and other key figures ran in the early afternoon.[3]

Operations

Thackley Tunnel had a length of 1,496 yards, 132 yards longer than planned.[3] Five of the working shafts were retained for ventilation shafts. At least three people died in the tunnel during the 1800s and a number of derailments and floods sporadically occurred.[3]

In July 1897, increasingly high levels of traffic using the route led to Midland Railway’s Works Committee deciding that a second bore was needed.[3] Royal Assent was granted to the ‘Thackley Widening Act’ in 1898 and contractor Thomas Oliver & Sons and engineer J. A. McDonald commenced work. On 27 January 1901, the second tunnel bore was officially opened to traffic and the line increased to four tracks, two in the second tunnel.[3]

During 1968, during the Beeching cuts, the original tunnel was closed and traffic was rerouted through the second tunnel.[3] The first tunnel has continued to be maintained and is subject to infrastructure manager Network Rail’s asset management regime. In April 1985, a bulge was recorded at the haunch closest to the live tunnel; steps to address it included the installation of steel ribs to brace the area and additional monitoring measures.[3] During the 1980s, the closed tunnel was backfilled with spoil as a preventative measure against further distortion of the tunnel's lining.[1]

During 1992, a pair of blockwalls were built in the first tunnel, an 83-yard section of tunnel between them was grouted, as was with No.3 shaft, to prevent further structural deterioration.[3] The work has precluded further use of the first tunnel as there is no provision for through-access. During 2013, inspections recorded further distortions in the roof of the first bore that generated concerns that consequential defects may emerge in the operational bore which would be difficult to remediate due to the presence of overhead line equipment.[3] Further infilling using lightweight foam concrete took place over 67 yards in mid-2016 to contain the likelihood of the tunnel lining failing.[3]

  • In 2003, Russell Trueman, councillor for Thackley erected a fence around the area surrounding the tunnel to prevent people from climbing onto the train tracks.
  • In 2010, Thackley resident Harry Hurrell petitioned for the tunnel's closure on the grounds of unspecified safety reasons.

References

  1. 1 2 "Thackley Old Tunnel". www.forgottenrelics.co.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Sunderland, Cllr Philip. "Bramhope Tunnel – The Facts". Bramhope & Carlton Parish Council. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "End of the Line". Rail Engineer. 1 February 2017.

Coordinates: 53°50′44″N 1°43′43″W / 53.84542°N 1.72863°W / 53.84542; -1.72863

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