Queensbury Tunnel (Updated)

 I previously posted about the Queensbury Tunnel in December 2017, a number of the pictures that were featured in that post were lost over time so I recently thought I would go back and have a look at what I had and repost them. The full set can be seen here, on Flickr, and on Clickasnap, with some put together to make the following video available to see here and on YouTube, please take a moment to subscribe to my channel.

The video features modern and vintage images taken along the trackbed from Strines Cutting to the former site of Queensbury Station. The Historical images and ones inside the tunnel that are not mine are all Creative Commons licensed or copyright unknown. Credits are given were possible.

Strines Cutting was a railway cutting on approach to the southern portal of Queensbury Tunnel. It was approx. 1030ft long and 59ft deep and ran through solid rock. The cutting was crossed by an Aqueduct that carried Strines / Ovenden beck over the railway. This bridge is still standing today although the ground below is now infilled and it looks more like a wall across some waste ground. The cutting is now largely filled in with only a short section to the tunnel entrance still remaining although this is mostly flooded as drainage along the cutting and in to the tunnel has always been an issue.

Queensbury Tunnel was built by the Great Northern Railway to provide a link from Holmefield Station, Halifax to Queensbury Station allowing travel beyond to Bradford and Keighley. Construction was started in May 1874 and took over 3 years to complete opening to goods traffic on the 14th October 1878. Passenger trains not being introduced until December 1879 when the station at Queensbury was completed. It was to be another 5 years before those same passengers could complete the journey to Keighley, the line from Queensbury to Keighley making slow progress due to financial issues.

Once completed the tunnel ran for 7503ft making it the longest on the Great Northern Railway and also one of the deepest in the country. There had been plans to have 8 air shafts, the plans changing then to 7 and finally 5 due to significant water ingress (the tunnel and cutting has always suffered issues due to water drainage). The deepest shaft completed was 379ft deep, although shaft number 5 would have reached a depth of 414ft had it been completed. Around 700 men were involved in the tunnels construction and at least 10 are thought to have died during the build period with many more injured. 

Once opened the tunnel was operational until the 1950's, the line suffering as passenger numbers declined, but freight traffic remained busy until after the 2nd World War. The high cost of maintaining the tunnel and cutting made the tunnel an early favourite for closure during the post war economy measures and the now with hindsight short sighted decision was made to close the line to traffic. Passenger services were withdrawn on the 23rd May 1955, with goods traffic withdrawn on the 28th May 1956. The line through the tunnel was then mothballed until 1963 when it was finally uplifted.

There is now a campaign for the tunnel to be reopened as part of a cycleway connecting Bradford with Halifax. Engineers are currently trying to push through a scheme to abandon and fill the tunnel with concrete. I  am hoping the people campaigning to save the tunnel are successful in the fight. To find out more please take a moment to view the site at http://www.queensburytunnel.org.uk/

Strines / Ovenden Beck Aqueduct. Strines cutting used to run to a depth of approx 59ft beneath where I was stood to take the picture.

The southern portal of Queensbury Tunnel after it had been drained to allow engineers to asses the damage inside. The entrance rocks are what remains of Strines Cutting.

This is what the entrance to Queensbury Tunnel normally looks like.

Taken on the former Queensbury - Thornton - Keighley trackbed looking towards the former site of Queensbury Station. Opened in 1879 the station was triangular in shape, when opened being one of only 4 shaped that way in England. The station had connections with Bradford, Halifax, Keighley and beyond. The station was 400ft lower than the town and closed to passengers in 1955, and goods, excursion traffic in 1963, other than trackbed nothing of the station now remains.

Clicking any image should open a link in another window to my railway images album on Clickasnap.

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All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

The Queensbury Tunnel: A Victorian Titan's Struggle – Floods, Flaws, and a Fight for Future Life

Imagine a world powered by steam, where the roar of locomotives echoed through the Pennine hills, connecting bustling industrial towns. At the heart of this network lay the Queensbury Tunnel, a 2,287-meter (1.42-mile) subterranean artery, a testament to Victorian ambition and, tragically, a catalogue of engineering woes. This isn't just a disused railway tunnel; it's a saga etched in brick and water, a story of grand aspirations and the relentless forces of nature.

A Herculean Undertaking: The Tunnel's Birth Pangs

The story begins in 1874, a time of feverish railway expansion. The ambition was clear: to link Queensbury, perched high on the hills, with Holmfield, Halifax, and the wider industrial heartland of Bradford and Keighley. Construction was a monumental task, a relentless assault on the rugged terrain. For four long years, miners toiled, blasting and excavating, battling the stubborn bedrock.

July 1878 marked the official completion, a moment of triumph. Yet, even in its infancy, the tunnel harboured hidden flaws. While goods trains began their journeys in October, passenger services were delayed until December, a testament to lingering concerns about the quality of the work. The tunnel was deemed incomplete, a shadow of doubt cast over its structural integrity.

A Legacy of Flaws: The Tunnel's Troubled Life

The Queensbury Tunnel's operational history was a constant battle against its inherent weaknesses. Poor workmanship, a recurring theme in Victorian engineering projects, began to reveal itself. Cracks appeared in the arch and sidewalls, symptoms of shoddy construction. Subsidence, the gradual sinking of the ground, further exacerbated the problems. But the most relentless adversary was water.

Water ingress was a constant plague, seeping through the porous brickwork, weakening the structure. The Pennine hills, known for their abundant rainfall, proved an unrelenting source of moisture. The very landscape that the tunnel traversed became its greatest enemy.

And then, a critical blow. The infilling of the Strines cutting at the Halifax end, a seemingly innocuous act, transformed the tunnel into a giant, subterranean reservoir. The southern portal, once a gateway, became a floodgate. Water now surged into the tunnel, sometimes reaching halfway along its length, a chilling testament to the forces at play. This constant inundation accelerated the tunnel’s decay, turning it into a watery tomb.

The Department for Transport’s Decision and the Counter-Campaign

Today, the Department for Transport, the tunnel's current owner, views this waterlogged relic as a liability. The proposed infilling, the permanent sealing of the tunnel, is presented as a necessary measure to ensure public safety. Yet, this decision has ignited a passionate resistance.

The Queensbury Tunnel Society, a determined group of campaigners, sees a different future. They envision a vibrant cycling and walking route, a transformative asset for the community. They argue that the tunnel, despite its flaws, can be restored and repurposed.

Their vision is compelling: a lit, well-maintained tunnel, a safe and accessible path connecting communities. They point to the economic benefits, the health and wellbeing improvements, and the preservation of a vital piece of industrial heritage.

The Technical Challenges and the Spirit of Resilience

The challenges are undeniable. Restoring a waterlogged, structurally compromised tunnel is a daunting task. But the campaigners argue that with modern engineering techniques and a commitment to preservation, it can be done. They point to successful restoration projects elsewhere, proving that even the most challenging structures can be given a new lease on life.

The story of the Queensbury Tunnel is more than just a tale of bricks and mortar. It's a story of human ambition, the relentless forces of nature, and the enduring spirit of resilience. It's a story that asks us: what do we value? Do we abandon our past, or do we find ways to repurpose it for the future?

The pictures were taken with a Polaroid is2132 bridge camera on the 28th December 2014. Clicking any image below should open a link in another window to my Colin Green Photography store on Zazzle.

Brow Lane Bridge, used to carry the railway down from Queensbury in the direction of Keighley.

The gated northern Queensbury Tunnel portal.

Former trackbed looking towards the site of what was once Queensbury Railway Station.

The flooded southern portal and remains of Strines Cutting.

This former aqueduct used to carry Strines Beck over Strines cutting which ran approx 59ft below the beck. It now forms part of a flooded pool in the now infilled Strines Cutting.

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All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.