Déjà Vu (Standedge Railway Culvert) - Diggle
I called this Déjà Vu for a couple of reasons; the first being I've seen photos of it before many years ago just tagged onto the end of a Standedge Railway Tunnel report. On exiting the railway tunnel the explorers were seen by a local gent, who called them over and showed them a culvert in his garden and wondered if they wanted to have a look. Second reason is that it's not just one culvert, but essentially 2 identical culverts which run parallel to each other. The 3rd reason, you'll find out, but it seems like fate!
History
It's not often that you can find any history on culverts, a bit of research and you can speculate. The stream comes off the top of the Pennines from Brun Clough Reservoir which was constructed as a feeder reservoir for the Standedge canal tunnel. Maps from 1811 show that this section of the stream had not been culverted. However in the coming years 2 single track railway tunnels and a twin track tunnel had been excavated through the hills as well as Diggle railway station had been built over the path of the stream, by 1894 the stream is no longer visible on the map. The photo below from 1920 shows what the area would have looked like; the culvert running right to left mainly parallel to the tracks. This area has changed as only the twin tracks on the right remain, the station and the 2 tracks on the left have gone (1966 and 1970). The station closed in 1968, the old down slow and island platform and station buildings were demolished within 6 years; the up fast platform survived until the 1980's.
The Explore
A few days beforehand I got a message wondering if I knew where the culvert went; the reason being her daughter had bought the house with the culvert in the garden. An extension was about to be built, but no one could find where the culvert went. Of course I knew where the culvert went, well that's what I thought.
I was passing by the next day so thought I'd check it out. I'd been to the upstream end many years ago when exploring the railway tunnels and was sure I knew where the downstream end was, no problem straight there. Alas there was a problem as the stream also flowed into the culvert from this end too. Something didn't quite seem logical, this culvert either broke the laws of space, time and the theory of relativity, a black hole hidden below the train tracks in Diggle (it is Saddleworth I suppose) or possibly it had some strange construction and was some convoluted Y-shape. There was also the possibility that I had gone to the wrong place! The later turned out to be true.
This area has many small, short culverts, bypass culverts for the canal as well as feeders to top up the water levels, there's also the odd mill race. It's a pretty amazing spot, most out of sight and running at different height, the odd open section just giving their presence away. Most are 3ft or less in diameter so in the main happy just poking my head into the end. What I thought was the end of this culvert ended up being a feeder culvert for the canal. What I was looking for was about 50ft away and about 10ft lower and the stream came out of it.
I started at the downstream end, memory had failed and couldn't remember if there were 2 entrances upstream. I was hoping that they would converge at some point. A lovely feature to have in your garden, I opted to head up the right hand culvert.
Pretty stunning brick arch and floor, relatively dry too. Only issue being it was a bit stoopy, about 4ft wide and 3 1/2ft high.
The culvert slowly doglegs to the right over 3 short sections to then run under what would have been the railway lines and station.
Around a third of the way through and below the railway the culvert makes a transition from an arch into a square section, about 4ft x 5 1/2ft high.
Still mainly brick work, there are dressed stone blocks which act as bearings for the support steel work and gritstone slabs which make up the roof.
In the final third of the culvert the brick floor is replaced by large cobbles. Still no sign of the culverts converging either.
The upstream end of the culvert, as I had already guessed they didn't converge and I would be experiencing that Déjà Vu feeling on the way back, even chose the right hand entrance for the return trip.
Slightly further upstream there is a short culverted section which runs under part of the portal of the twin rail tunnel, it's grilled at the upsteam end too.
Surprise, surprise cobbles under feet and can make out a transition from square to arch.
Looking back to the upstream end knowing I'd soon be stooping again.
The only difference between the 2 culverts is this one had slightly more remaining timber below the roof and I counted 23 more spiders.
Back into the arched brickwork, the roof mirrored in the stream.
That's back to the beginning or is it end of the culvert / culverts.
All in all a good bit of fun, think I've worked out where everything now goes in the area. This now heads under the canal feeder culvert to then pass through another short culverted section to enter Diggle Brook just above where that runs through a short culverted section.
The 3rd reason why Déjà Vu seems an apt name is this is the 2nd go at this report, I was just finishing the first one off and accidentally closed Chrome, for some reason it did not auto-save. I had to smile.
Cheers,
TLR.
I called this Déjà Vu for a couple of reasons; the first being I've seen photos of it before many years ago just tagged onto the end of a Standedge Railway Tunnel report. On exiting the railway tunnel the explorers were seen by a local gent, who called them over and showed them a culvert in his garden and wondered if they wanted to have a look. Second reason is that it's not just one culvert, but essentially 2 identical culverts which run parallel to each other. The 3rd reason, you'll find out, but it seems like fate!
History
It's not often that you can find any history on culverts, a bit of research and you can speculate. The stream comes off the top of the Pennines from Brun Clough Reservoir which was constructed as a feeder reservoir for the Standedge canal tunnel. Maps from 1811 show that this section of the stream had not been culverted. However in the coming years 2 single track railway tunnels and a twin track tunnel had been excavated through the hills as well as Diggle railway station had been built over the path of the stream, by 1894 the stream is no longer visible on the map. The photo below from 1920 shows what the area would have looked like; the culvert running right to left mainly parallel to the tracks. This area has changed as only the twin tracks on the right remain, the station and the 2 tracks on the left have gone (1966 and 1970). The station closed in 1968, the old down slow and island platform and station buildings were demolished within 6 years; the up fast platform survived until the 1980's.
The Explore
A few days beforehand I got a message wondering if I knew where the culvert went; the reason being her daughter had bought the house with the culvert in the garden. An extension was about to be built, but no one could find where the culvert went. Of course I knew where the culvert went, well that's what I thought.
I was passing by the next day so thought I'd check it out. I'd been to the upstream end many years ago when exploring the railway tunnels and was sure I knew where the downstream end was, no problem straight there. Alas there was a problem as the stream also flowed into the culvert from this end too. Something didn't quite seem logical, this culvert either broke the laws of space, time and the theory of relativity, a black hole hidden below the train tracks in Diggle (it is Saddleworth I suppose) or possibly it had some strange construction and was some convoluted Y-shape. There was also the possibility that I had gone to the wrong place! The later turned out to be true.
This area has many small, short culverts, bypass culverts for the canal as well as feeders to top up the water levels, there's also the odd mill race. It's a pretty amazing spot, most out of sight and running at different height, the odd open section just giving their presence away. Most are 3ft or less in diameter so in the main happy just poking my head into the end. What I thought was the end of this culvert ended up being a feeder culvert for the canal. What I was looking for was about 50ft away and about 10ft lower and the stream came out of it.
I started at the downstream end, memory had failed and couldn't remember if there were 2 entrances upstream. I was hoping that they would converge at some point. A lovely feature to have in your garden, I opted to head up the right hand culvert.
Pretty stunning brick arch and floor, relatively dry too. Only issue being it was a bit stoopy, about 4ft wide and 3 1/2ft high.
The culvert slowly doglegs to the right over 3 short sections to then run under what would have been the railway lines and station.
Around a third of the way through and below the railway the culvert makes a transition from an arch into a square section, about 4ft x 5 1/2ft high.
Still mainly brick work, there are dressed stone blocks which act as bearings for the support steel work and gritstone slabs which make up the roof.
In the final third of the culvert the brick floor is replaced by large cobbles. Still no sign of the culverts converging either.
The upstream end of the culvert, as I had already guessed they didn't converge and I would be experiencing that Déjà Vu feeling on the way back, even chose the right hand entrance for the return trip.
Slightly further upstream there is a short culverted section which runs under part of the portal of the twin rail tunnel, it's grilled at the upsteam end too.
Surprise, surprise cobbles under feet and can make out a transition from square to arch.
Looking back to the upstream end knowing I'd soon be stooping again.
The only difference between the 2 culverts is this one had slightly more remaining timber below the roof and I counted 23 more spiders.
Back into the arched brickwork, the roof mirrored in the stream.
That's back to the beginning or is it end of the culvert / culverts.
All in all a good bit of fun, think I've worked out where everything now goes in the area. This now heads under the canal feeder culvert to then pass through another short culverted section to enter Diggle Brook just above where that runs through a short culverted section.
The 3rd reason why Déjà Vu seems an apt name is this is the 2nd go at this report, I was just finishing the first one off and accidentally closed Chrome, for some reason it did not auto-save. I had to smile.
Cheers,
TLR.
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