So here we go, something different this time
A little history
A little history
Construction began in 1898 on Draycott tunnel and it opened in January 1909. During its use the tunnel was prone to collapsing and attempts were made to strengthen the tunnel using steel hoops .
The section of line between the north portal of the tunnel and Cheadle was retained to serve the Colliery. The tunnel finally closed in 1922.
Around 1983 Puddleduck Colliery commenced work from adits just inside the southern portal of the old railway tunnel. A new narrow-gauge line was laid in the tunnel with mine carts hauled by cable.
Draycott Cross Colliery closed in 1991 and the land was sold and the adits sealed. source https://www.theurbanexplorer.co.uk/draycott-cross-colliery-staffordshire/
The section of line between the north portal of the tunnel and Cheadle was retained to serve the Colliery. The tunnel finally closed in 1922.
Around 1983 Puddleduck Colliery commenced work from adits just inside the southern portal of the old railway tunnel. A new narrow-gauge line was laid in the tunnel with mine carts hauled by cable.
Draycott Cross Colliery closed in 1991 and the land was sold and the adits sealed. source https://www.theurbanexplorer.co.uk/draycott-cross-colliery-staffordshire/
This one has been on my list a while.
After a previous failed attempt to find the portal we knew where not to look this time and the only way to find out was to get out there and give it a go!
So after getting through some seriously overgrow brambles and what not we came across the portal.
This thing had been sealed up good and proper with noting but concrete and reinforcing bar, all apart from a small gap about 25ft up.
Access was very difficult and those of a larger build would have to think twice.
So in we went into what had previously been the old railway tunnel.
Walking through the first thing we had seen was that all the old utilities and a lot of the old ducting still being down there running along the sides of the tunnel,
surprising that none of this was ever taken when work stopped here.
In parts there was still parts of the old track and pulley systems uses to pull carts along the place.
something we had seen from the very start was many small brick arches along the tunnel walls just big enough for a couple of people to stand inside of, i have no idea what thease were
ever used for as the don't look like they ever went any where, maybe to give miners a place to get out of the way of passing carts, i don't know, anybody know?
carrying on walking we came across several bricked up adits branching off in different directions, some of these looked rough and very unstable, one of them slopeing towards the serfice
with a good breeze blowing through, possible escape shaft?
moving further in we had started to see more mining equipment the prize being a couple of mine carts witch was god to see.
We got to point were the main tunnel was bloced by a rarther larger barrier, we got around this and the rest of the tunnel was filled to the top with sand,
at this point we decided to tern back and head out.
I am planning a definite revisit to explore some of the sketchy looking adits, who knows what is left down there?
Thanks for reading
After a previous failed attempt to find the portal we knew where not to look this time and the only way to find out was to get out there and give it a go!
So after getting through some seriously overgrow brambles and what not we came across the portal.
This thing had been sealed up good and proper with noting but concrete and reinforcing bar, all apart from a small gap about 25ft up.
Access was very difficult and those of a larger build would have to think twice.
So in we went into what had previously been the old railway tunnel.
Walking through the first thing we had seen was that all the old utilities and a lot of the old ducting still being down there running along the sides of the tunnel,
surprising that none of this was ever taken when work stopped here.
In parts there was still parts of the old track and pulley systems uses to pull carts along the place.
something we had seen from the very start was many small brick arches along the tunnel walls just big enough for a couple of people to stand inside of, i have no idea what thease were
ever used for as the don't look like they ever went any where, maybe to give miners a place to get out of the way of passing carts, i don't know, anybody know?
carrying on walking we came across several bricked up adits branching off in different directions, some of these looked rough and very unstable, one of them slopeing towards the serfice
with a good breeze blowing through, possible escape shaft?
moving further in we had started to see more mining equipment the prize being a couple of mine carts witch was god to see.
We got to point were the main tunnel was bloced by a rarther larger barrier, we got around this and the rest of the tunnel was filled to the top with sand,
at this point we decided to tern back and head out.
I am planning a definite revisit to explore some of the sketchy looking adits, who knows what is left down there?
Thanks for reading
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