My first report here and I thought I would report on Wenvoe Tunnel, which is a 1.06 mile railway tunnel in South Wales. As access is blocked at one end, we ended up walking the tunnel twice over. Visited with my kids.
History:
The Barry Railway Company was born to release the stranglehold of the Taff Vale Railway and Cardiff Docks on the export of South Wales’ coal. Work on it started in 1885 and thanks to their efficiency, by 1910, Barry Docks had overtaken their near neighbour in terms of tonnage shifted.
Within four years, the company had built a substantial rail network including several branches and an 18½-mile main line from Trehafod into the docks. Included in this was a double-track bore of 1,868 yards (1.06 miles or 84 chains) at Wenvoe which first saw active service in 1889.
The tunnel is brick lined except for a short section at its southern end where a change in geology occurs and the tunnel is rock-hewn here. Towards its centre is a single ventilation shaft, also brick lined and almost the full width of the structure.
Traffic through the tunnel came to a premature close on 31st March 1963 thanks to a fire which destroyed Tynycaeau North signal box. Since then, it has become home to a large water main and extraordinary mineral deposits which adorn the walls. A pile of junk has come to rest at the foot of the shaft and the tunnel now suffers badly from flooding, with waters reaching a depth of four feet after heavy rainfall.
The Visit.
Not a good idea to visit on a sunday as I did, as parking is in the nearby Tescos which was a errr completely empty car park on a Sunday evening. I advise going when Tescos is open - you then blend in and not be the only car in a car park designed for 2000.
Entry was straight forward. Bertie had been beasting me in the gym for the last 6 months so I could squeeze through.
It was far too muddy in here for a lady like me. A water pipe runs the entire length of the tunnel
Somebody has been here before
At the exact halfway point was an enormous air shaft
The light was blinding
We got to the end only to *SHOCK* find no realistic way out. We had to backtrack. This was a complete unexpected bummer.
So off we went back...
Chain markers all the way through the tunnel... a chain being 22yds (80 chains = 1 mile)
Some random photos taken on the return trip:
And finally back to where we started...we were relieved to see that Mr. Builder hadn't fixed the fence whilst we were inside
Thanks for reading and Huey I'm Berties wife and a real person and not Bertie in a cross-dressing phase.
History:
The Barry Railway Company was born to release the stranglehold of the Taff Vale Railway and Cardiff Docks on the export of South Wales’ coal. Work on it started in 1885 and thanks to their efficiency, by 1910, Barry Docks had overtaken their near neighbour in terms of tonnage shifted.
Within four years, the company had built a substantial rail network including several branches and an 18½-mile main line from Trehafod into the docks. Included in this was a double-track bore of 1,868 yards (1.06 miles or 84 chains) at Wenvoe which first saw active service in 1889.
The tunnel is brick lined except for a short section at its southern end where a change in geology occurs and the tunnel is rock-hewn here. Towards its centre is a single ventilation shaft, also brick lined and almost the full width of the structure.
Traffic through the tunnel came to a premature close on 31st March 1963 thanks to a fire which destroyed Tynycaeau North signal box. Since then, it has become home to a large water main and extraordinary mineral deposits which adorn the walls. A pile of junk has come to rest at the foot of the shaft and the tunnel now suffers badly from flooding, with waters reaching a depth of four feet after heavy rainfall.
The Visit.
Not a good idea to visit on a sunday as I did, as parking is in the nearby Tescos which was a errr completely empty car park on a Sunday evening. I advise going when Tescos is open - you then blend in and not be the only car in a car park designed for 2000.
Entry was straight forward. Bertie had been beasting me in the gym for the last 6 months so I could squeeze through.
It was far too muddy in here for a lady like me. A water pipe runs the entire length of the tunnel
Somebody has been here before
At the exact halfway point was an enormous air shaft
The light was blinding
We got to the end only to *SHOCK* find no realistic way out. We had to backtrack. This was a complete unexpected bummer.
So off we went back...
Chain markers all the way through the tunnel... a chain being 22yds (80 chains = 1 mile)
Some random photos taken on the return trip:
And finally back to where we started...we were relieved to see that Mr. Builder hadn't fixed the fence whilst we were inside
Thanks for reading and Huey I'm Berties wife and a real person and not Bertie in a cross-dressing phase.
