Ledbury Tunnel
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ledbury, Herefordshire |
| Coordinates | 52°02′42″N 2°25′18″W / 52.044932°N 2.421541°WCoordinates: 52°02′42″N 2°25′18″W / 52.044932°N 2.421541°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Start | Ledbury railway station |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1861 |
| Operator | Worcester and Hereford Railway |
| Technical | |
| Length | 1323 yds |
| No. of tracks | Single |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Ledbury Tunnel is a single-track railway tunnel immediately to the east of Ledbury railway station on the Cotswold Line, in Herefordshire, England. The tunnel through the limestone Dog Hill was opened in 1861 by the Worcester and Hereford Railway, and remains in use today.
The tunnel was notorious among steam locomotive crews for its bad atmosphere, the result of its unusually narrow bore combined with a steep gradient (1:80) and a bend at the north end. Special rules for evacuation of passengers are in place due to the tight clearance in the tunnel.
The excavation of the tunnel provided a valuable opportunity to study the geology, dating to the Devonian age. There were significant finds of fossilised fish, acanthodians and ostracoderms, some complete with the body and tail.[1]
References
External links
- BBC website - Worcester to Hereford Railway: Great engineering feats
- Picture of eastern portal at flickr