The Mersey Tunnel...How did they build it?

[Wacky Racer]

Built in the 1930's, the Mersey Tunnel was, and is still considered a masterpiece of civil engineering, but how was it built?

It twists and turns throughout it's length, and even has inclines and declines, unlike many rail tunnels which are dead straight,... how did they know where it was going to emerge?...They could not even be guided by vertical ventilation shafts, as in the Woodhead and Stanedge pennine rail tunnels, because of the million of tons of water above it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVJd2etn44M

[Baked_bean]

I can't answer your question but i do find tunnels in general quite amazing.

[General Price]

Going through it as a nipper,I just thought they slung a big concrete pipe in the river.It never crossed my mind that it ran under the river bed.

[randlemarcus]

http://www.tunnelusers.org.uk/history.htm

[quote=website] At one point, mid river, there is only 4 feet of solid rock above the tunnel [/quote}

[750turbo]

Wacky Racer said:

Built in the 1930's, the Mersey Tunnel was, and is still considered a masterpiece of civil engineering, but how was it built?

It twists and turns throughout it's length, and even has inclines and declines, unlike many rail tunnels which are dead straight,... how did they know where it was going to emerge?...They could not even be guided by vertical ventilation shafts, as in the Woodhead and Stanedge pennine rail tunnels, because of the million of tons of water above it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVJd2etn44M

Isn't there 2 tunnels? Queens & Kings?

Bloody frightening things, and really should be ehhhhh.. hidden!

(sorry )

[cheadle hulme]

They just marked a tunnel shape out on the wall and surrounded it with security fencing. Scousers did the rest.

[Adz The Rat]

A bit off topic but the day I bought my Corrado VR6 from Birkenhead I drove back through the Mersey Tunnel followed by my friend in his Polo G40, they both sounded amazing in there!!

[AndrewW-G]

750turbo said:

Isn't there 2 tunnels? Queens & Kings?

Bloody frightening things, and really should be ehhhhh.. hidden!

Yep

Kingsway being the newer of the two that is at the end/start of the M53

Queensway is the older twisty one and apparently follows some of the road layout above (or at least that what I was told as a kid)

They both go up and down, otherwise after a few hundred yards, you'd be in rather than underneath the Mersey

Various Ferraris TVR's & Porsches, have sounded fantastic being driven through at a steady 40mph with my RUF 964 belching flame and sounding like a LeMans car, with the roof down late at night being a rather addictive experience.
It was supposed to be free once the costs were paid off, however that still hasn’t happened and the operators filling their pockets in a one for you one for me scam didn’t help that! . . . . . . but at £1.25 each way, its not too much and the fast tags at least mean that I’m no longer searching for change

[skip_1]

Longest in the world when built and with no TBM's. Maximum respect

[hidetheelephants]

cheadle hulme said:

They just marked a tunnel shape out on the wall and surrounded it with security fencing. Scousers did the rest.

[gsr8]

you can visit it, went down there a few weeks ago, well worth it, they take you down underneath the road section
were originally there was room for trams to run,