Archive Woodhead line film...

[Wacky Racer]

Fist saw this on TV in 1969...just re-discovered it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea52T1klf-Q

[simonspider]

Thanks for that. Always been interested in the old Woodhead line since I live just a couple of miles from it. Such a shame it closed, I understand Arriva were considering re-opening it a decade or so ago but weren't awarded the franchise to enable them to do so. Just hope one day we'll see trains on it again.

[W124Bob]

Slight problem reopening the route as a a 250Kv power cable uses the tunnel instead of going on pylons over the top,some colleagues of mine worked over the route in it's last years,wages used to be delivered to a couple of signal boxes by train.Also the locos which worked the line (class 76)fed power back into the overheads(1500vDC) under braking.The origanal BR class77 passenger locos were all sold to Holland.One is now on display in the Manchester Science Mueseum.Heres an N gauge layout of the north end of the tunnel.

[Wacky Racer]

Travelled along the line, and through the tunnel several times between 1967-69, living in Stalybridge at the time it was not too far away....The scenery along the Longendale valley is magnificent...

Some more interesting footage here:-

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irxz5VPKmaw

[jinkster]

I live about 5 mins from Dunford Bridge on the Yorkshire side of the Woodhead line

[truck71]

W124Bob said:

Slight problem reopening the route as a a 250Kv power cable uses the tunnel instead of going on pylons over the top,some colleagues of mine worked over the route in it's last years,wages used to be delivered to a couple of signal boxes by train.Also the locos which worked the line (class 76)fed power back into the overheads(1500vDC) under braking.The origanal BR class77 passenger locos were all sold to Holland.One is now on display in the Manchester Science Mueseum.Heres an N gauge layout of the north end of the tunnel.

Does the cable not run through one of the old tunnels? It's a while since i've been there but thought it did. Amazing that such a huge civil engineering project could be abandoned after so little use.

[shed driver]

The cable used to run through one of the old tunnel bores (not sure which one, but there was a partial collapse (or threat of) and the cable was diverted through the new 1950's bore.

This effectively scuppers any chance of reopening the line.

SD.