Drewton Tunnel, East Yorkshire, Winter 09

[Runner]

In the old days the North Eastern Railway had Hull stitched up with a route north via Beverley and west via the Humber bank. They controlled all the rail traffic and docks and as a result of no competition, growth of the docks and the export of king coal were held back. The business folk of Hull looked across the river to Grimsby and Goole where the export of coal was making big money and decided something had to be done - enter the Hull And Barnsley Railway.

The route linked a new dock to the coalfields via the chalk wolds, despite modern construction methods being used it was still a tough job to get the 12 miles completed across the wolds; 3 tunnels (Drewton, Sugarloaf and Weedley) and deep cuttings had to be built through the chalk. 8000 men were on this job, living in camps with their own shops, schools and chapels and ocassionally rioting when they had the energy.

The line opened in 1885 and the section through Drewton closed in 1958 due to the decline in coal exports and British Rails diversion of trains over the easier route alongside the Humber. The tunnel was the summit of the line and is 1mile 356yds long, Hull bound trains popped out of it into the 83ft deep cutting beyond Little Weighton station.

A couple of pics nicked from the net:

Train leaving west portal:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/weighton-6.jpg


Train in Little Weighton cutting:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/weighton-2.jpg


One eve last winter 3 of us slithered across the dark muddy fields of East Yorks heading for the darkness.

East End:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/IMG_7039r.jpg


Up:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/IMG_7011r2.jpg


Linesmans shelter:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/IMG_7019r.jpg


Nice brickwork:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/IMG_6991r.jpg


3 Amigos:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/IMG_7003r.jpg


Refuge:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/IMG_7016r.jpg


Look East:

http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu209/urbexrunner/Drewton%20Tunnel/IMG_7033r.jpg


Cheers for watching :thumb