Closed 1958 Opened 1853 | Work begun 1847 No. of tracks 1 Length 1,597 m | |
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Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Similar | ||
Burdale Tunnel is a former railway tunnel on the abandoned Malton and Driffield Junction Railway (MDR) in North Yorkshire, England.
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History and description
Burdale tunnel lies near the village of Burdale, North Yorkshire, England, between the former Burdale and Wharram railway stations. It was built to take the railway through the Yorkshire Wolds.
Construction began in 1847 with the sinking of seven vertical shafts, but the tunnel, which was 1,747 yards (1,597 m) in length, was not completed until 1853, work having been interrupted and slowed at times due to lack of funds. During construction illegal drinking houses were built and riots occurred in navvies' temporary accommodation near the tunnel's northern mouth.
The line closed to passenger traffic in 1950 and closed completely in 1958, with the tracks being lifted shortly afterwards. The tunnel portals were bricked up in 1961. In the late 1970s, a collapse occurred just north of the tunnel's second ventilation shaft – around half-a-mile in. The mid-1980s saw another fall block the tunnel towards its southern end, creating a sealed section in the middle.
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