Exploring the Hidden History of Gildersome Train Stations and Tunnel

[@nigelkthomas9501]

I’ve been in Gildersome Tunnel twice, in 1992 and 2008.

[@Bhh2]

Was it filmed?

[@shortangrybloke]

Explored the whole length of what remains of this tunnel august 2022, was in there 6 hours. Quite an experience.

[@Bhh2]

Rather you than me....but maybe

[@kennethstill5945]

A very interesting video Marc. I used this line regularly when it “reopened “ in January 1961 for The Newcastle-Liverpool travelling the cab of the class 40s. As it was a constant gradient from Farnley of 1 in 70 until exiting the Western portal (then 1 in 121 until Birstal Stn) one can imagine how impressive the sound of the 16V engine was on full power especially in the tunnel ! With 10 coaches max constant speed 30mph until the summit, happy days ! V sorry it closed. Went brambling with the family from Rules Lane up to the Eastern portal in the 80s until cutting filled in.

[@Bhh2]

Would like to find the filled in side

[@kennethstill5945]

@@Bhh2Hello Marc, access to filled in cutting East side ---- from Gelderd Rd at Rools Lane proceed a few yard until remnants of over bridge walls are reached, the field on the right was the start of the cutting up to the trees in the far distant. The tunnel would have been beyond the trees some where. In that field would have been the original Gildersom Station too.

[@Bhh2]

@@kennethstill5945 wow thank you. I'll go have a look when the weather is better.

[@TheMonkeyThrifter]

Marc wow great video very informative and professional 👏 Thanks for the content

[@Bhh2]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@lowbot80s]

Great stuff, cool inserts, edits & droning. Excellent, getting out there, instead of hunting down toys your also hunting down shafts, lines and history 😎 Good on yer man👊

[@Bhh2]

Thank you my friend. I did do a little toy hunt too 😉

[@danielkingham9045]

A Great video and research of what you have discovered,,, neat the end where the tires where dumped ,,, the holes have been left in to encourage Bats to search for shelter during the winter months ,,,, magnificent coverage 🤗👍

[@Bhh2]

Thank you

[@michaelreed5505]

G’day, sad to see old buildings like this just sitting there!

[@Bhh2]

Hopefully something can be donr

[@queenligoo7556]

Hey, a Morley girl here, this was fantastic thank you! Can you please link me the website you used, thats so interesting how it is side by side. X

[@Bhh2]

Nice to meet you. Google side by side, think it's a Scottish site. Hope to see you out there.

[@kennethstill5945]

Hello Marc, found it very interesting to see the eastern portal once again. We viz family went blackberry picking in 1983 along the cutting up to the bricked up entrance. All very clean then, sad to see it now, it’s worse when humans dump rubbish, can accept nature. We walked from Rooms lane bridge then. One correction though, the line closed in 1965 not 1990, used it regularly in 1961 when dieselised.

[@Bhh2]

Thank you for that. Did I say 1990? I've have to check.

[@DaveinLeeds]

Hi Marc, part of the line did remain open until around 1990 to serve an oil terminal at Liversedge; I think that's where the confusion may have arisen. I have some photos of trains heading up the gradient towards the tunnel but I'm not brainy enough to know how to upload them!!

[@nigelbarker4135]

Nice one! Well researched 👍👏👏👏

[@Bhh2]

Was a good day, albeit very warm

[@cedarcam]

I used to walk through the first tunnel until they blocked it with earth when the cross roads was made into a roundabout. There was a large pipe across the roof I guess a water pipe under the road. I was the last to walk through the crossroads my friend and I walked in front of a cat D8 bulldozer past the traffic lights that had been pushed over, we watched as the bulldozer churned up the tarmac and began covering the road with earth. When they made road changes at the roundabout they made a way through the middle for through traffic and dug out a lot of brick which will of been the tunnel lining. Gildersome tunnel was another place we used to go to and was always flooded at the entrance you went to, we never got inside there and you were wise not to try, it is full of orange mud. At the other end there is a wall inside and from there to the entrance was filled in with earth then the entrance bricked up before the whole thing was covered in with waste taken from nearby. There are vents in the ground to release gasses from the waste tipped which although was said to be none toxic must not be good or they would not of needed the vents. Anyone going in there could be overcome with the gasses. I was told that is why the shaft was left open and is used as a way in for inspections from time to time.

[@Bhh2]

That is very interesting, thank you for that 👍🏻

[@jenko887]

13:15 the woods is said to be private property from what I’ve been told by the dirt bmx riders who built the track you saw entering the woods

[@jenko887]

They said the owner gave them permission and that the owner doesn’t care to do anything with the woods

[@Bhh2]

Thank you. I did say that it's private around the tunnel and I was trying to get as close as possible to send the drone but by accident I stumbled upon it.

[@MichaelTinker-dt1rp]

the buried side of Gildersome tunnel i think the first 500 yards is fully filled in and where air shaft 4 was is a retaining wall

[@Caleb-lk5cw]

I've been in before. It is very deep water and there are rooms in there. It ends about 7 miles I when it gets blocked off

[@neilrobinson9806]

A national disgrace