Kilsby Tunnel North Ventilation Shaft - Drone Video Footage

[@meljen8592]

I’ve just found this,very impressive,thanks for posting.

[@johndean4998]

Thank you for posting this. I particularly like the long panning shot after 2:20 which shows the shaft's location in relation to the rest of the tunnel and the surrounding landscape (plus a southbound train appears as if on cue at 3:02!).. Presumably the shaft's base sits on the original ground level, and spoil from the 1835-38 tunnel workings was deposited around most of the circumference, making the shaft appear as if it sits in a partial hollow?

[@skipyskiphireltd]

Thanks for your positive comments. Yes, the ground level between the vent and the road is almost level. The spoil, which is mainly clay, surrounds the rest of the vent circumference in all directions. The Drone takes off from ground level at the furthest edge of the slope. There is a smaller vent hidden in the wooded area at 2:29. The whole of the wooded area is on raised spoil which completely surrounds and reaches right up to the vent. The next smaller vent in the opposite direction is also completely surrounded by spoil up to it's edge, which reaches to the fence/hedge line in two directions and to the ridge and furrow land in the other. There is one more small vent hidden in the wooded area at 3:05 which again is completely surrounded by spoil.

[@johndean4998]

@@skipyskiphireltd Fascinating, thanks. Supposedly 25 shafts were dug to aid tunnel construction, of which 9 were retained for ventilation (although I can count 12 on Google Maps!) . Robert Stephenson, Chief Designer & Engineer, decided to enlarge 2 of them to placate a hostile and anxious press which was concerned that passengers would suffocate in what was then the world's longest rail tunnel - hence the incongruous but magnificent 183 year-old structures we see today. Network Rail used the opportunity presented by light traffic levels during the Covid-19 lockdown period to close the line during May and carry out refurbishment of the tunnel, including this Northern of the 2 enlarged vents. Photos of the interior lined with scaffolding are viewable online. The area between the vent and the A5 was temporarily converted into a works compound, which can be seen on Google Maps. Thanks again for the smooth camera work. Is there any chance you could return and, say, fly North-west as far as the Northern portal (I assume that private drones are not allowed to fly over the public highway)? P.S. Hopefully the cows won't bother you again if you return!

[@johndean4998]

Two more pieces of information: (1) A train driver's eye view of the base of the shaft can be found at kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaHXe2SfadWUiNU . This Northbound Euston to Rugby service approaches the Southern Portal at 50:18 , reaches the Northern Shaft at 51:00 , and exits the tunnel at 51:17 , taking 45 seconds to pass through the tunnel, presumably at the pre-2020 Refurbishment reduced speed limit of 70 mph. (2) On watching your video again at higher resolution I noticed another train approaching from the South (2:33), so I reckon the 2 trains passed each other in the tunnel about halfway between you and the Northern Portal!

[@buffplums]

I would have thought if you would have taken the trouble to fly over the vent that you would have taken some video looking down. Barely a glimpse and also the door on the side, no attention at all .... why bother?

[@johndean4998]

Well, buy or borrow a drone, learn to fly it within the regulations, go to Kilsby, and let's see if you can do any better.

[@skipyskiphireltd]

There are restrictions as to how close you can legally operate a drone near to a structure. If I were to fly the drone directly over the vent at any height and the drone were to fail, it would fall directly into the vent. Needless to say, this was not a risk I was prepared to take..... Sorry!

[@josephkony5473]

always wondered what those were

[@squizza28]

Thought we'd hear some trains going through underneath

[@skipyskiphireltd]

Sadly, my drone does not have a microphone but yes, the whistling sound that the Intercity Trains produce as they approach the vents (especially the narrower vents) at speed, is worth hearing.