Burdale Tunnel, E Yorkshire, UK
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Team Sieni
N 54° 04.102 W 000° 41.139
30U E 651443 N 5993605
The Burdale Tunnel was on the Malton & Driffield Junction Railway, is 1746 yards in length and passes beneath Wharram Percey Wold.
Waymark Code: WM8QAE
Location: North East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/02/2010
Views: 15
The Burdale Tunnel [1,2] is on the Malton & Driffield Junction Railway[3,4] is 1746 yards in length and passes beneath Wharram Percey Wold. The original plan was for a double track tunnel, and the route was to form a main line from Hull to the North-East. The southern portal is indeed large enough to accomodate two tracks, however, due to financial problems during construction it was reduced to a single track, and this portal (the Northern) is only single track. In fact the entire line was single-track, and did not run further North than Malton. It opened on 19th May 1853 carried passenger traffic, agricultural freight, and the mineral products of the stone quarries on the route.
The line closed on 20th October 1958 and the tunnel was sealed in 1961. The tunnel has collapsed internally at more than one point and is dangerous. It is now home to hibernating bats.
The station sign from Wharram Station [5], which stood a few hundred metres to the North of the Northern portal, is visible at the nearby site of the mediaeval village at Wharram Percey. It was put on display in 1978 by the archaeologists excavating there. See gallery picture.
The Yorkshire Wolds Railway Restoration Project [6] has the aim of restoring at least part of the railway as a heritage attraction. Their website [6] has a map of the line and lots of historical information.
An interesting piece of trivia is that Alfred Lamert Dickens, the engineering supervisor on the line, was the brother of the famous author Charles Dickens[7].
Parking is at the car-park for Wharram Percey village. The co-ordinates for the other end, ie the S. Portal are approximate and were not visited.
References
- Disused-Stations.org.uk Burdale Tunnel
- Forgotten Relics Burdale Tunnel
- LNER Encyclopedia Malton and Driffield Junction Railway
- Wikipedia Malton and Driffield Railway
- Disused-Stations.org.uk Wharram Station
- Yorkshire Wolds Railway Restoration Project home page
- LNER Encyclopedia Trivia