Dudley Railway Tunnel is a railway tunnel located near to the former Dudley railway station in Dudley, West Midlands, England. It was opened in 1850 to allow the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line between Stourbridge and Wolverhampton to pass for several hundred yards beneath a hilly area of Dudley which would have been difficult if not impossible to have constructed a railway through. At Dudley the OWWR and South Staffordshire Line to Walsall met.
The tunnel was regularly used by passenger trains until 1964, when the town's station closed along with the remaining passenger stations on the line, although goods trains were still allowed to use the line. It finally closed to all trains on 19 March 1993, when the section of railway between Walsall and Brierley Hill was closed after 143 years in use. A cable laying train passed through the tunnel on 2 July 1993 - nearly four months after the line was officially closed.
As of early 2010, the tunnel is still closed and Steel gates have been placed at both ends. Network Rail hopes to have goods trains passing through the tunnel again in the next decade, although the imminent Midland Metro expansion will not make use of the tunnel. The re-opening of Dudley tunnel and the railway on which it runs would also make an ideal diversion route for passenger trains if the need arose, although the idea of re-introducing passenger trains on the route (as was proposed back in 1997) seems unlikely to proceed. Taken from Wiki. After a 3 hour journey, my longest for an explore yet, we arrived at Blowers Green Station Building at the side of an extremely overgrown approach cutting.. the pics....
Here's what's left of the booking office and station building at Blowers green on the old OWWR Route. There was a path down to the platform at the bottom of the cutting.
Looking down the approach cutting, towards the south portal of the 944 yard Dudley Tunnel
There was once a large gasworks situated above the tunnel, this is all that remains of that gasworks crossing what's left of the double track line. The track is still in situ albeit throttled by vegetation
Blowers Green Tunnel and station back in it's heyday
And again with the gasworks in the background and two venerable old ladies.
South Portal, Dudley Tunnel.
Lightpainted in the dark.
Thanks for looking people.
The tunnel was regularly used by passenger trains until 1964, when the town's station closed along with the remaining passenger stations on the line, although goods trains were still allowed to use the line. It finally closed to all trains on 19 March 1993, when the section of railway between Walsall and Brierley Hill was closed after 143 years in use. A cable laying train passed through the tunnel on 2 July 1993 - nearly four months after the line was officially closed.
As of early 2010, the tunnel is still closed and Steel gates have been placed at both ends. Network Rail hopes to have goods trains passing through the tunnel again in the next decade, although the imminent Midland Metro expansion will not make use of the tunnel. The re-opening of Dudley tunnel and the railway on which it runs would also make an ideal diversion route for passenger trains if the need arose, although the idea of re-introducing passenger trains on the route (as was proposed back in 1997) seems unlikely to proceed. Taken from Wiki. After a 3 hour journey, my longest for an explore yet, we arrived at Blowers Green Station Building at the side of an extremely overgrown approach cutting.. the pics....
Here's what's left of the booking office and station building at Blowers green on the old OWWR Route. There was a path down to the platform at the bottom of the cutting.
Looking down the approach cutting, towards the south portal of the 944 yard Dudley Tunnel
There was once a large gasworks situated above the tunnel, this is all that remains of that gasworks crossing what's left of the double track line. The track is still in situ albeit throttled by vegetation
Blowers Green Tunnel and station back in it's heyday
And again with the gasworks in the background and two venerable old ladies.
South Portal, Dudley Tunnel.
Lightpainted in the dark.
Thanks for looking people.
Guess it inspired me big time, I always had a passion for old railway urbex right back to the late seventies at a local station site when I was a nipper. Natural progression I guess!
