# Caldon Tramroad Tunnel - May 2009



## tarboat (May 10, 2009)

The need to move limestone from the Caldon Low Quarries to the Caldon Canal at Froghall led to the development of a railway in 1778. This was followed by improved routes in 1783 and 1802 and finally in 1847 by a cable and gravity operated line designed by the Canal Company's engineer, James Trubshaw. The 1847 line was built to a gauge of 3ft 6in. and used a three rail system where the central one was common to both ascending and descending trains. At passing loops the central rail split into two rails. There were four sections, the top one being from the quarries through to the tunnel end. Trains comprised between five and nine wagons each carrying 6 tons of limestone. The line continued to serve the quarries until it was officially closed in March 1920, since when the route has quietly passed back to nature.

The tunnel is 330 yards long and the first brick was laid by Trubshaw himself on 17th April 1844 and the line was completed by July 1847 by the North Staffordshire Railway Company, which has bought the Trent and Mersey Canal Company in January of that year. 

Once inside the first section is wide and spacious, but this soon narrows right down in the centre section where there may have been problems with stability resulting in extra lining being applied. The most notable feature is the sheer amount of ochreous mud that fill large sections and threatened to suck off boots. We were unable to exit the eastern end of the tunnel due to the depth of the mud significantly exceeding that of our wellies.






It was hard to see the tunnel mouth




















Narrow section





Roof problems










Stones coated with lime from the water seeping into the tunnel





One of the two refuges, still with wooden flooring





Towards the flooded eastern end
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## Lightbuoy (May 11, 2009)

This is a nice looking tunnel -love the shape 

Nice work TB -thanks for posting.


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## sallybear (May 11, 2009)

Nice tunnel, love the shots.


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## mcl (May 11, 2009)

Great photos and report - particularly like the photo of the stones.


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## TK421 (May 11, 2009)

hmmmmmmmm.....mud. Like this one, cool tunnel shape, well done Tarboat


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## klempner69 (May 11, 2009)

Excellant photography...love the tunnel at the near end of report.


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## BigLoada (May 11, 2009)

Thats a lovely tunnel Tarboat, and your lighting is first class!


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## sheep21 (May 11, 2009)

What a nice little tunnel just left to nature.

still, when you mentioned mud....

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt6xGqk0F0U[/ame]


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## RedDave (May 20, 2009)

Trubshaw's Tunnel was one of my epic fails. I found out about this place from a photograph of the tunnel entrance on geograph.co,uk. I visited it while staying in Buxton last year but, wearing only shoes (one of which got sucked off, but I recovered it) was unable to enter the tunnel, and got only a few poor quality shots of the entrance. Obviously you went better prepared than me.


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