And lo we waited for the mighty Fluffy one to decree where we should go for our summer jaunt this year...and thus spake the Fluffster; "Thou shalt go to the Forest of Dean, and there thou shalt find much underground and mining related goodliness, and quite possibly a few pints of ale too....."
And so I found myself on driving duty (as Newage is taking a sabbatical currently) racing across the Severn Bridge with the Fluffy one and junior Fluff in the back of the car, heading for the borders to look at at a selection of abandoned railway tunnels and other stuff. There are numerous photos to post, but I'll start with Moseley Green as it was probably the most interesting site we visited (they actually all were - but this is a real belter, if you're into this sort of stuff, anyway)
Moseley Green Tunnel was part of the Forest of Dean mineral loop, a railway built to service the many small mines and shafts that were dotted across this part of Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire from the end of the 18th century onwards. There were actually multiple tramways as well as railways that were used to carry coal and other minerals around, and what you get as you walk around in this bit of the forest is the sense of permanent way over permanent way, with lots of different cuttings and levels that all cross over each other at various points.
Its a bit of a bugger to get to, but once in, the site has many interesting features. At this point the line was a single track, used to service two collieries (New Engine and Brick Pit), and there are many things that give away the areas past;
Outside the tunnel are the remains of what was a track controllers hut , with J-Hangers that show it was connected to a telegraph system
We speculated that the building might have been a signal box, but apparently it was just used to count what was going up and down the line. There were a lot of signs of human activity around the tunnel, including the steps up and down, and lots of brick work with the initials PRC on them (more of which later)
The tunnel itself is a beaut. including a keystone bearing the date 1871.
Inside, a mixture of brick and stone has been used to line the tunnel, but unlike a lot of the other tunnels we saw on our travels, there was not a single refuge inside, I suspect because the line was only ever used for freight.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the tunnel is the large wood and metal beam brace that has been inserted in the middle of the tunnel. This was built in the 1970's when engineers were worried that the tunnel would collapse under the weight of lorries using the road above. Bits of it are burnt out, but it makes for a spookily impressive feature when your in the tunnel and you can see the dim light of the other end filtered through it.
There's also an airshaft here, the top of which you can see from the road above. Its been capped. There's also all sorts of other stuff down there, such as railway sleepers and the like. We even found a plant growing in there - all yellow through lack of photosynthesis of course!
When you come out of the tunnel, if you walk away from the controllers hut a bit, there are some other interesting features, including a bricked course loading platform which runs for about a hundred meters, and at the end of the platform, what looks like the remains of a conveyor belt, running down from the top of the cutting above towards the line. The GWR map of 1947 suggests that this was the location of the Brick Pit colliery, so maybe the remains are to do with this.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this explore. A good bit of history, a good yomp, a good bit of underground stuff and a bit of a mystery as to what really went on here. More Forest of Dean stuff to follow!
Thanks for looking
Godzy
And so I found myself on driving duty (as Newage is taking a sabbatical currently) racing across the Severn Bridge with the Fluffy one and junior Fluff in the back of the car, heading for the borders to look at at a selection of abandoned railway tunnels and other stuff. There are numerous photos to post, but I'll start with Moseley Green as it was probably the most interesting site we visited (they actually all were - but this is a real belter, if you're into this sort of stuff, anyway)
Moseley Green Tunnel was part of the Forest of Dean mineral loop, a railway built to service the many small mines and shafts that were dotted across this part of Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire from the end of the 18th century onwards. There were actually multiple tramways as well as railways that were used to carry coal and other minerals around, and what you get as you walk around in this bit of the forest is the sense of permanent way over permanent way, with lots of different cuttings and levels that all cross over each other at various points.
Its a bit of a bugger to get to, but once in, the site has many interesting features. At this point the line was a single track, used to service two collieries (New Engine and Brick Pit), and there are many things that give away the areas past;
Outside the tunnel are the remains of what was a track controllers hut , with J-Hangers that show it was connected to a telegraph system
We speculated that the building might have been a signal box, but apparently it was just used to count what was going up and down the line. There were a lot of signs of human activity around the tunnel, including the steps up and down, and lots of brick work with the initials PRC on them (more of which later)
The tunnel itself is a beaut. including a keystone bearing the date 1871.
Inside, a mixture of brick and stone has been used to line the tunnel, but unlike a lot of the other tunnels we saw on our travels, there was not a single refuge inside, I suspect because the line was only ever used for freight.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the tunnel is the large wood and metal beam brace that has been inserted in the middle of the tunnel. This was built in the 1970's when engineers were worried that the tunnel would collapse under the weight of lorries using the road above. Bits of it are burnt out, but it makes for a spookily impressive feature when your in the tunnel and you can see the dim light of the other end filtered through it.
There's also an airshaft here, the top of which you can see from the road above. Its been capped. There's also all sorts of other stuff down there, such as railway sleepers and the like. We even found a plant growing in there - all yellow through lack of photosynthesis of course!
When you come out of the tunnel, if you walk away from the controllers hut a bit, there are some other interesting features, including a bricked course loading platform which runs for about a hundred meters, and at the end of the platform, what looks like the remains of a conveyor belt, running down from the top of the cutting above towards the line. The GWR map of 1947 suggests that this was the location of the Brick Pit colliery, so maybe the remains are to do with this.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this explore. A good bit of history, a good yomp, a good bit of underground stuff and a bit of a mystery as to what really went on here. More Forest of Dean stuff to follow!
Thanks for looking
Godzy
