 Northbound train leaving the tunnel | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | West Coast Main Line |
| Location | Weedon, Northamptonshire, England |
| Coordinates | 52°13′12″N1°03′30″W / 52.219890°N 1.058386°W |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1838 |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Character | railway tunnel |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | Robert Stephenson |
| Length | 520 yards (480 m) |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
Stowe Hill Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line just south of the village of Weedon, Northamptonshire, England.
The tunnel was built as part of the London and Birmingham Railway and designed by its chief engineer, Robert Stephenson. Stephenson also surveyed the route. He took the line north-west from Roade Cutting, bypassing Northampton, partly because reaching it would require a gradient greater than the ruling 1:330 that Stephenson was determined to preserve. From Blisworth, at the north end of the cutting, the railway crosses the Blisworth Arch then follows much the same route as the Grand Union Canal, built a generation earlier. Stowe Hill is the sixth tunnel from London in the northbound direction. [1]
The tunnel runs in a straight line underneath the A5 main road between Weedon and Towcester from about northwest to southeast. The tunnel has a single bore with twin tracks and is 520 yards (480 metres) long. [2] The next station southbound is Wolverton and northbound Rugby. It has red brick portals, of which that at the north end is more elaborately decorated. It has a heavy three-tiered cornice, brick parapets with stone copings, and stone voussoirs around the mouths. It has large, splayed abutments which meet brick wing walls, parallel to the tracks, and terminate in hexagonal pillars with square stone caps. The south portal has brick voussoirs, straight abutments. It has a plainer cornice and parapet and straight abutments which meet curved wing walls. [3]
This section of line is largely as-built; south of Roade, the line has been heavily modified to accommodate a second pair of tracks but between there and Rugby the Northampton loop (built to serve Northampton in the 1870s) acts as a continuation of the second pair so no rebuilding was necessary on the original line. Overhead wires were added for electrification in the late 1950s. A short distance beyond the tunnel, the line crosses Weedon Viaduct. [4]
During the 2000s, in preparation for the introduction of the British Rail Class 390 tilting trains, which would enable regular operating speeds of 125 miles per hour (201 kilometres per hour) along this section of the line, it was determined that the Stowe Hill tunnel would, without modification, cause such pressure changes to trains traversing it at high speed as to exceed passenger comfort levels. Accordingly, modifications to the tunnel were made in the form of four vertical pressure relief shafts being installed to provide sufficient mitigation; additional land around these new shafts was acquired, in some cases using compulsory purchase orders. [5]
The tunnel was close to the site of the Weedon rail crashes in 1915 and 1951 in which a total of 25 people died, though was unconnected with the cause of either.
The Kilsby Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line in England, near the village of Kilsby in Northamptonshire, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Rugby. It is 2,423 yards (2,216 m) long.
The Northampton loop is a railway line serving the town of Northampton. It is a branch of the West Coast Main Line, deviating from the faster direct main line which runs to the west. The WCML is a four track line up to either end of the Loop: the 'up' and 'down' fast tracks take the direct route while the 'up' and 'down' slow tracks are diverted via Northampton railway station. Generally, fast express trains run via the direct line, while freight and slower passenger services run via the loop line.
Blisworth is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment. The Grand Union Canal passes through the village and the north portal of the Blisworth tunnel is near Stoke Road.
Roade is a village in Northamptonshire, England. Currently in West Northamptonshire, before local government changes in 2021 it was represented by South Northamptonshire District Council, falling within the two-member Blisworth and Roade ward.
Linslade Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Bedfordshire, England, on the West Coast Main Line about 0.54 miles (0.9 km) north of Leighton Buzzard railway station and built under Linslade Woods. Consisting of three individual bores, the tunnel is somewhat unusual as there is a slight bend in its alignment.
Main Range Railway is a heritage-listed railway from the end of Murphys Creek railway station, Murphys Creek to the Ruthven Street overbridge, Harlaxton, Queensland, Australia. It forms part of the Main Line railway and was built from 1865 to 1867 by railway builders Peto, Brassey and Betts. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 February 2009.
Roade Cutting, also known as Blisworth Cutting, is a railway earthwork and 15.2-hectare (38-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest along the West Coast Main Line north from Roade in Northamptonshire, England. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.
The Chirk Viaduct is a Grade II* listed railway viaduct over the River Ceiriog between England and Wales. The viaduct carries the Shrewsbury–Chester line from the Welsh town of Chirk in historic Denbighshire from the north to the English village of Chirk Bank in Weston Rhyn, Shropshire to the south. Chirk Aqueduct lies parallel to the viaduct's east.
Brandon Viaduct is a railway viaduct crossing the River Avon between the villages of Brandon and Wolston in Warwickshire. It carries the Birmingham Loop line and is roughly half way between Rugby and Coventry. The bridge was built in around 1835 for the London and Birmingham Railway and is now a grade II listed building.
The Sowe Viaduct is a railway bridge on the Birmingham Loop line crossing the River Sowe at the south-eastern edge of Coventry in central England. Built in 1838, it is a Grade II listed building.
Mile Lane Bridge is a road-over-rail bridge in Coventry, central England. It is possibly the first use of a flying arch over a railway cutting and is a Grade II listed building.
Wolverton Viaduct is a railway bridge carrying the West Coast Main Line over the River Great Ouse to the north of Wolverton, part of Milton Keynes, in south-eastern England. Built in 1838 for the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to the designs of Robert Stephenson, it was the largest viaduct on the L&BR's route. It is in the centre of Wolverton Embankment, itself the largest on the line. It has six brick arches and covers a distance of 660 feet, reaching a maximum height of 57 feet above the river, and terminating in substantial abutments which contain decorative arches. The viaduct and embankment feature in drawings by John Cooke Bourne. Several contemporary commentators likened Stephenson's bridges to Roman aqueducts. Modern engineers and railway historians observed that Wolverton Viaduct is not as innovative or impressive as some that followed but nonetheless praised its visual impact.
The Blisworth Arch is a railway bridge in Blisworth, Northamptonshire, in eastern England. It was designed by Robert Stephenson for the London and Birmingham Railway and completed in 1837. It is a grade II listed building and a significant local landmark.
Bushey Arches Viaduct is a railway bridge on the West Coast Main Line immediately north of Bushey railway station, between Bushey and Watford, in Hertfordshire, Eastern England, just north-west of London.
The Colne Viaduct, also known as Five Arches Viaduct, carries the West Coast Main Line railway over the River Colne near Watford in Hertfordshire, Eastern England, just north-west of London. It was built in 1837 for the London and Birmingham Railway by Robert Stephenson.
Abbots Langley railway bridge, also known as the bridge over Railway Terrace is a skew bridge carrying the West Coast Main Line over a road near Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, in Eastern England. The angle of the bridge creates a 25-metre (82-foot) tunnel along the road. It was built in 1837 and is a Grade II listed building.
Nash Mills railway bridge carries the West Coast Main Line railway over the Grand Union Canal to the west of Nash Mills, Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, Eastern England. The bridge was built to the designs of Robert Stephenson for the London and Birmingham Railway and completed in 1837. Although modified, it is still in use and is Grade II listed building.
Tring Cutting is an earthwork on the southern part of the West Coast Main Line on the Hertfordshire–Buckinghamshire boundary near Tring in southern England. It was built for the London and Birmingham Railway to the specification of Robert Stephenson and opened with the line in 1837. The cutting is 2.5 miles long and has an average depth of 40 feet but reaches 60 feet at some points, making it one of the largest engineering works on the London and Birmingham's line. Three bridges that cross the cutting were built at the same time as the line and are listed buildings.
Denbigh Hall railway bridge carries the West Coast Main Line railway across Watling Street just north of Bletchley, Milton Keynes, in southern England. It dates from the opening of the London and Birmingham Railway in 1838 and was designed by Robert Stephenson though it has been heavily modified. It is a Grade II listed building.
The Pulpit Bridge or Armchair Bridge carries the Northampton Loop railway line over a former entrance drive to the Watford Park estate near Watford in Northamptonshire. Built in 1877, it is now a Grade II listed building for its unusual design.