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Stuart0742

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Waterside Echo's post suggests the 'tunnel' may have been just a 'cut and cover' ??

Good point Gramps,

don't think that a tunnel would have ever existed.

If so why would it have been demolished?

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Good point Gramps,

don't think that a tunnel would have ever existed.

If so why would it have been demolished?

Originally it was just double track at this point, the line quadrupled in 1902 ish that is when the "Dive Under" was built at this stage it would have been to costly to rebuild the cut and cover.

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Guest Gramps

This is an interesting sketch of Heeley station approach before the track widening. Wheeled traffic access to the station seems to have been via a ramp following the line of London road.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s17638

On the left is the junction with Oak street (or perhaps Well road?) and the tall chimney of Meersbrook Tannery can be seen in the background. The tram tracks in London road suggest the drawing was made after 1877.

The telegraph poles don't look very secure.

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The section of the line from East Bank Road to Shrewsbury Road had originally to be covered and an ornamental terrace made so as not to impair the view from the Farm, which despite its name was a fine residence. With thanks to - The Origins of the Sheffield and Chesterfield Railway. by John Dunstan.
Well then, when is a tunnel not a tunnel? Later on in the same book is the following paragraph, "Beetween 1899 and 1905 the company purchased The Farm and opened up the tunnel there".
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Guest Gramps

Well then, when is a tunnel not a tunnel? Later on in the same book is the following paragraph, "Beetween 1899 and 1905 the company purchased The Farm and opened up the tunnel there".

I suppose it depends who you are. To a railway engineer a covered cutting was a significant cost saving over a bored tunnel. To a cartographer, with very limited space to describe the feature on a map, 'tunnel' was an easy choice and 'tunnel' is what the map user would see and recognise on the ground.

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I suppose it depends who you are. To a railway engineer a covered cutting was a significant cost saving over a bored tunnel. To a cartographer, with very limited space to describe the feature on a map, 'tunnel' was an easy choice and 'tunnel' is what the map user would see and recognise on the ground.

Given the heights of the land at that location, to construct a convential tunnel would have meant been too costly if not impossible task. Therefore a cut & cover cutting would have been the only answer.

Even the dive-under built when the line was quadrupled would have been built as a cut & cover.

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Guest Gramps

Given the heights of the land at that location, to construct a convential tunnel would have meant been too costly if not impossible task. Therefore a cut & cover cutting would have been the only answer.

Even the dive-under built when the line was quadrupled would have been built as a cut & cover.

I'm sure you're right...I was just trying to explain, probably badly, why it is labelled as a tunnel on the map.

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Not sure of the date of the then photo, obviously pre grouping therefore before 1923, would suspect about 1900, the Now photo is today

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Guest Gramps

Not sure of the date of the then photo, obviously pre grouping therefore before 1923, would suspect about 1900, the Now photo is today

This is the earliest I could find - 1890 before the alterations.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s14726

And I found one photo of 'taking the top off East Bank tunnel'. Was that the tunnel under the Farm grounds ??

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s15026

as well as one of 'East Bank Tunnel, previous to alterations'

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s15027

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This is the earliest I could find - 1890 before the alterations.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s14726

And I found one photo of 'taking the top off East Bank tunnel'. Was that the tunnel under the Farm grounds ??

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s15026

as well as one of 'East Bank Tunnel, previous to alterations'

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s15027

I would say "East Bank Tunnel is the previously discussed Farm grounds tunnel.

The last link shows the line looking back (I think) from East Bank Rd/Duchess Rd towards Granville Rd, The Farm to the right. The house on the left remained there until the 1960's, I think Steve has already mentioned it earlier.

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Guest Gramps

Thanks Stuart.

There a few more photos of the track alterations including one which looks like the excavation for the 'dive-under'.

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Following on from yesterday's Midland Station exterior Then and Now, here is platform 7

Then taken in 1966 shortly before the end of Steam

Now taken yesterday 31/03/09

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There are very few if any photo's of Heeley Station, due to its elevated position. Dore & Totley, Beauchief and Millhouses all had road bridges passing over the line, thus making a vantage point. Heeley had no such vantage point.

http://youtu.be/Ea52T1klf-Q?t=44m10s

footage of heeley station-- 1969

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The tunnels still in use today. If you fill up with petrol at the garage at the bottom of farm road you can see it from their car park. There are signals protecting the tunnel here as these are the last ones trains get before running down to the platforms so you'll probably see something waiting here at peak times.

Signals don't protect tunnels. Signals protect trains from running into the back of another. The track is diveded into sections. With a signal at the start of each section. When a train enters a section the signal turns to red. When the train passes out of the section the same signal will go to amber. When it passes inthe third section it goes to double amber, when it passes into the next section it will go green. The driver is allowed to take his train pass any colour except red. But if he was going at high speed he would slow down on the amber signals.

In the old days the same system was employed, two signals were used one called a home signal which if up you could pass and if down not. And a distant signal which copied the next home signal, but you could pass that up or down. You can see them in the photos. Distant have this: > cut into them and were yellow. Homes are red.

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