Woodhead Tunnel

The Woodhead Tunnels are three trans-Pennine railway tunnels which formerly carried a major rail link (usually known as the Woodhead Route) from Manchester to Sheffield. The western portals are at Woodhead in Derbyshire and the eastern portals are at Dunford Bridge, near Penistone, South Yorkshire.

Related Topics:
Manchester - Sheffield - Woodhead - Derbyshire - Dunford Bridge - Penistone - South Yorkshire

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The earlier twin tunnels (Woodhead 1 & 2) were completed by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in the mid-19th century, with significant loss of life. At the time of its completion in 1845, Woodhead 1 was one of the world's longest railway tunnels (3 miles 13 yards (4840 m)); it was the first of several trans-Pennine tunnels (Standedge, Totley), which are only slightly longer.

Related Topics:
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway - 19th century - Standedge - Totley

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The twin tunnels saw heavy use by steam trains (250 trains a day each way) and had a reputation for having a poor working environment with high maintenance needs. They were replaced by Woodhead 3, a new double-track tunnel designed by Sir William Halcrow & Partners, in 1954. This was electrified at 1.5 kV DC (predating the later network standard of 25 kV AC) using EM1/Class 76 and EM2/Class 77 locomotives. The locomotives were able to use regenerative braking on their descent.

Related Topics:
Poor working environment - William Halcrow - 1954 - Regenerative braking

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