Hose (Long Clawson) Tunnel 834yds - Great Northern Railway.
Brief History- Hose Tunnel was located just to the south of Long Clawson Station, and officially went under the name of Hose, Long Clawson provided its pseudonym. From the north, the line approached via a curve to the east of 40 chains radius which extended a short distance into the tunnel. Thereafter it followed a straight course before another curve of an identical radius was introduced just inside its southern entrance. The gradient throughout was 1:120, climbing towards Melton.
Benton & Woodiwiss - regular servants of the Great Northern Railway - were appointed as construction conctractors. The heading, measuring 10 feet high and 9 feet wide, was driven from two shafts, the more northerly being the deepest at 106 feet. The other measured 86 feet. Both were sealed and backfilled once construction work was completed. Two other shafts were sunk just clear of the proposed entrances to expediate work on the approach cuttings, although it appears that the north portal was eventually erected about 40 yards north of the shaft at that end.
The tunnel is lined throughout in red brick although short sections of masonry sidewall are apparent - presumably later repairs. Two of these face each other near the tunnel's centre, across an open catchpit. Another, inserted in the east wall close to the northern entrance, is badly spalled. Deep refuges are provided at both sides. The north portal is hugely impressive, looking like it was built yesterday. It exhibits seven rings of brick and a headwall in blue brindles. The wing walls, buttresses, parapet, string course and copings are all stone, with the former aligned parallel with the trackbed. At the south end, masonry was used for the string course and copings; the rest is engineering brick. Here, the wing walls are set at right angles to the railway. A mechanical gong was fixed to the Up sidewall, 34 yards from the northern entrance. This was used for signalling trains during shunting operations at Long Clawson. A telephone to the signal box there - with wires running through the tunnel - was located in front of the watchman's hut on the Down side, 120 yards beyond the south portal. Regular passenger services along the route were never well patronised and ceased on 7th December 1953. Goods traffic was more successful, continuing to encounter Hose Tunnel until the section through it was closed on 7th September 1964. A meandering line from Wycombe Junction to Asfordby Colliery - which passed over the southern half of the tunnel - was jettisoned in 1963. - Taken from the Forgotten Relics Website.
A brief insight into the explore... We’d already visited two other tunnels in the area these being East Norton & Ingarsby Tunnels and decided to visit Hose Tunnel as we were “In the Area” fairly easy to located using track maps parked in a lay-by on Landyke Lane close to the village of Holwell this layby is on top of the old trackbed and walking north in the cutting which has seen some infilling we reached the southern Portal of Hose Tunnel or at least what’s still visble... not a great deal to say about the tunnel northern section is filled with endless rotting chicken coops.. there’s a nicely painted ghost type figure in one of the refuges, It’s extremely dry inside the northern Portal is quite impressive so interesting colours depending on the light, we noted lots of numbering painted on the walls (see image) no idea what they are reference too so answers on a postcard?! Decent selection of refuges and a copy of stone patches in the otherwise brick constructed tunnel. Anyhow I’ll let you look through the pics they’ll describe the place better than I can! Enjoy and feel free to comment...
Early March 2020.
Thanks For looking
Brief History- Hose Tunnel was located just to the south of Long Clawson Station, and officially went under the name of Hose, Long Clawson provided its pseudonym. From the north, the line approached via a curve to the east of 40 chains radius which extended a short distance into the tunnel. Thereafter it followed a straight course before another curve of an identical radius was introduced just inside its southern entrance. The gradient throughout was 1:120, climbing towards Melton.
Benton & Woodiwiss - regular servants of the Great Northern Railway - were appointed as construction conctractors. The heading, measuring 10 feet high and 9 feet wide, was driven from two shafts, the more northerly being the deepest at 106 feet. The other measured 86 feet. Both were sealed and backfilled once construction work was completed. Two other shafts were sunk just clear of the proposed entrances to expediate work on the approach cuttings, although it appears that the north portal was eventually erected about 40 yards north of the shaft at that end.
The tunnel is lined throughout in red brick although short sections of masonry sidewall are apparent - presumably later repairs. Two of these face each other near the tunnel's centre, across an open catchpit. Another, inserted in the east wall close to the northern entrance, is badly spalled. Deep refuges are provided at both sides. The north portal is hugely impressive, looking like it was built yesterday. It exhibits seven rings of brick and a headwall in blue brindles. The wing walls, buttresses, parapet, string course and copings are all stone, with the former aligned parallel with the trackbed. At the south end, masonry was used for the string course and copings; the rest is engineering brick. Here, the wing walls are set at right angles to the railway. A mechanical gong was fixed to the Up sidewall, 34 yards from the northern entrance. This was used for signalling trains during shunting operations at Long Clawson. A telephone to the signal box there - with wires running through the tunnel - was located in front of the watchman's hut on the Down side, 120 yards beyond the south portal. Regular passenger services along the route were never well patronised and ceased on 7th December 1953. Goods traffic was more successful, continuing to encounter Hose Tunnel until the section through it was closed on 7th September 1964. A meandering line from Wycombe Junction to Asfordby Colliery - which passed over the southern half of the tunnel - was jettisoned in 1963. - Taken from the Forgotten Relics Website.
A brief insight into the explore... We’d already visited two other tunnels in the area these being East Norton & Ingarsby Tunnels and decided to visit Hose Tunnel as we were “In the Area” fairly easy to located using track maps parked in a lay-by on Landyke Lane close to the village of Holwell this layby is on top of the old trackbed and walking north in the cutting which has seen some infilling we reached the southern Portal of Hose Tunnel or at least what’s still visble... not a great deal to say about the tunnel northern section is filled with endless rotting chicken coops.. there’s a nicely painted ghost type figure in one of the refuges, It’s extremely dry inside the northern Portal is quite impressive so interesting colours depending on the light, we noted lots of numbering painted on the walls (see image) no idea what they are reference too so answers on a postcard?! Decent selection of refuges and a copy of stone patches in the otherwise brick constructed tunnel. Anyhow I’ll let you look through the pics they’ll describe the place better than I can! Enjoy and feel free to comment...
Early March 2020.
Thanks For looking
