Burdale Tunnel

Burdale Tunnel
	Southern portal of Burdale Tunnel in July 2005
Overview
Line	Malton & Driffield Railway
Location	Yorkshire Wolds
Coordinates	54°03′48″N 0°40′47″W / 54.0633°N 0.6797°W
Operation
Work begun	1847
Opened	19 May 1853
Closed	20 October 1958
Technical
Length	1,747 yards (1,597 m)
No. of tracks	1
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

Malton and
Driffield Junction Railway

Legend

York–Scarborough line

to York

Malton

Thirsk & Malton Rly

to Gilling

York–Scarborough line

to Scarborough

1747 yd

1597 m

(opened 2015)

Hull–Scarborough line

to Hull

Driffield

Hull–Scarborough line

to Scarborough

Burdale Tunnel is a former railway tunnel on the abandoned Malton and Driffield Junction Railway (MDR) in North Yorkshire, England. Construction of the tunnel began in 1847, but suffered financial difficulties and building was not complete until 1853. The line was closed completely a hundred years later in 1958, but the tunnel was still being used by members of the public, so the portals were bricked up in 1961. During 1970s and 1980s, there were collapses inside the tunnel and in 2009 the restoration of the passenger line could not continue due to the damage.

History and description

Burdale Tunnel lies near the village of Burdale, North Yorkshire, England, between the former Burdale and Wharram railway stations. It was built to take the railway through the Yorkshire Wolds. Construction began in 1847 with the sinking of seven vertical shafts, but the tunnel, which was 1,747 yards (1,597 m) in length, was not completed until 1853, work having been interrupted and slowed at times due to lack of funds.^[1] The lack of funds led to alternate lengths being proposed, including a 1,606 yards (1,469 m) route which would have meant a steep incline.^[2] During construction illegal drinking houses were built and riots occurred in navvies' temporary accommodation near the tunnel's northern mouth.^[3]

The line closed to passenger traffic in 1950 and closed completely in 1958, with the tracks being lifted shortly afterwards. However, the closure did not deter visitors and therefore the tunnel portals were bricked up in 1961.^[4]^[2] In the late 1970s, a collapse occurred just north of the tunnel's second ventilation shaft – around half-a-mile in. During the 1980s the tunnel collapsed further, blocking a middle section completely.^[2]

Restoration plans

In 2009, the Yorkshire Wolds Railway Restoration Project proposed that the railway could be reopened though the condition of the Burdale Tunnel collapse was still unknown.^[5]

References

^ Burton 1997, pp. 10–18.
^ ^a ^b ^c Catford, Nick. "Burdale Tunnel". Yorkshire Wolds Railway. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
^ Burton 1997, p. 79.
^ Burton 1997, p. 73.
^ Jeffels, David (4 March 2009). "Ambitious bid made to restore railway line". Gazette & Herald. Retrieved 21 March 2020.