175th Anniversary of Summit Tunnel to be celebrated

Photo: Fire West Yorkshire

Thousands of gallons of petrol burned sending flames hundreds of feet in the air via the ventilation tunnels in Summit tunnel in 1984

Summit Tunnel is approaching its 175th anniversary, and the people of the borough are invited to take part.

Councillors, local community groups, and members of the public are invited to join two public meetings, taking place on Tuesday 12 January and Tuesday 19 January to discuss the details of the anniversary, which is coming up at the beginning of March.

Both meetings will take place at 12.30pm, in the refreshment room of Sowerby Bridge station.

The Summit Tunnel, which is located between Littleborough and Walsden, is one of the oldest railway tunnels in the world, and was once the longest ever of its kind. It was built between 1838 and 1841 by the Manchester and Leeds Railway beneath the Pennines.

Despite its age, the tunnel has been continuously used for passengers and goods since it opened.

Frank Salt from STORM (Supporting The Oldham Rochdale Manchester trains), who is helping organise the meeting and the eventual celebrations, said: “This is a very important part of history, and we would like to invite as many people as possible who are interested in knowing more about the tunnel, in the build up to the anniversary on the 1 March.

“Absolutely anyone can come, everyone is welcome. We would like to get as many people involved as possible. We are hoping for a good turnout for both of the meetings”.

Richard Greenwood, Chairman of STORM, said: “The tunnel was opened by Sir Frederick Smith, Government inspector of railways, on Monday 1 March 1841. It had cost £251,000 and claimed 41 lives.

“James Wood, chairman of the Manchester & Leeds Railway laid the first brick in August 1838.

"The tunnel had a workforce of between 800 and 1,250 men and boys, aided by about 100 horses and 13 stationary engines used mainly for hauling excavated material out of the shafts. Inside it, every piece of rock was hewn with hand tools by candlelight. The railway track was originally laid directly onto chunks of the excavated rock but later more traditional wooden sleepers were used. The rocks weren't wasted though — they were used to construct part of Blackpool Promenade.”

The Summit tunnel suffered a very serious fire in 1984 when a fully loaded tanker train became derailed. Thirteen tankers containing petrol caught fire and thousands of gallons of petrol burned sending flames hundreds of feet in the air via the ventilation tunnels. The fire burnt for days.

The tunnel, which is Grade 2 listed, was repaired with concrete.