Locomotives bricked-up inside of tunnels.

[Basher]

Has anyone out there heard, or know of any steam locomotives parked-up inside of old tunnels and the entrance just blocked up?

 

[DarloRich]

Has anyone out there heard, or know of any steam locomotives parked-up inside of old tunnels and the entrance just blocked up?

have you been reading Thomas the tank engine?

 

[UP13]

There was a Black Five in the north west back in the early 20th century. Was eventually let out to deputise for a Gresley A1 on an express service.

 

[EM2]

have you been reading Thomas the tank engine?

The Reverend did say that all the incidents in the books had actually happened on real railways.

 

[Basher]

There was a Black Five in the north west back in the early 20th century. Was eventually let out to deputise for a Gresley A1 on an express service.

It would take 2 black 5s to compete with an A1!

 

[UP13]

It would take 2 black 5s to compete with an A1!

They managed with one Black Five and an old Furness 4-4-0.

 

[UP13]

The Reverend did say that all the incidents in the books had actually happened on real railways.

I think many stories were based on real events i.e. Donald reversing into a signal box. However I think Henry in the tunnel was entirely fictional.

 

[Bertie the bus]

Strategic Steam Reserve. Very hush hush.

 

[Basher]

Well, this just shows the extent of some peoples literary interests

 

[gtis]

I think many stories were based on real events i.e. Donald reversing into a signal box. However I think Henry in the tunnel was entirely fictional.

And Gordon falling in a ditch
Neil

 

[Shenandoah]

There is of course Box Tunnel which it has been said contains much.

 

[Steamysandy]

I believe the Norwegian Kriegslok which was at Bressingham was one of a small number which were stored in a tunnel as part of a strategic reserve

 

[Iskra]

I'm pretty sure a damp, leaky tunnel that is no longer properly maintained is the worst possible place to store an out of service steam locomotive.

 

[infobleep]

I'm pretty sure a damp, leaky tunnel that is no longer properly maintained is the worst possible place to store an out of service steam locomotive.

Well:

There was once an engine attached to a train
Who was scared of a few drops of rain
He squeaked his funnel
And went into a tunnel
And never came out again.
That engines name was Henry.

I've not forgotten that opening section of The Sad Story of Henry.

Take note that he squeaked his funnel before going into the tunnel because that is what you are meant to do according to the rules is my understanding. Rev Awdury was a stickler for the rules. If an engine ever stopped on the line, the signalman would be informed.

Some episodes of the Thomas the Tank engine TV stories didn't stick to the rules, as in one they didn't alert the signalman.

Rev Awdury did say his stories were based on reports he'd read in railway magazines. This was back in the days when they woild print such stuff. This apparently changed in time. I can't remember the exact words he used.

I have read a biography of him called Thomas thr Tank Engine Man. Well worth a read. The BBC also did a good documentary some years ago.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

I'm pretty sure a damp, leaky tunnel that is no longer properly maintained is the worst possible place to store an out of service steam locomotive.

Well, when Henry was released he was certainly covered in cobwebs.

But no, while many incidents in the 'Thomas' books were based on real happenings not all of them were.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

I have read a biography of him called Thomas the Tank Engine Man. Well worth a read. The BBC also did a good documentary some years ago.

Another good book is 'The Island of Sodor - Its People, History and Railways' by the Reverend and his brother.

It includes histories of all the engines up to No. 11 (Oliver), which reveals for example that Gordon was an experimental prototype which Gresley used to iron out any defects before building the first production batch of Pacifics. Gordon was never put into regular service on the GNR so was never given a number by them and was sold to the North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor.

 

[Cowley]

Man, I’ve just got back from the pub and this is even more surreal than the conversations I was having twenty minutes ago.

Although... Didn’t a horse and cart fall into one of the piers on Ribblehead Viaduct and end up being left there? Not quite the same but maybe worth mentioning? Hic.

 

[CatfordCat]

There are vague stories that float around about a 'train' getting stuck in the Blackheath Hill (former LCDR Greenwich Park branch) tunnel for some time.

From piecing things together, what sounds most likely is that (it is recorded that) the line between Brockley Lane and Lewisham Road was used for storing carriages for a while before the link to the former SER lines at Lewisham was built. It's plausible that the brake / chock failed or was released maliciously and a number of stored carriages rolled down the line, and that it was a while before anyone thought of looking in the tunnel.

 

[GusB]

Man, I’ve just got back from the pub and this is even more surreal than the conversations I was having twenty minutes ago.

Although... Didn’t a horse and cart fall into one of the piers on Ribblehead Viaduct and end up being left there? Not quite the same but maybe worth mentioning? Hic.

I've read a similar story, but it was Glenfinnan Viaduct rather than Ribblehead.

 

[Cowley]

I've read a similar story, but it was Glenfinnan Viaduct rather than Ribblehead.

Ah that’s ringing a bell actually.
Either way though it probably didn’t work out too well for the horse (or the driver?)

 

[theageofthetra]

Well there's that contractors loco that was rumoured to have buried under the old Wembley stadium. I wouldn't mind betting with some mining and industrial operations (particularly in remote areas abroad) it's quite likely a loco could be buried following a tunnel collapse, landslide etc.

 

[Pigeon]

Well there was the Furness loco that fell into a sinkhole that opened up under the track and IIRC is still down there. Which made it into the books as Thomas falling down a mine, illustrated with pictures that strongly resemble photos of the original incident. Thomas of course got rescued before he disappeared, so the correspondence is far from exact, which is typical; "loosely inspired by" would be more accurate than "based on" in most cases. Like Gordon's dome coming off, which only makes sense if you're a wee kid who doesn't know what a dome is for, but even that I think has some connection with a real-life incident, even if it is necessarily pretty tenuous.

I think there is some factual basis for Henry in the tunnel, although the story behind the real-life instance is nothing like the story in the book.

 

[edwin_m]

Take note that he squeaked his funnel before going into the tunnel because that is what you are meant to do according to the rules is my understanding. Rev Awdury was a stickler for the rules. If an engine ever stopped on the line, the signalman would be informed.

Shame he didn't seem to realise a funnel goes on a ship. On a train it's a chimney. But that wouldn't have rhymed.

 

[Flying Phil]

It is good to know that many of us remember our "Thomas" tales!
Actually, those stories must have started/encouraged many thousands of us over the years in our passion/obsession with railways. We owe the "Rev" for a lot!

 

[pdeaves]

I've read a similar story, but it was Glenfinnan Viaduct rather than Ribblehead.

Not quite. I cannot remember which viaduct, unfortunately. I do remember reading about some radar-based investigations to see if there was any truth in the story. The investigation team found nothing at Glenfinnan but did get readings that suggest a horse and cart at the next viaduct along (or at least another of similar construction on the same line).

 

[eastwestdivide]

Shame he didn't seem to realise a funnel goes on a ship. On a train it's a chimney. But that wouldn't have rhymed.

Obviously making it rhyme using his artistic licence - mine's expired, but still I keep it in a Network South East wallet.

 

[30907]

There are vague stories that float around about a 'train' getting stuck in the Blackheath Hill (former LCDR Greenwich Park branch) tunnel for some time.

From piecing things together, what sounds most likely is that (it is recorded that) the line between Brockley Lane and Lewisham Road was used for storing carriages for a while before the link to the former SER lines at Lewisham was built. It's plausible that the brake / chock failed or was released maliciously and a number of stored carriages rolled down the line, and that it was a while before anyone thought of looking in the tunnel.

Fascinating - it triggers a vague recollection that some out of use coaching stock was stored in a tunnel during ww2 (SR Pullmans?), but this may be my fertile imagination (the only disused tunnel I can think of is Ramsgate Harbour LCDR). Either of those might have triggered the Henry story, but all this is speculation.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Try

Has anyone out there heard, or know of any steam locomotives parked-up inside of old tunnels and the entrance just blocked up?

Try watching ‘Oh Mister Porter’.
[Spoiler alert.]
That involved a stolen excursion being boarded up in a tunnel.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Fascinating - it triggers a vague recollection that some out of use coaching stock was stored in a tunnel during ww2 (SR Pullmans?), but this may be my fertile imagination (the only disused tunnel I can think of is Ramsgate Harbour LCDR). Either of those might have triggered the Henry story, but all this is speculation.

It was standard practice to stable stock overnight in Kemptown Tunnel at Brighton to protect it from air raids during WW2.
At Dover Priory trains were often shunted into the tunnels during bombardment.

 

[Killingworth]

If there is a steam locomotive sealed in a tunnel it's more likely to be a contractors loco left on site at the end of a job. I've no evidence to suggest anywhere specific but looking at pictures of the construction of reservoirs there were lots of excavations for both dam wall foundations and aqueducts and a clapped out loco might have been hidden somewhere. Or in an old quarry.