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Totley Tunnel, GrindlefordTotley Tunnel is a tiny, and uninspiring tunnel-opening 100 yards from the station of the little known village of Grindleford in the Peak District of Derbyshire marks the opening of what still is the longest wholly under-land rail tunnel in the United Kingdom.At 3 miles and 950 yards long, it is 22 feet and 6 inches deep with a span of 27 feet across. The Totley Tunnel was under construction between 1888 and 1893. The building of the Totley Tunnel was dependent largely on the efforts of men, and horses, with the assistance of steam driven pumps, drilling machines driven by compressed air, and explosives. Totley Tunnel was begun from the Grindleford (Padley Wood) end, on 27th September 1888 - the first 530 yards was excavated by hand power only. The tunnel was necessary to carry a branch of the Midland Railway between Sheffield and Manchester, and the Railway had let two main contracts for its construction: Thomas Oliver and Sons of Horsham, was responsible for the first 10½ miles, which included Totley Tunnel, and the remainder was the responsibility of J. P. Edwards of Chester. The tunnel is straight throughout with the exception of a curve at Grindleford. At the Grindleford (Padley Wood) end, a turbine, driven by the nearby Burbage Brook pumped air into the tunnel, as availability of air shafts were restricted due to difficulty of siting them - the depth required from the moorlands above was over 700 feet, and (perhaps more tellingly) the Duke of Devonshire didn't want them on his grouse moors! Consequently, labourers had to work in alternately hot and stuffy, and freezing conditions, sometimes with flooding. The predominant lighting was provided by tallow candles which they stuck to their caps, or mounted on the walls of the tunnel. Having commenced work from both ends, when the two ends met on 19th October 1892, the construction company was proud to announce that their centres were only 4½ inches apart laterally with only 2¼ inches difference in level! Such accuracy is surely a tribute to both the engineers who were involved in the design and the men who assisted in its construction. Some of them would have given their lives, although as many were victims of disease fostered by the appalling living conditions in the 'shanty towns' built to house the workforce, both at the Padley and Totley ends. There were outbreaks of both cholera and typhoid, and a smallpox epidemic at Totley in the winter of 1892. The tunnel was formally opened on 10th August 1893, and a steam engine be-decked with garlands took a party of top-hatted dignitaries on an official inspection. The line between Sheffield and Manchester was opened for Goods traffic three months later, and for a regular passenger service on 25th June 1894. On that day, flags flew at the newly built stations along the line and brass bands welcomed trippers to Hope and Castleton. The passenger facilities were an immediate success, tourists being advised to alight at Grindleford for horse-drawn bus connections to Eyam, Stoney Middleton, Baslow and Chatsworth. Weather Forecast Find the best deal, compare prices of Peak District accommodation and read what other travellers have to say about accommodation in Sheffield at TripAdvisor
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