Tuesday, 16 June 2015

Mottram Old Road, Viaduct





I came across this picture last week whilst searching for something completely different. I have never seen this before. It shows the viaduct on Mottram Old Road between Gee Cross and Hattersley. It states it shows the dismantling of railway tunnels, after construction of cutting and viaduct. The picture as taken by a Mr. Maurice Marshall and dates 1907.
Can anyone add any more information about this, I've never heard of these tunnels before.



6 comments:

  1. That's a fabulous photo Tom !I've never seen it either.

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  2. From what I have heard the tunnels were 2 separate tunnels with vent in-between the 2 presumably for ventilation on the uphill climb some of the trains would be slow moving as they would have just started from Godley Sidings or come of the Apethorn branch.

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  3. Thank you Daniel, a good explanation...

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  4. hi tom glad to see you back.
    i have never seen this pic before either,
    if you look at old maps you will see that there were two tunnels, as you went from godley a short one hattersley tunnel no1 then a cutting and then a longer one under the road.
    http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/tithemaps/Default.aspx

    my dad said they had ground stability problems and that is why they opened them out, that being said they had problems in the sixties with one of the peirs sinking and the road was closed for aperiod of time.
    evn now when you cross if you look along the top line of the bridge it is not the straightest.

    mark

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  5. When the tunnels were uncovered and the cutting created,there was a landslide and some navvies were killed,buried in the spoil.

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  6. Mark - John, thank you for the information... hoping that more can be added in the future.

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