Image Former A1 road bridge just south of Penmansheil tunnel mouth NT796569
Former A1 road bridge just south of Penmansheil tunnel mouth NT796569
Former A1 road bridge just south of Penmansheil tunnel mouth NT796569 In the foreground is the former course of the A1 road and the bridge that carried it across the ECML at Penmansheil. The entrance to the old tunnel in the trees directly behind the rather flimsy bridge parapet. On the night of 10th March 1979, the roof of the tunnel collapsed whilst engineering works were being undertaken to lower the level of the track to enable 2.59m high containers to travel through it on intermodal wagons. Unfortunately, two local workers were killed in the collapse and it was decided not to reopen the tunnel, thus their bodies were never recovered. Work on the diversion of the railway started on 7th May and was completed on 20th August. The A1 was also re-aligned with both the road and railway travelling side by side for just over a kilometre. It is quite remarkable that this task was completed by Mcalpine and BR in just over three months, could one imagine this happening today, the planning inquiry alone would take longer than that! Keywords: Former A1 road bridge just south of Penmansheil tunnel mouth NT796569
Former A1 road bridge just south of Penmansheil tunnel mouth NT796569 In the foreground is the former course of the A1 road and the bridge that carried it across the ECML at Penmansheil. The entrance to the old tunnel in the trees directly behind the rather flimsy bridge parapet. On the night of 10th March 1979, the roof of the tunnel collapsed whilst engineering works were being undertaken to lower the level of the track to enable 2.59m high containers to travel through it on intermodal wagons. Unfortunately, two local workers were killed in the collapse and it was decided not to reopen the tunnel, thus their bodies were never recovered. Work on the diversion of the railway started on 7th May and was completed on 20th August. The A1 was also re-aligned with both the road and railway travelling side by side for just over a kilometre. It is quite remarkable that this task was completed by Mcalpine and BR in just over three months, could one imagine this happening today, the planning inquiry alone would take longer than that! Keywords: Former A1 road bridge just south of Penmansheil tunnel mouth NT796569


In the foreground is the former course of the A1

road and the bridge that carried it across the ECML at Penmansheil. The entrance to the old tunnel in the trees directly behind the rather flimsy bridge parapet. On the night of 10th March 1979, the roof of the tunnel collapsed whilst engineering works were being undertaken to lower the level of the track to enable 2.59m high containers to travel through it on intermodal wagons. Unfortunately, two local workers were killed in the collapse and it was decided not to reopen the tunnel, thus their bodies were never recovered. Work on the diversion of the railway started on 7th May and was completed on 20th August. The A1 was also re-aligned with both the road and railway travelling side by side for just over a kilometre. It is quite remarkable that this task was completed by Mcalpine and BR in just over three months, could one imagine this happening today, the planning inquiry alone would take longer than that!