keffa
April 1st, 2008, 23:53
Took a rare daytime visit to the Walton on The Hill tunnels with Carlin. This will be my last explore for a while as I'm off to the boons to give the fuzzy wuzzies a good telling off. :D
I say "tunnels" because there is a separate bore running alongside the main one. It was never finished but its presence is bizarre in that it was cut in small sections and then for some reason lined. The main tunnel runs from Walton to Kirkdale (Coming out at Kirkdale train station) and comprises of three relatively short tunnels interspersed with cuttings.
We had an interesting issue with the light in the tunnel. It was shining down from the cuttings in such a way that there was too much in places and too little in others, making light painting and the photography in general a nightmare. We managed to muddle through though.
The tunnel ends at Kirkdale train station. You have to be very very careful here as your technically on live railway land (Even if your not near the actual station itself or any lines. In the below photo you can see the two bores. The one on the left is the main tunnel, the one on the right is the tunnel that was started and never finished.
End of the tunnels at Kirkdale station
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/2.jpg
Moving down the unfinished tunnel, you can see where the ground is rough and uneven, leftover sandstone still in place...
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/11.jpg
The portal in the below photo (Which is lower than the unfinished floor here) leads into the main tunnel
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/10.jpg
At the end of the incomplete tunnel there is a great big slab of granite rock. Strangely the tunnel has been lined at the end. It's definitely not for the purpose of preventing anyone going any further as there is nothing but sandstone beyond the lining.
End of the incomplete tunnel with unnecessary lining at the end
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/9.jpg
This tunnel has also managed to spring a leak in the wall. I did wonder about the water source as the water was gushing out (The tunnel is below the water table). The pool of water you see is very deep, about waist to chest level. Oddly this has occured sometime in the last year as Carlin visited the tunnel almost exactly one year ago (http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=11670) and if you look at his pictures you will see the water is not there.
Lots of incoming water
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/4.jpg
The main tunnel is relatively straight and pretty big and is seperated by two cuttings.
The main tunnel
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/3.jpg
I thought coming across a car (http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=26164) was a weird thing to find in a tunnel. I'm not sure if this is weirder...
Bath!
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/7.jpg
Couldn't resist! Where's my loofah??
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/8.jpg
There was another two short and incomplete sections of a seperate bore that could be accessed from the main tunnel. It was really odd as to why they had been bored out for such a short distance (Boring which had been done from the main tunnel), lined and then completely left.
Sandstone where the boring stopped. I was standing next to the other sandstone wall when I took this photo so it gives you a good idea how short the sections are
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/12.jpg
Photo showing where they built the lining up to the rockface and just stopped. Illustrative of how pointless it seems.
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/13.jpg
Finally the cuttings. I did wonder whether they might have been made with cut and cover techniques.
First cutting.
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/15.jpg
Second cutting.
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/16.jpg
Next stop...Helmand, Afghanistan!! :D Have fun everyone. Stay safe, don't get caught and I will see you all in six to eight months time (I hope). :D
I say "tunnels" because there is a separate bore running alongside the main one. It was never finished but its presence is bizarre in that it was cut in small sections and then for some reason lined. The main tunnel runs from Walton to Kirkdale (Coming out at Kirkdale train station) and comprises of three relatively short tunnels interspersed with cuttings.
We had an interesting issue with the light in the tunnel. It was shining down from the cuttings in such a way that there was too much in places and too little in others, making light painting and the photography in general a nightmare. We managed to muddle through though.
The tunnel ends at Kirkdale train station. You have to be very very careful here as your technically on live railway land (Even if your not near the actual station itself or any lines. In the below photo you can see the two bores. The one on the left is the main tunnel, the one on the right is the tunnel that was started and never finished.
End of the tunnels at Kirkdale station
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/2.jpg
Moving down the unfinished tunnel, you can see where the ground is rough and uneven, leftover sandstone still in place...
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/11.jpg
The portal in the below photo (Which is lower than the unfinished floor here) leads into the main tunnel
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/10.jpg
At the end of the incomplete tunnel there is a great big slab of granite rock. Strangely the tunnel has been lined at the end. It's definitely not for the purpose of preventing anyone going any further as there is nothing but sandstone beyond the lining.
End of the incomplete tunnel with unnecessary lining at the end
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/9.jpg
This tunnel has also managed to spring a leak in the wall. I did wonder about the water source as the water was gushing out (The tunnel is below the water table). The pool of water you see is very deep, about waist to chest level. Oddly this has occured sometime in the last year as Carlin visited the tunnel almost exactly one year ago (http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=11670) and if you look at his pictures you will see the water is not there.
Lots of incoming water
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/4.jpg
The main tunnel is relatively straight and pretty big and is seperated by two cuttings.
The main tunnel
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/3.jpg
I thought coming across a car (http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=26164) was a weird thing to find in a tunnel. I'm not sure if this is weirder...
Bath!
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/7.jpg
Couldn't resist! Where's my loofah??
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/8.jpg
There was another two short and incomplete sections of a seperate bore that could be accessed from the main tunnel. It was really odd as to why they had been bored out for such a short distance (Boring which had been done from the main tunnel), lined and then completely left.
Sandstone where the boring stopped. I was standing next to the other sandstone wall when I took this photo so it gives you a good idea how short the sections are
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/12.jpg
Photo showing where they built the lining up to the rockface and just stopped. Illustrative of how pointless it seems.
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/13.jpg
Finally the cuttings. I did wonder whether they might have been made with cut and cover techniques.
First cutting.
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/15.jpg
Second cutting.
http://www.kcbox.com/urbex/20080401/walton/16.jpg
Next stop...Helmand, Afghanistan!! :D Have fun everyone. Stay safe, don't get caught and I will see you all in six to eight months time (I hope). :D