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Report - - Usk Railway Tunnel and Station, Usk 24/07/07 | Underground Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Usk Railway Tunnel and Station, Usk 24/07/07

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Exocet

Guest
Guest
Hello all,

Took a trip up to Usk yesterday to have a look at the tunnel and station. The Coleford Monmouth Usk and Pontypool railway was built in 1856, "with the principle aim of carrying iron ore from the Forest of Dean to furnaces near Nantyglo (at the head of the valleys, near Ebbw Vale)."

There were few passengers, and the line closed in 1955.

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A photo from 1955, presumably one of the last services before the line closed.

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The station as it was in 1960, a few years after closure.

The tunnel is only 256 yards in length, but interesting all the same!

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Tunnel portal, the station is either long gone or so overgrown I didn't notice it.

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Took this photo with the same settings, around 20 seconds after the first - The only thing I can attribute the colour change to are the torch batteries. At the time I didn't notice any difference in colour!

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Approx half way into the tunnel. The lining style changes several times throughout the length, in the distance you can just make some irregularities of the tunnel shape, not sure what happened but it looks very strange in person.

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Very sorry looking telegraph, er, bracket thingies.

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Pair of worker's refuges, the holes only go back and up a foot or so.

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Same refuge, non LED torch.

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Portal at station end during the day.

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Portal at opposite end of the tunnel, totally different style.

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Around half way in, looking towards the non station end of the tunnel.

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Bridge just after the station.

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Vines!

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From the bridge pier, colours are a bit funny, original photo was very dark as I only had room for one more image on the card.

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Bridge from ground level.

As a side note, while researching this tunnel I noticed that Wales longest, and the UK's seventh longest rail tunnel is not too far away. The Rhondda tunnel is 3443 yards in length, but according to websites both portals are buried. While looking at a crude map of where the tunnel should be, I noticed that there seems to be an offshoot from the main tunnel leading towards the valley where there is a stream/small river. I'm assuming this may be for drainage and may not be blocked. Anyone have any more information on this tunnel?
 
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Exocet

Guest
Guest
Re: Usk Railway Tunnel and Station, Usk 24/07/07 - REPORT

I didn't notice the pillbox, will duly kick myself for not being observant enough.

An extra shot from the pier:

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Phil Oliver

28DL Member
28DL Member
With reference to the Rhondda Tunnel I think the offshoot that is on your map is the drainage pipe, I believe that it is 18" ish and about 100m long and apparently wide open lol. If you can get through it then you're in and the air by all accounts is really quite good. I'll join you when I get my time machine working and can get back to my old caving weight of about 9 stone
 
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