tunnels

[jonno22]

Hi all. I visited Kelvingrove Tunnel in Glasgow's West End again last night with
a group of friends. Below are al 54 photographs I had taken during my three visits
to the former tunnel this year. Full information can be read in the commentary box which I have made inside the gallery as well as all 54 photographs. The gallery:

ABANDONED AND DISUSED RAILWAYS: Kelvingrove Tunnel:
http://www.jonathanmcgurk.fotopic.net/kelvingrovetunnel

Photographs Inside The Gallery:

[imghttp://images.fotopic.net/yzmp7f.jpg][/img]

[jonno22]

Hi all. I have done a full urban exploration now of the abandoned and disused Buchanan Street Tunnel. Full information and all 24 photographs can be found in the link below:

ABANDONED & DISUSED RAILWAYS: Buchanan Street Tunnel:
http://jonathanmcgurk.fotopic.net/buchananstreettunnel

Southern Portal Entrance

Looking North Towards Sighthill

Daylight Hitting Off The Southern Portal Entrance

[fullfatmilk]

Hi folks

I was driving along Darnick Street (near Royston Road) the other night when i noticed the old railway tunnel being dug out. I wonder why? I assumed it was to check the integrity of the tunnel roof, as that stretch of road can be pretty busy with traffic. Any thoughts?



http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=germiston&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=11.540145,39.331055&ie=UTF8&ll=55.874297,-4.213686&spn=0,359.993155&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=55.874136,-4.215791&panoid=D4LOo7Yo8KqtLvB6x26NdQ&cbp=12,358.37,,0,16.94

As an aside, i was chatting with my Dad tonight to remind me of where the old line went and which other lines it connected to etc. From what we pieced together, the line terminated just beside the bridge in question into a marshalling/storage area with 4 or 5 short tracks. In the other direction, it ran parallel with the Springburn-Cumbernauld line for half mile or so (the path clearly visible in google maps) before swinging right alongside what is now the bottom of Broomfield Road, under Royston Road and into the Provan Gasworks. The line was also much lower then, meaning a particularly steep incline up to the point it became level with the S/Burn-C/nauld line.

We think the line (around Darnick Street area) was filled in around 15? years ago, the site previously being used as a Travellers camp. The site was also much lower down then; the houses that occupy the space now are some 25/30 feet above where the original line.

Also mentioned was the piggery that occupied the corner site between Darnick Street and Royston Road - something that i never previously knew about!

cheers

fullfatmilk

[D17AVD]

Jonno,

I had a look at your photos, and clicked on your link to your own site. You have some very good photo there. I really liked the reflection shots in the tunnels, and the graffited (excuse spelling!) wall in Botanic Gardens station. I tried to look at your Greenock ones, but they are password protected. Any chance of the password? I used to work freightliners through the old Princes Pier line tunnels, back when I was a Secondman at Polmadie, until it closed in either 86 or 87, cant remember which. I was actually on the very last liner to come out of there when it closed, and to show how long ago we're talking, we had a class 26 that day which was pretty unusual, as we normally had a 37 & a 20 in multiple. I seem to remember there were 5 or 6 tunnels in all, starting from Container Base Junction on the Wemyss Bay line, till it came out at the base itself. It was not unusual to be heading down the branch and encounter many of the locals using the line as a short cut, walking their dogs, or just sitting on the tracks drinking some of the Monk's Finest. We usually got bottles or ballast lobbed at us around Whynhill. The normal formation for the train was 15 flats and 2 locos. Due to the constraints in the container base, we had to do a lot of our shunting within the last tunnel itself, which meant eyes streaming from the combined exhaust smoke from the locos! A lot of the Secondmen hated the job for that reason.

I also noticed you went out and took some shots at Dalmuir Riverside branch. When I was at Yoker that line was still in use by the whisky trains for Chivas Regal. It's because of that branch that the down line (westbound) is bi-directional between Clydebank station and Garscadden. It was quite funny running east bound out of Clydebank and running parrallel with a loco and a single tank wagon going the same way next to you. Back then, the Rothesay Dock line was also still open, and sometimes all movements within Yoker depot had to come to a stand to allow a pair of class 20s to trundle off the branch and through the depot with a fair train load of scrap metal. At first, they used to come out of Yoker and run to Hyndland West, then Anniesland, before turning onto the still open line through Kelvindale to Maryhill Park Junction. (This would have been 1987 0r 88). After this line was mothballed, the trains had to continue from Anniesland right back round to Dumbarton East, where they could enter the loop (it ran from Dumbarton East right to Dumbarton Central) so that the locos could run round, then head back to Knightswood North Junction then Maryhill Park. Some detour because of closing a branch!

Anyway, I hope I haven't bored you too much, it's just that seeing some of your photos brings back memories of things I'd forgotten all about.

[jonno22]

Dave, I am glad you like the photographs. The Rothesay Dock Branch and many more lines that are closed are already on my list so I will keep yourself and otehrs posted on the forum of future updates I make to my site. The memories you told sound ver interesting and its hard to imagine most if not all of them. The password for the Greenock set is jmg though no captions have been filled because I am planning on revisiting the entire route and tunnels within the next few weeks then i'll add all the photographs at once and do al the captions hence the password. Thankf ro the feedback, keep the memories coming and i'll keep the photographs coming:P

[jonno22]

Hi all. I've updated the Abandoned and Disused Railways Kelvingrove Tunnel photographs gallery on my site. All photographs are now fully captioned and I've added a lengthy (full information) commentary box also. The lin to the gallery can be found below.

ABANDONED & DISUSED RAILWAYS: Kelvingrove Tunnel
http://jonathanmcgurk.fotopic.net/kelvingrovetunnel

[evenstar]

The Botanic tunnel is currently locked with a strong new lock, so no access, just incase anyone is thinking of a wee visit.

[rico]

there's an article in the current issue of the Glasgow University Guardian about exploring the old railway tunnels which gives a shout to these forums and has some nice pictures.

The other end is padlocked, hence off limits to law-abiding citizens. We can also confirm that the St John Street/Ladywell tunnel has either been covered or is very difficult to find, and there is no chance of getting into the Buchanan Street tunnel.

http://www.glasgowguardian.co.uk/featur ... derground/

[lmiller72]

Does anyone have anymore details? Like if they will be on this summer? How will i find out about them if their are any? And are they worth it?

[dazza]

Does anyone have anymore details? Like if they will be on this summer? How will i find out about them if their are any? And are they worth it?

Eh?!

[Surfer Rosa]

Does anyone have anymore details? Like if they will be on this summer? How will i find out about them if their are any? And are they worth it?

Eh?!

Hi lmiller72 and welcome to the forums.
If you mean the raves which used to take place in the tunnels, there's a dance music forum where they discuss this. I can't remember the name of the forum site, but if you search a bit more on Hidden Glasgow, there's a link in one of the tunnel threads.

Cheers.

[dazza]

I know the forum you mean, but I don't think the party's are publicised anywhere now. It's generally word of mouth, though I've not know of a tunnel party occurring for a long time. Anyway... It's really hard to dance on shale in Wellington boots.

[ReggieBush]

Heyy i am new to Glasgow and i am very intrested in finding out more about the old rail systems...

Has anybody here ever been down to that line near kerr street ?? does this link up with the present bridgeton train station ??? i also want to try having a look about that huge abandoned line which goes up round the back of st enochs centre high up on a bridge and into the gorbals and comes from the east end i believe?....what is the history of this line ? id love to see some photos of it if anyone has links or photos they have previously taken ? thanks for any help with this....
Reggie B

[Dexter St. Clair]

we do have a special thread or two for this.

Scroll down this pagefor maps then read the rest of the thread. Then search for stations mentioned on the map and you will discover other threads.

[peasy23]

Heyy i am new to Glasgow and i am very intrested in finding out more about the old rail systems...

Has anybody here ever been down to that line near kerr street ?? does this link up with the present bridgeton train station ??? i also want to try having a look about that huge abandoned line which goes up round the back of st enochs centre high up on a bridge and into the gorbals and comes from the east end i believe?....what is the history of this line ? id love to see some photos of it if anyone has links or photos they have previously taken ? thanks for any help with this....
Reggie B

You should be aware that the line you mention is not abandoned, it is a link line used to get rolling stock to Shields depot, you can follow it on google maps.