Dudley Tunnel & Parkhead Viaduct Disused Railway ( Park Head Viaduct ) Explore
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2020
- Please watch: "The Most Beautiful Closed Railway in the UK? Scarborough to Whitby Railway Episode 2"
• The Most Beautiful Clo... -~-
Dudley Tunnel & Parkhead Viaduct Disused Railway.
In this video we first visit Parkhead Viaduct, a short distance from Dudley & the former Blowers Green Station in the West Midlands.
Built by 1850 first in wood then later in brick, it's railway life lasted until 1993.
Next up, we visit the disused Dudley Railway Tunnel. This is a rare treat, as we were amongst the last individuals to enter before the remaining track is ripped up in preparation for the West Midlands Metro line extension.
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#dudley #tunnel #railway Additional Music by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0.
www.scottbuckley.com.au
Fantastic footage, priceless infact. The music gives a special atmosphere.
Quality not to be found on any mainstream tv.
So happy the tracks are going back in, the tunnel and viaduct were built to last, honor those that built it by getting those rails back down. 👍👍😊
Thanks so much John that means a lot. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit and putting it all together 😀
I use to visit Dudley Zoo as a child and was always sad when I looked down onto the empty train station. A train station is so badly needed again as traffic is horrendous in the area. I know there turming this into a metro stop but Dudley needs a train service .
Glad you brought it up about the repairs to the viaduct walls......this is due to what i was told by my uncle who was an ARP warden in that area during WWII.....an armaments train was attacked as it went over the viaduct by German Dive bombers causing damage to train and viaduct.....
Thats fantastic information thank you so much. Really good :)
Thanks you for watching also :)
Loved this video bought back many memories of walking and playing on those lines as a kid in the mid to late 90s
i started as a signalman at walsall psb in 1991 ,my manager at that time was a counselor for dudley council. he hated the railway. dudley line mothballed two years later.
Fascinating footage and commentary. This was my playground in the late 1950s.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting 🙂
The refuges in Dudley tunnel were known as 'Donkey Holes', where track workers would escape oncoming trains. I recall about 1967, when I was a kid, there was a derailment in the tunnel and one such worker managed to duck into a donkey hole to avoid being pinned against the tunnel wall by the overturning train. I still recall the newspaper headline 'RAILMAN SPLIT SECOND FROM DEATH'
I live just up the road from here, I can remember seeing the trains going across in the 90’s! I love this video! Shame I never got a chance to walk the tunnels! 😀😀😀😀
Here’s to the bricklayers imagine trying to do a triple arch in the dark no wonder English bricklayers are top notch
It's so very true. Candles, bad weather, cold. Nothing like that today
Thanks for watching 🙂
Stunning, such beauty, Thank you
I used to attend Dudley College in the late 80's up till 1991. I never even knew this existed. Or Dudley Station. Thank-you for sharing it.
Love this video thanks l lived not far from the viaduct remember trains using it great memories 👍
Never seen an intro make a disused tunnel look so dramatic and intense
I hope that's a good thing 🙂
Thanks for watching
I think of the men who built this amazing work and now it's left to rot
Yes so many of them around the country, thousands of men :)
Thankyou for watching
But it isn't left to rot, they're refurbishing it and bringing back into use as part of the tram system.
@@streaky81 just part of the tunnels
As the world has suddenly started cycling again, they should turn the lines into cycle ways and maybe, with the viaduct, turn it into a cycle path with gardens around it, ala New York!
@@computerbob06 dutch roundabouts, they're getting more common in the UK but would cost hundreds of billions to do every roundabout..
I worked some of the cable laying trains over there. We had a few days of workings at Bescot laying the cable for Mercury Communications. The cable was laid on the stourbridge bound side ductings. The local schools were shown the cables and told it was worthless so it wouldn't be stolen after. No idea if it's still in there. We were told the line would only be mothballed. Never worked over it again. Very sad.
Thanks for warching Richard and some great History there :)
Thankyou
Good to see a tunnel being reused instead of being filled with junk or left to fester and it looks to be in good nick. Seeing those B&Ws makes you realise how much of our rail network has disappeared☹ Another great explore Ant, thanks👍🏻❤
Thanks very much Bob
Glad you enjoyed this one 💜
Thank you very much for sharing your story! 👍😎
You were lucky to gain permission to go through before the work starts. Great video, most interesting, plenty of imagery and music - working well together.
It was perfect, get to the opportunity. The viaduct was a nice bonus.
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
I lived there in the early 90's and used to walk the track between Dudley and Wednesbury a lot as a pastime. I also once walked through that tunnel without a torch unaware of how long it was an the fact it bended in the middle. Only did that once. Never had the courage to do Netherton canal tunnel though.
I also went in the Stourbridge direction along the track (which was all still there) but stopped abruptly when it met a junction with a track which had a live signal showing green on it.
It's always amazed me that they didn't re open the line to passenger traffic from Stourbridge when Merry Hill opened. Surely there would be demand for a service to Dudley town and Merry Hill, not to mention Brierley Hill?
Great video with great music too 👍
It is going to be reopened 2023!
I have walked through that tunnel many times when I was younger great video 👍
Thanks so much James. We shall be returning in early April to see what has changed since this visit
@@TrekkingExploration looking forward to it
Amazingly clear video, Thanks.
As I usual do with a TV remote I was Web Hopping and this was one of the videos that caught my eye. Thank you for taking me into another world with your Dudley tunnel footage. The music I take it is Vangelis (Bladerunner Period 1982 I think) but going thru the tunnel with you was amazing. Here in Belfast we are not privy to such sites. Anyway, the wonderful colours of White, Cream, Yellow, Orange and Reds was fantastic and amazing to see. All the intermingled hues blew me away and the water deposited particles forming there landscapes on the walls and floor of the tunnel. Marvellous stuff and stunning to see. Now were is my paint brush to get a model railway tunnel entrance looking this creepy and spacey. Thank you for the trip into another universe and a joy to watch.
Hi John thankyou so much for all those kind words it means a lot
The colours inside this one were such a sight and a lot of variation. The music isnt Vangelis although a similar style. I like his music :)
thanks so much for watching :)
“Ees oft tu Dud-lay tonull ay im. “ 🤣 nice video Ant. 😁👍👊😎
😂😂😂 I kinda read that how you wrote it
Ay it a bostin sight.
A great video young man, brought back many memories of my time on the footplate at Stourbridge in the steam days.Kind Regards
Thanks for the tour inside the tunnel. Very intriguing to see. Thanks Ant! Cheers mate.
Beautiful viaduct and a wonderful tunnel. Excellent musical selections, as well. Nicely done!
Thanks Thomas that means a lot 😃
Well Ant that has to be one of my fave videos so far. Your drone footage was fantabulous, canal gorgeous and viaducts with lovely stone work. Last and def not least that bridge. I know I’m pathetic but it just looked so sad and lonely. Just really loved every second of that. Thank you so much for taking me along. Please take care
Really pleased you enjoyed it
I really enjoyed this one and putting it together 🙂
Spectacular colours inside the tunnel Ant wonderful video al together mate...Thanks for sharing this with us all Frank & Lee..
Thanks to both of you 😀
This was a lovely visit 🙂
Great video, as a child I used to visit my aunts and my grandmother in Brierley Hill travelling from Wolverhampton Low Level most Sunday afternoons. As my father worked for GWR it was always by train. I remember Dudley Station quite distinctly especially all that Staffordshire Blue Brick which was quite dark and oppressive. In those days almost all the line went through heavy industry on the way to Stourbridge.
Nice one another good little film thank you.
Thanks so much Matthew as always 😀
I have often fly over this and often wondered what was down there. They seem to have an area for narrow boats to park up and a grass area where events happen.
beautiful video my friend
Very atmospheric. Brilliant photography.
Very interesting video as always. Good to see track being re-laid too rather than a cycle way. All the best.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, you too!
Great channel and best background music!
👍brilliant Ant. ❤😊
Loved this one. Especially the music...very Vangelis, Blade Runner.
I love a bit of Vangelis. Thank you for watching
Thanks for sharing this, great video. Love to see part of the line reused in the future too.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much for watching :)
Very good video.. Great atmosphere(music) and imagery..
Thanks very much. I'm a few days from releasing an updated version of this tunnel and how different it looks now
Just come across your channel I love these sorts of things great content the structure of these viaducts and tunnels always amazes me when you think they where all built by hand fantastic. I have subscribed and hit the bell icon thanks for sharing
Thank you for watching and commenting 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
Thanks for the video Ant, beautiful contrasting colours in the tunnel another viaduct to camp on if possible 😀. Good to see that the area is to be used again being it for trams!!😎🚃🚃🚃🇬🇧
Glad you enjoyed it. It was the first time i'd tried the new torch and it works a treat :)
Creepy and so beautiful at the same time
It was great inside and I was lucky to see it and share before it all got worked upon 🙂 Thank you for watching 🙂
Fantastic, really enjoyed that, thank you Ant.
Really pleased you enjoyed it 😀
Fascinating
I've just found this and subscribed. Totally brilliant to watch & very interesting
Hi Paul thank you so much for your kind comment 😊
I remember as a kid visiting Dudley zoo and wondering why there were no trains using the station anymore next to it. I've always wanted to explore the tunnel so thanks for making this video! There's so many massive structures like this abandoned and left to rot thanks to the short sighted Beeching cuts. It is good to see some of these cuts being reversed now, but not so good to see railways that should be reopened being replaced with trams that are slow, uncomfortable, often over crowded and stop literally every minute at a station. Trams increase journey times, they won't be enough to tempt people out of their cars.
Thoroughly enjoyed!
Thank you I'm pleased ☺️
Nice explore Ant, interesting about the original viaduct being encased with bricks! the tunnel looked amazing.
That was incredibly entertaining, quite special indeed. To be one of the last people into the tunnel must have felt brilliant, so well done for getting in on the action!! Is there going to be an extended video of the Dudley Canal, it looks like a beauty.
I did rather enjoy this one myself. Sometimes it all clicks into place 🙂
I was a Student in Coventry 1978 onwards so missed the Snow Hill Station but visited it as a Car Park. The tunnels were open but a bit dark for going on a look through. So it looks like great news on the track going back. Numbers of Cars going up and to extend the local transport we need more track. The Old Worse and Worse it was called! Names for most things on the Railways and the Guys back then. Man enough to take it. Late Never Early Railway. And Slow and Dirty. D&L.
scandalous that this former main line is closed, and that the local authorities are ensuring it will never reopen, they have sponsored building over the line north of Dudley, (and the wombourne branch) and are only interested in trams over part of the south staffs line and south of Dudley, we shall never again have decent railway connexions from Stourbridge to Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Beyond, yet the roads between are the most congested in the region
Agreed its always sad when there is an opportunity to reinstate something that will work towards helping reduce the co2 emissions on our planet
I have always thought there was a third way. Metro from Wednesbury to Dudley only. Then reinstate the line as heavy rail towards Stourbridge junction with a reorganisation of the junction to allow direct running to Snow Hill and Marylebone.
My father lives in Stourbridge and whole heartedly agrees with you.
Another great video, cheers from Sheffield .
Thanks Freddie, much appreciated 🙂
When I was younger I walk through the tunnel to with my mates at 1992
I bet that was quite eerie back then, all complete with track etc
@@TrekkingExploration yes it was all there in them day's
Love the music in this 👌
Thanks so much 😀
one of the best, thank you
Thank you for your kind comment and also for watching 🙂
lovely video Ant, drone coverage was lovely, :-) p.s. nice to see you had your hard hat on. :-) x
Ironically one of the safest ones I've been in 😂
It was a nice two days 😃
The OW&W..."The Old Worse and Worse", as some called it.
0:23 Nice fireplace :)
Great video mate, thanks
Thank you very much 🙂🙂
Very well done Ant. They have certainly cleared a lot and got things going since I was last there. Did you forget me? Don`t worry, most people do, lol.
Oh gosh now I cannot believe I forgot.
That's it I owe you two now....
I'm pleased you enjoyed it though and made it look good 😃
Interesting.
Great video mate i live 5 minutes from here and due to all the trees and brambles cut back the rumour was they was going to re open the line
It's gradually being developed as part of the West Midlands Metro Extension.
Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂
Glad some of the tunnels are still in use others the short ones are now bike and walking paths both honor the hard workers who built them .
I totally agree
Thanks for watching 🙂
Great job !
Thanks so much 🙂
Certainly looks different since I visited the Park Head and Blowers Green locks in the early 1970s. Got a shot through the viaduct and down the locks and there looks like some sort of pumping station in the distance. All seemingly gone and the whole area has been given a face lift. Could let you have the picture if you are interested.
I understand that the wooden version is encased in the new? Happily, the line is to be reused Wednesbury to Brierley Hill !! Yaaaaay
Never been there and most likely never will, but this was interesting! Subscribed.
Glad you enjoyed it and thank so much 😀
Thanks for doing this one. I’m from Walsall originally, I then randomly spent 11 years in Ollerton and my mother now lives in Dudley.
You should go back down to the Black Country whenever possible & explore the same line up by brownhills. I know there’s still track down for some of the way. Looking forward to more videos soon :) cheers!
I work in ollerton 😂
I did have a poke around on the line towards Dudley Port. I do want to go back for the canal tunnels so this would be a nice bonus
Thanks for watching 🙂
Haha I knew you’d have known ollerton after watching your previous videos. I know ollerton very well. Half of my family still live in boughton. Small world haha! Hope you enjoyed your time down in the Black Country 😂
The brownills line Is now a railway waik from just outside walsall near the college up to newtown Bridge.
Great Video
Great Video. What is the piece of music called playing in the background when you are filming the water running out through the small drainage tunnels?
Used to work 6v70 china clay from Gloucester to bescot and bescot to cliff Vale stoke on trent in early 90s started on railway training scheme in 1990 amazibg times riding in front and back cabs.
22:48 I often wonder if the old concrete sleepers and rails can be reused, as long as they are still in good condition?🤔
Great video again, Ant.
I'm glad that it's being reopened for rail use again, albeit light rail.
I used to work on the big railway, I now volunteer on a preserved line.
I remember working on a cable laying train, known as the mole plough train, we laid cables through the Mossgeil Tunnel, on the G&SWR route from Glasgow to Carlisle via Dumfries. It was certainly a different experience!
I bet those jobs could get quite eerie at night!
Thanks for watching :)
I had heard at one stage that going into the tunnel was one of the seven Dudley Sins.
I wonder what the other 6 are?
@@TrekkingExploration I dunno know take a guess
That line is returning.
I wish I could share your optimism my friend, but as long as we have 'Anti Rail' governments and councils, it will never be a proper railway again.
They are obsessed with stupid trams
Love these kind of videos are there any videos of the line before it closed ?
I didn't see any, a few images of the portals are knocking around with trains by them 😃
There's always a call to reopen that line either as a Birmingham circular railway or as part of the Midlands Metro but nothing seems to happen.i think that part of the track is still there from Stourbridge to a short way north and Chiltern had trains stabled down there.
Another brilliant video Ant, I love tunnels, shame most go to waste. Keep up the good work looking forward to the next one 👍
Thanks so much Keith 😊
Always amazes me how the tunnels are built, a real work of art and built for strength. Thanks for taking us along. What are they going to do with the tunnel.
Thanks very much for watching. It's being repurposed as a test track. I revisited here a few weeks ago and I'll have the video up in the next couple of weeks 🙂
The fate of the tunnel is tied up with the ultra light rail operation at Dudley station site.
Must have been a very busy line in the 1850's with all those refuges! It looked to me like they were re-laying track or am I being too optimistic? Great video as always.
I couldn't believe how close together they were, imagine the curve played a part. However they carried on close together right the way through
Thank you for watching 🙂
All your videos great but this one was a cut above with stunning visuals/ sound track.
What are they doing with the tunnel? Thanks for taking us along with you👍🏴
Thanks Martin 🙂
It's being repurposed as part of the West Midlands Metro Extension 🙂
It’s interesting to see the former tunnel being put back into service. My question is are they going to address the drainage weeping into the tunnel and discharge it into a retention basin ?
Hi Ant great video as usual but You say there’s work to be done in the tunnel (and clearly there’s plenty of workmen around) Are they reinstating this line or is it going to be used for something else?
Thanks for watching 🙂
It's being repurposed as part of the West Midlands Metro Extension 🙂
Great film, what's going to happen to Dudley tunnel.
Thanks for sharing
Cheers Wayne
It's being repurposed as part of the West Midlands Metro Extension 🙂
Parkhead viaduct is now being restored and will be part of the midland metro.
Nice one ant
Thanks Jonathan 😄
Better late than never. This video was suggested to me by RUclips.
Brilliant. Thank you for watching 🙂
Who did the music ?? This was excellent, very good quality. Very interesting, from Glasgow. I did question the Parkhead bit, that's what got my attention.
Thanks for a great video Ant, are they laying track through the tunnel again ?
Hi Dave. It's being repurposed for the West Midlands Metro Extension. I believe it's due to be completed by 2023.
Thank you for watching 🙂
Any possibility that the new brick patches on the viaduct are opposite each other? Possible wartime damage from a bombing raid?
I believe so another chap commented a few days back with information regarding that. Very interesting 🙂
Thanks for watching 🙂
Thumbs up Ant
Thanks Mathew
Thanks, Dave for this. Since the 1990s, I've walked over the viaduct and through the tunnel three or four times. Once, for the first time in the 1990s, with 2 or 3 Brum FoE people, escorted by two men from Network Rail (or whatever it was called then) but, since then, FoE has not helped me (apart from Ros who does agree with us). As with Railfuture and SLUG, FoE stills prefers the tram extensions on roads and railways instead of giving top priority to railway restorations, not yet obliterated, in the Black Country and Brum.
Can we ask the guy on the video to help us get the remaining 50 Kms opened for commuter/regional trains from St'bge Jct to Canal Street tram stop at Hart's Hill and, from Wednesbury to Burton on Trent?
Do you know who he is? I will watch the rest of the video later.
The whole 120 Kms can still be finished - now, as a world first, train-tram-train railway, especially as the crossings over all motorways, roads and canals are in place. Our work is not done, by any means!
Tim Weller 0791 380 4363
I love that intro, the shots and the music.
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching 🙂
@@TrekkingExploration Thanks for uploading it! May I ask where you got the music?
Frequent refuges perhaps because the curve prevented early warning? Perhaps a gang was wiped out so extras inserted and existing refuges extended into wall. Lower ceiling in extension so brickies could construct arch without disturbing existing lining
At 19:13 looks like someone standing in the refuge on the right, with grey trousers and black shoes 😰
I need to re watch this lol
Did you not notice the guy beside him, in a high-viz and a yellow hat?😁
Great stuff again! what are they doing to the tunnel?
Cheers Sean
It's being repurposed as part of the West Midlands Metro Extension 🙂
Are you going to do Brierley Hill ( Pensnett Shut End).to Wolverhampton?
Such a shame that these won't be used by proper trains again. I used to live near here and can remember the trains using them. The area really needs a proper rail system rather than just trams.
What is the music used? Sounds very Bladerunner 2049