The Bizarre Story of Higham and Strood Tunnels
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
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Welcome to this weeks video where we look at the rather quirky history of the Higham and Strood Tunnels and how they evolved based on the former Thames and Medway Canal.
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Charles Dickens used the Signalman and box at Higham in one of his Ghost stories, his home was not very far from the station. It is documented that before the SER took over the original company used locos to tow barges through. Also these were not narrow boats either. They were Thames Barges with the masts struck (lowered) for the passage. The middle hole was enlarged by the SER to provide filling for the water channel under the ballast. The basin at Strood was partially filled in and became a goods yard (alas now completely gone as is what was left of the basin/dock), one set of lock gates still are in place (or were until very recently). Great job as ever Guys, thanks for another wonderful video.
Oops, just checked my old photos. It was 2010!
Cracking video, Team Whitewick! Loved this one, great little story, well presented. Been through that tunnel many times and never knew any of this. Also Rebecca's facial expressions from the 5 minute mark are particularly entertaining
Haha. Thanks Tim. It's a little pleasure of mine not noticing until I start to edit!!
Tim you are supposed to say something along the lines of ‘ but we’re not here to see/talk about that ‘
It is a good video.
You've got to love those bonkers Victorians just as you've got to love these videos of Paul and Rebecca!
Bonkers indeed
I know. Testing a tunnel's strength with a mortar. Today you'd be lucky too get a geotechnical engineer to come out within the week with a full team for a day's worth of sophisticated ground tests. What an era.
Born in Strood. Medway Towns resident all my life. 57 years. Thank you for visiting our area and making a really interesting video
Great video P&R. I used to use these tunnels every day and was aware of their unusual history. It’s worth noting that there have been some further developments to bring the story up to date. Nowadays the tunnels are no longer bare chalk but have been coated with shotcrete (sprayed concrete) to line and stabilise them. The lack of a lining, no doubt exacerbated by the stopping of the drainage at the Strood end that Davedave refers to below causing increase of the water table in the chalk, plus the building of a road bypass over the top leading to extra vibration from traffic (the tunnels are not very deep), eventually caught up with the structure so that by the 1990s and early 2000s, chalk falls were a very regular occurrence, and a serious derailment had occurred, so it was becoming a real danger to trains and passengers. Trains were limited to 20 mph.
With the speed restrictions, the increasingly frequent closures due to chalk falls, and the anticipated arrival of high speed trains that are heavier and would travel faster due to not stopping at Higham, the inevitable decision was eventually taken to line the tunnels to put a stop to the problems once and for all. So in January 2004 the tunnels were closed for a whole year, during which we had to use the bus. This was a massive project costing £35M to install shotcrete lining throughout the whole length of both tunnels. The result was very beneficial so that now trains can pass at 70 mph without being in danger, and the tunnels are conserved for the use of future generations.
There's a very good article on Kentrail.org.uk for further reading.
Prior to the relining of the tunnel I worked in a track maintenance gang. I was part of the "Chalk watch". We would close the line, enter the tunnel and place ourselves in a cave dug out of the chalk about halfway in the strood tunnel and then re open the line to traffic. We were on 12 hour shifts inside the tunnel waiting for trains to pass, close the line and go check for chalk falls. If it was clear we would go back to our cave and reopen the line. Spent close to a year inside there.
@@danielsmith4627 What an unusual job! One to tell the grandkids about. Thanks for being there to keep us safe! Hope the chalk in your little cave never fell on your heads!
Mike
I worked on the railways and once walked through the tunnels.
This was after they had been repaired and shotcreted.
They are very large in diameter and very straight.
The gap between the two tunnels is a welcome relief.
When I walked through, we were pushing a brand new rail
mounted on many, wheeled rail horses. It was hard work.
Canals and Railways living together in a Tunnel, that is bizarre and wasn't expecting that, great video Paul and Rebecca.
Haha... we weren't too when we started looking into this
The tunnels were lined a few years ago as chalk falls were causing considerable disruption and the trains restricted to 30 mph in order to prevent serious accidents. When the work was completed,the trains were able to pass through at 70 mph thus making the journey quickly and in complete safety without fear of any obstruction.
I used to travel this rail route frequently and I am SO pleased to see this fascinating history covered by your good selves. I will add (if I may?) that when I lived aboard a narrowboat moored at Yalding upon the Medway I did wish that the tunnel and the canal were still open to navigation!
I can imagine. A very useful little link
I also have traveled through this tunnel hundreds of times, but had not got my head around how the railway/canal combination worked until now!
I lived in Gillingham for over 20 years and never knew that Higham tunnel was also a canal. I've learned something new today. Thanks guys 👍❤️
A pleasure Paul
Funny I rode passed the station today and looked over the road bridge side to look along at the tunnel . Good video.
Wow,P&R,thanks for this one. My company had a depot in that area, near the Thames Estuary.I loved the wild remoteness of the area and when I visited I would slip off and explore the tunnel plus bits of the disused canal.A reminder of happy days.
Thanks Tim. Yes when we filmed the canal section it was all very desolate.
I have walked these tunnels several times when I was on BR Permanent Way. Prone to flooding. I remember there used to be Tunnel Patrolmen who’s sole job was to walk the tunnels constantly to check for and remove any chalk that had fallen. Only the outer ends were brick lined, there was just bare chalk inside. Several parts were quite cavernous in the Stroud Tunnel. There was staff access in the lay-by from the fields above, best avoided in wintery and wet weather as it was rather steep, I think there are a purpose bit staircase now. The tunnel was wide enough for track staff to just stand clear when trains passed by.
This story is quite an intriguing one, can you imagine travelling on a railway through a tunnel that's got a canal inside it too?
Completely mad
fantastically fascinating stuff as always Paul and Rebecca....I live in strood and have heard that in the Higham section of the tunnel there are sealed up horse stable areas from the canal days.dont know how true that is cos I've never seen them but just thought you might like the info.
great people.great videos.
Oh interesting. Could be that it was close to the middle!?
Walked through and inspected these tunnels many times.
Another interesting video guys! Growing up/living in North Kent, I have used this line/these tunnels hundreds of times. Great to see it from the air! I remember when I used it daily while working at Waterloo Station in the 80s the tunnels flooded once. I remember a lovely diesel EMU running from Strood through the tunnels (probably to Gravesend). Keep up the great work guys. Your videos are ALWAYS packed with info and very interesting! 👍
Thanks Brian, very kind.
Higham and Strood tunnels both have suffered Partial Collapse in the Mid 2000s they've since been sprayed with Concrete to prevent another collapse! Also both tunnels were prone to flooding and in the 80s British Rail had to resort to an Emergency Timetable and a Shuttle Service from Rochester - Gravesend they used a Western Region DMU, a Thumper Unit and a Class 33/1 & 4 TC Unit! They're both interesting to me I've travelled through them many times sometimes in the Rear Cab of an EPB with my Father who was a Guard at the Time! An excellent video
this caught me by surprise, i’ve heard about canal companies building railroads/railways and being used to bring supplies along the very route of the canals but never a track built directly on top of a canal…
Excellent stuff, well done both.
Thanks Peter
One of my favourite videos you've done, it was very interesting!
Happy to hear that!
I used to travel on the train to London through these tunnels. On the Strood end, you can just about make out (or you could then - over 12 years ago) the filled in lock leading into the Medway.
Stumbled across this video and so glad I did. Ironically I live very close to the Strood end of this tunnel and never knew this amazing History so thank you both. Truly amazed.
WOW! That took me back!
I lived in Strood for the best part of 20 years and one of my favourite things to do was to cycle along the remaining towpath to Gravesend for some shopping and some 'lunch'...... (hic!)
Excellent video as usual. Thank you.
What an interesting story - Always wondered why the two tunnels was so close together and not one single one
I visited Higham some years ago - and, of course, I just HAD to get a train to Strood and go through the tunnels! Thanks for a great and interesting video. I love the way that a tunnel mouth has been obviously added at the Strood end.
Yup, I think there is quite a difference from what it is today to what it looked like many moons ago
I used to live in Higham and remembered the last steam engines running that line. Also the famous pram race that ran right through the village and was more of a pub crawl my dad raced in it, great times, mum worked at Dickens house at the top of the village, it was a girls school at the time.
Really interesting and great video thank you! Can you imagine being on a barge in there when a steam train charged through!
Another fascinating video! I know of these tunnels but had no idea they were originally canal tunnels!
A very interesting video Paul and Rebecca. I didn't know about the Railway and Canal sharing a tunnel.
A former workmate asked me if canals were built on disused rail lines! I had to explain that canals came before railways!
Ahhh oops
Every episode I am amazed at what you uncover and how much work you put into the research and discovery. Thank You!
Thanks Paul, very kind.
Even tho I’ve lived in Higham my whole life I didn’t know the full story of the tunnel so it’s fun to know more about that! Great video!
Fantastic video as always 🥳
Always interested and cannot wait for the next adventure 🛤🚢
Thanks Ducky
What a *fascinating* story! I am amazed that it hasn't made it into a TV documentary ... (that I know about).
In any event, thank you for drawing this extraordinary piece of history to our attention.
Thank you, always a pleasure.
My ears pricked up when you referred to Tesco’s game curries in the commercial section. Tasty, I thought.
Excellent stuff - I can’t imagine what the conditions must have been like there for those on the boats whilst a steam train went through the tunnels!
Yup, thats something I didn't consider! Not best happy i am guessing.
That is a wild history! Great job, keep up the good work!
Fascinating stuff, and the "doobry-doos" are back, yeah!
Always!!
Thanks for the video. Having spent my childhood in a house directly over the tunnel (at the Strood end) I was particularly interested in the history which I hadn't known about until recently. I read somewhere that the canal was intended to take horse dung generated from the large number of horses in London through to Kent so that it could be used to fertilise the orchards.
Strood resident here! The tunnels have been closed several times since the 60s because of chalk falls. The last occasion was for an entire year in 2004 for major repairs.
Unusually, I knew all about this tunnel and it’s very unusual history, but it was still great to see some good video of it. I know of no other tunnel that once shared boats and trains at the same time, and I’m not even sure if there is another railway tunnel in this country that was repurposed from a canal tunnel. Talking of lack of lining, there was a serious collapse inside, not that many years ago; it closed the railway for some time.
well done guys loving your newer vids i thinks you've cracked the code now really watchable
Thanks Woosh. Means a lot.
@@pwhitewick hi guys i you on your Whitewick's Historical Landscapes facebook page, mite be use,,, maybe lol
Excellent video. In the old canal basin at Gravesend was a disarmed motor torpedo boat many years ago. According to my late father it was retained by a paint company for paint teating purposes.
You are right, my father had his boat moored at the Basin and worked on the MTB, I remember when they got it running, the noise 2 Merlin engines sounded great.
Well, I aren't never heard that story of the shared tunnels before, and I have read a lot of books.
Me too!!
It's just a tunnel. Wait what?! It's not? Please tell me more.
It was another great vlog and it does show it was not just a tunnel, but with a lot of history.
Great video! 👏
The story of the Thames & Medway Canal is a fascinating one, especially the tunnel section. 👍🙂
Fascinating . Your vlog was packed with really interesting info. Enjoyed that . Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you
That was a great video guys 👍 looking forward to the next one.
Thanks Matt
How interesting. I love the little section of the “non-tunnel”. Great idea. Thanks again.
Incidentally, I have been talking to an Alan Sartain last Saturday! Small world.
Haha... Love Alan. Saw him for our School reunion a few years back.
Really fascinating, I had wondered why there was the small open section in the middle. I guess I assumed it was an artefact of how it was built, or something.
It makes for a nice cycle ride alongside the canal between higham and Gravesend. I have photos I took about 1980 of the still surviving lock gates at strood
Oh yes...! In the 90's, I was on a telecoms job there. We used to call the gap between the tunnels The Layby. In the winter, you could have a real gale coming through there. We used to see rabbits, pheasants, adders, all sorts of birds, depending on the time of year...
Love that John!
A great story. I have somewhere a photo of a steam train chugging through a canal . I THINK it was possibly an April Fools joke back in the 90s or even 80s in the Waterways World. I have searched for it online but never saw it again. Something in the back of my mind has suggested it had a caption about the Glastonbury canal....
Interesting how minds think of "solutions" throughout time with what they have at that time!
Added pouch! Every little helps!
Most certainly does...
A very intresting story
Excellent one 👌
Cheers Manmeet
Never heard of Train & Canal sharing the same Tunnel b4!!! 🤔🚂🚂🚂
It's definitely bucket!
dear Liza,dear Liza!!!!
Interesting presentation, thanks. But I "disliked" it. Why? Adverts..... :-(
Apologies for attempting to reclaim back a small proportion of the costs in making videos!
Hey getting interesting tunes on your vids
Enjoyed the film
Thanks Bumble
Another great and interesting video yet again!
There was quite a few mad/unusual engineering ideas during Victorian times...🤔🙂👍
Yup... also more to follow this coming Sunday!
The thick jumpers are out - it's autumn!
Wow, that has to be the most fascinating tunnel ever :)
Wow would have loved to see the rail and canal together. Terrible idea. Really enjoyed that thanks. Please stay safe and take care
Another good vid, keep em coming!
Interesting!
A most curious arrangement. So, with the trains on the towpath and the tunnel 20 feet high, how were the canal barges propelled through the tunnel? Were they all steam powered by that time?
I think they must have poled?
Loving your hair Rebecca🤗
Very fun tale!
Like your new hairstyle
Thanks.... oh... you mean Rebecca?
@@pwhitewick Yes her hair is nice also......
Top Info Guys !!
Cheers Rex
hi paul and rebecca , yet another interesting video , and yes paul its bucket lmao , well done again and thank you guys :)
If only the truth could be told about that tunnel, my mate Peter Scott had the the chalk fall in on his train.
The tunnel was closed for repairs between 2004 and 2005.
Thats quite some time!
The boats using the tunnel-were they barges or narrowboats?
Barges. Well Thames Barges with sails
Bag? I am wondering if Mrs Whitewick been drinking her new hair colour, or simply mixed it up a bit too strong. :-) Instead of the dodgy track on stilts, perhaps it would have been more fun if the railway company could have put their trains on barges, or had carriages that floated like boats.
Now that would have been interesting!
How can you have Black Friday without Thanksgiving? :D
As suggested in EDS20
Thanks David!!
Must be the oldest tunnel still in use by the railways, any other contenders?
Almost certainly yes. Very good point. Built 1824 so unless there are some old tramway tunnels still in use that would make sense.
3 Seconds ago? I must be dreaming.
No, it is real.
Banana time in the bushes 🙂
Great Video. Thank you! Rebecca looks even better with her new hair. She looks EVEN YOUNGER which makes Paul seem like a dirty old man. No, just joking. Love your channel and I think both of you are great .
Harsh Paul... fair, but harsh
Well l never interesting cheers for posting👍👍
Sorry, I went away to install pouch, I'm back now!
YEEEEES Andy
Maybe I missed it but what are the poppies for?
Remembrance Poppy
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_poppy
Thanks Matt
A railway on stilts? In a canal tunnel? Shame that didn't survive into the era of railway photography
… so did it get lined eventually?
Ah yes... pretty surenthe railway lined it when SER took over
I'm not a fan of adverts. If you must have one, place it at the end so on subsequent viewings it doesn't get in the way of the content. If you want some ideas watch a Jay Foreman video
We have 1 x 90 second advert per month. So that's around 40 mins minimum content with 1.5 min advert. I'm not sure many outlets could claim the same.
Insert timings completely depends on the stipulation of the advertiser I'm afraid.
@@pwhitewick If I watch this in 5 years time will the advert still be present?
@@x91w indeed it will, but you will be in the significant minority as 99.8% of views will be in the first week
@@pwhitewick I regularly dip into your videos. I have everyone one so far on my phone so that on my travels I can "Go and see the missing water tower" so to speak.
Interesting content, well presented, but why does Paul do all of the talking? Rebecca only comes in for the adverts.
Most of that video was taken up advertising load of crap unsubbed
Most.... or 90 seconds? 90 seconds from the last 6 weeks of videos which contain no adds. So that's approx 1 hour and 10 mins of videos. I'd love to know other platforms you use that offer the same ratio.
Ste…. This isn’t an airport… you don’t need to announce your departure.
A good video ruined by propaganda carp in the middle.
A good comment ruined by a big fish in the middle
You don’t need to be so sPIKEy about it Alan
Propaganda?
@@Matt-pt3vq I wasn't rude or derogatory.
@@666JPF I'm dyslexic and it doesn't always write what I say.
Not even 7 minutes! This isn't helping my Whitewick addiction!
We can only apologise Robin... next Sunday... 12 mins