WOODHEAD REMEMBERED

摘要

THE story of the 41.5 mile long Woodhead route, through the Pennines between Manchester and Sheffield, is a compelling one. Brought to life through the efforts of hundreds of workers carving their way through the remote landscape, after a century of service it was transformed into the most modern railway line in Britain. But its closure a mere 30 years later,despite a fight by unions, councils and transport campaigners to keep it open, is still the cause of much reflection today.The route was formally opened on December 22, 1845 although it had been completed in sections over the previous four years. Its owner the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne & Manchester Railway (SA&MR) had been formed in response to demand for a connection that would allow easier and cheaper transfer of goods between Sheffield and Manchester and onwards to Liverpool.The line's best-known feature is the three-mile (4.8km) Woodhead Tunnel. While it was an awe inspiring feat of engineering, as with other railway projects of the period, the human cost of building it was high. Work continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week with little regard for welfare. During the construction of the first bore alone, around 30 workers were killed and 200 seriously injured.Outside their 12 hour shifts, the navvies lived in a sprawling encampment on the nearby moor, sometimes with as many as 15 of them to a hut. An outbreak of cholera during the construction of the second bore of the tunnel led to a further 28 deaths.