Exploring Sandsend and Kettleness Abandoned Railway Tunnels
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
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You join us back up on NE Yorkshire this week in the search for not only Kettleness and Sandsend Tunnels, but also to try and work out where the six original tunnels were located. We love a little mystery like this.
To even attempt to build some of the original tunnels on this stunning but incredible dangerous landscape is a tiny bit mad. The Kettleness and Sandsend Tunnels are still in existence today and full of hidden secrets.
Credits to:
Matt for his addition: / mathdanielnelson
forgottenrelics.co.uk - Much research for this project came from their incredible website.
David Richardson: Picture of the cliff edge
Maps: railmaponline.com
Maps: NLS - บันเทิง
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Don't forget you can subscribe to Matts Channel here: th-cam.com/users/mathdanielnelson
Done!
Try Wantage to Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset if you haven’t already , also lieutenant John Chard who took command at Rorke,s Drift is buried in Hatch Beauchamp grave yard if you were interested . Just looked at old rail way map it would be Taunton to Chard line there’s what looks like a tunnel heading out of Chard to Yeovil on the A30 in the middle of a field same line I guess .
@@robinking6201 already done the railway and the canal.... search back through the videos and thoust shall find what thoust seeks
@@pwhitewick Thank you very interesting , use to drive past the farm at Wantage ,could never make up my mind it was an old railway line or Canal ,even with the pub called the Canal inn .
Sir i am amazed about your smart level my bestie will love the info
I've been in there, on a steam train in 1950s. whilst on holiday with my parents in camping coaches on Sandsend station.
Been through the Kettleness many times, and I can remember when the side tunnel out to the cliff was passable. Very interesting video!
You learn something new everyday, apparently the navvies that dug the tunnel were Motorhead fans.
haha... yup!
Perhaps they were just ace with spades? I'll get my coat....
@@Simon_Nonymous curse you for getting that joke in before me!
Rebecca stays outside checking the will and cackling quietly. "No officer, I have no idea where he went".
Lol.
Thinking to herself, if only had brought some extra steel mesh and an arc welder with me today. 😉 Sorry dont mean it but couldnt resist.
@@chrisstephens6673 harsh. But probably fair
@@chrisstephens6673 Where would she plug it in?
@@majorpygge-phartt2643 "where there is a wiil, there is a way " 😂
Back in the early 70's I was one of a small group from London who volunteered on the NYMR. One weekend one of our group took me and another member to explore the old coast railway lines, and drove his Morris Minor for some distance into one of the tunnels, before we had to reverse out again, but I am not sure now whether we were there, or drove into the tunnel at Ravenscar on the old Scarborough to Whitby line, because I remember visiting both areas.
From looking at the location for the cliff edge tunnel, building the line inland was a sensible alternative.
Yup indeed.
It's a shame they didn't leave the track intact in the tunnel that would give us so much more character
I enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing. There's a magical feel for me for these old historical surviving structures.
I always think it’s a bit of sad waste seeing these tunnels disused and unloved after all the planning, money and physical effort to build and then left as if they never existed. It’s a good job we have our roving reporters/historians the Whitewicks and others on the case doing great work of reminding us you tubers of treasures neglected.
Too right, and absolutely SO.
Its nothing short of tragic how few former railways have been turned in to walking/ cycle routes
These videos are amazing, I love a good railway tunnel, you should come to Kent there's loads of tunnels and most of them are unblocked!
I have been through Sandsend and Kettleness tunnels a few times, albeit some time ago, there were no restrictions getting in then, I believe the local landowner is responsible for the locks etc. I thought there was a local preservation group that did some minor work on the tunnels. The northern portal of Sandsend has deteriorated a little over the last 10 years or so, the curved rails supported the portal entrance, that looks to have failed, judging by the blocks on the ground. A few years ago it was possible to see light through one of the spoil tunnels in Sandsend. I trust you will be going to look at the Ravenscar Tunnel down the coast, or have I missed that one.
It's a lovely day but the sound of the wind and the landslippage makes it all so precarious. It feels so remote and tenuous. Genuine on the edge stuff. It's also quite neat how the picture maintains its consistency and position, yet the voice suddenly changes to Matt's. Nifty edit!
Of course in our day we would have always known to put the umlauts and capital in Motörhead. It was their ID and every metalhead just instinctively knew it. Lemmy would be spinning in his grave if he caught someone messing it up. Deary deary me, kids these days. Two cans of Irn Bru and they're off their trolleys.
Haha thanks Neil. Yup its a crazy landscape. We've since chatted with David Richardson who has found more (on the cliff edge) of the old route.
Thanks for clambering in to film that for us Paul. Great Video as ever. Mark
Cheers Mark... always a pleasure.
That was absolutely fascinating, thank you for this. As a local to this part of North Yorkshire this was of genuine interest to me so great work guys, loved it! Those engineers back then were astonishing visionarys for sure. The spectacvular viaducts that were on this route also have wonderful stories to tell.
I can't believe that tunnel at the south side, without the tunnel you would never have known there was going to be a railway there. Glad you got in okay, it was great seeing inside. What a beautiful place. Really enjoyed this one. Glad the cliff didn't erode while you were standing on it. Might have been difficult for Rebecca to explain at work...probably good footage though. I can imagine the thumbnail.
Well I'm thoroughly addicted to your channel now haha brilliant videos
Welcome to the channel!... 195 more videos to work though now... 🙂
@@pwhitewick haha not much then jeez well I can give up adulting and just stay on the couch watching TH-cam all day, right?
@@anomalousoddity you have my permission!! Get binging!
Thanks both. Was at Sandsend tunnel South portal in about 2010 when you could climb over the bricked entrance but I never did this. Changed so much
Absolutely. We have seen a lot of videos from there and assumed we would va e safer passage
Excellent! Thoroughly enjoyed
I live not too far away from sands end and I always wanted to explore this tunnel. I had no idea you could get in from the other side.
That is my "tunnel" fix for the week! Another great video - thanks for posting.
Thanks Dave.
Great video on the tunnels Paul and rebecca , been looking forward to this one and have now subscribed to Matt's channel, looking forward to your next video
Thanks Paul. That's very much appreciated
Great trip as always. A very merry Christmas to you both. Paul.
Thanks Paul, Merry Christmas to you too.
That was fantastic. You were comical climbing thru the gate Paul. No wonder Rebecca stayed put. Thank you both once again
Great video!! Well done guys x
Cheers Kayleigh. We want to go back into Sandsend a tad more prepared!
Yes we do love the tunnel videos! Amazing footage of those Tunnels as well! 👍🏻
Cheers Simon
Another great video! Looks like fun getting in and out of the tunnels!
Cheers Henry
thank for this in joy watch
Our pleasure.
Love the collaboration with Runderground Matt!
Cheers Daz
You must do the Malton to Driffield Railway. Beautiful scenery, the famous Burdale Tunnel and chalk pits and of course the Yorkshire Wolds Railway are rebuilding at least part of it.!
We must indeed Matthew. Assurances its on the list.
A very interesting video. Thanks so much for exploring the tunnel. I was surprised how dry it was inside. A great vlog
Cheers Michael. I think Sandsend is a different story
Another fascinating video (as always!). I had no idea about the original planned route for this line, so that was interesting - shame there aren't any tangible remains. Glad you were able to get inside Kettleness at least - I always look forward to these tunnel videos most of all! Also loved Matt's video - it really is overgrown between the two tunnels. Reminded me of my first ever trek to a railway tunnel (Maenclochog in South Wales), and also, sadly, of how nature is rapidly overtaking the engineering features that remain. Many of the tunnels I visited in the 80s are now completely inaccessible, and it makes me a bit sad that I didn't do a few more at the time (not sure I'd fit through some of those narrow squeezes nowadays!)
Great one guys!
Cheers Bill. I think we did Maenclochog a couple of years back.
Always a pleasure to se you guys. Thanks for the video , hurry back!
Thanks James
14:00 I was having visions of Paul getting stuck, and being used as a tea-towel rail for evermore. Just me then, hasten ye back to the South Downs.
Just bring me food!!
Great video as usual you always find the most hidden gems in railway tunnels. Google maps are a great tool for following railway lines as you know I often find lines in Yorkshire and follow them along. The old photo you found was a real good find and thanks Matt for your addition going to check you're channel out. Stay safe guys.
Yup especially used in conjunction with something like railmaponline.
One has to think that maybe the original route was planned while at a pub. The makeup of the geological terrain is not one conducive to having a rail line operate everyday without some rocks coming loose and closing the line.
It is crazy isn't it. I genuinely think you are right about the pub discussion.... any sane man walking that route surely wouldn't come up with that plan.
Another superb video both !
Thanks Merv
Love your videos please keep them coming 😃👍
Cheers Iain, absolutely every intention in doing so.
Heey Paul and Rebecca, I find it really cute to see you guys making videos together and being so exited about it. You guys could literally make videos about antique cutlery and I would still watch it. Keep doing what you're doing! Greets from across the channel in the Netherlands! :)
Thank you so much for that, was absolutely fabulous. That tunnel was so beautiful love the brickwork. Mind you was rather naughty going in when told to keep out. Thank you so much for taking me along. P,ease stay safe and take care
hey paul and rebecca , great video , always love the tunnel one's , this one was very interesting , lol the out takes , well done again and thank you :)
Thanks Davie. Could have made a 15 minute video with the remaining orange team
@@pwhitewick thats ok i would watch lol :)
Brilliant :) Thanks for making this video :)
Cheers
Much enjoyed, once again
Thanks you.
Such interesting video always thank you
Thanks Terry.
beautiful part of the country
Check out Paddie Waddell's Railway, there is a book on Amazon - The railway that never was, but you can still see traces of the route at the Liverton Lane / A171 Junction
Great Video well done for going into tunnel
victorian tunnel mania - and Paul goes limbo dancing - whats not to like!
I should have put that on the thumbnail
Merry Christmas and a happy new year 🎄⛄️☃️
Really good video. Most enjoyable
Thanks Will.
You 2 are magic, so nice to watch, what a lovley-lucky-couple🌈
Beautiful scenery near the ocean
Yup, wish we had a little more time here to enjoy it!
Thanks for the video, we just walked that coastal walk, and was puzzled at the sandsend tunnel and wondered where it went, googled it and found you. Mystery solved. 😊
Wow great tunnels
They are indeed aren't they.
Freind of mine was a senior engineer and adviser on the channel tunnel. What kills people in old tunnels is the lack of breathable air….for reasons that I don’t know there is often a build up of other gases. You might get a bit of a head ache, feel a bit dizzy or just pass out before you even notice what is going on and that’s it…….l you’re dead. He told me a story about an episode (not chunnel) where they kept sending in men to save a bloke that had collapsed, one by one they collapsed and died until the firth rescuer decided to go down with an oxygen tank and face mask. That is presumably why some tunnels are blocked off, be careful.
An interesting video. I have a house in Saltburn which is missing from the maps you show sill has a line. The line from Middlesbrough branches at Saltburn one ending at Saltburn Station and the other goes on to Boulby and Skinningrove as goods only except for special steam runs. Stockton, where I grew up and also missing from the maps was the destination of the world's first passenger line run with locomotives from Darlington. I am too young by a couple of years to remember the coast line open.
Great and very intresting video.
Thanks Andrew
This old line would be an amazing heritage or tourist line.
Absolutely Samantha. The line on its current route would be stunning.
@@pwhitewick :) Glad you agree. I am surprised the NYMR don't attempt it. It looks largely intact and the seaside villages along the route a lovely. Let's hope they're watching your video :)
@@TheGramophoneGirl considering this line closed in May 1958 and with so many iron viaducts in salt laden atmosphere nobody in their right mind would want to operate this line. Even the LNER look at getting shot of this millstone.
@@neiloflongbeck5705 You just rained on my parade :( lol. But having looked on the map there are some nice parts to the route, but then there are also some less nice parts. The nice parts, as nice as they are, aren't sufficient to make a viable route. Shame.
@@TheGramophoneGirl sorry.
Do I smell a Cinder Track/Whitby and Scarborough episode coming??
Sadly on this occasion no. But we will be heading back soon!
another interesting video !
Great video!
Cheers Robert.
Great video , that tunnel was very cool , and that torch 🔦😳🤯. I bet Martin would have enjoyed that one 🧱👍🏼
Cheers Guys. Yup sadly he couldn't make it across, but we do want to go back into Sandsend with him next year
@@pwhitewick 👌🏼🧱👍🏽
great video Paul and Rebecca. Hilarious at the end.
Here is another interesting place to consider whilst in the Kettleness Area. If you turn on to the Goldsborough Road off the A174 heading for Goldsborough, after about a kilometre you will see a strange looking derelict dormer house on the left side of the road. This was the secret entrance to the hill behind it which housed Britains secret air defence for the area. There were several of these along the East Coast, one is now a museum - but for more info on this look up RAF Goldsborough or this site www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/goldsborough-rotor-radar-station/
Nice dry well built tunnel . It's interesting to think about the innovation being driven by local economics of gathering building materials from quarries to feed industrial cities bring driven by early global trade . They must have consumed men and materials voraciously ?
Just found you at 2am when I couldn’t sleep. Learnt Loads of interesting facts that I shared over the breakfast table.
Have you ever been to peebles? You’d love the tunnel there and the history of the kings train.
Nothing quite like breakfast table sharing. Welcome to the channel.
Peebles has 2 tunnels, a fine stone bridges, once had 2 stations and plenty of other railway infrastructure nearby. Well worth a visit.
Are these the tunnels that haze outdoors slept in on his TH-cam trip?
@@jonathanwhitehead2250 we had intended to when we were up in Scotland. Next Time.
that is indeed correct, the spoil was dumped over cliffe edge into sea, if you walk up steps from sandsend car park and do the mile or so walk to tunnel portal entrance, you can walk across all the spoil from the alum mines (best described as looking like a lunar surface) whilst on the spoil you could used to see one of the entrances to these spoil dump tunnels, also as you approach tunnel portal there used to be a little water fall to the right
super finds as usual
Cheera chris
@@pwhitewick lets hope that 2021 will unleash more of your wonderful hidden gems
@@a11csc thanks Chris. Its been a tough year for many, we had hope for a lot more this year especially off the back of some big vids early in the year
Good stuff.
Thanks!
There used to be a way of getting up/down from the cliff path above just as you come out of the south side of the Kettleness tunnel. Steep but it had ropes. There's also scarring close by where I'm assuming the sandstone was mined. It's now a local climbing area. Difficult to see from the top though.
From near the south end of Sandsend Tunnel it's possible to trace the outline of the original line towards Keldhowe Point and make out the position of both ends of the tunnel but I'm sure it was never lined and expect it now to be all collapsed. From there northwards there is an obvious shelf cut in the cliff face and a couple of projecting spurs where very short tunnels would have been necessary although no portals are obvious. Judging the elevation on the cliff face from the outlets of the two spoil tunnels which can be identified, it's again possible to make out, or imagine, the route of the intended line. David Richardson and I searched extensively along this cliff a few years ago and found one isolated length of line formation; but the whole search was a massive struggle through thick undergrowth. At the north end of Sandsend Tunnel, now safer because the dodgy portal has finally collapsed, the original line was several metres higher. Again, beisde the south portal to Kettleness Tunnel the original shelf cut for the line is higher. This shelf, which is cut through at a lower level by the end of the adit Paul was looking at, partially collapsed making the driving of Kettleness Tunnel necessary about 1880. Part way along this shelf it can be seen that the cliff face above it has been smoothed to make room for the line and prevent rock slides but it is obvious where they suddenly ceased work.
Considering that the original route was cut in the cliff face above notoriously unstable alum shale you wonder who was kidding whom in attempting to build a railway along such an appalling route. When the railway stalled the NER took it over, afraid that if it didn't then they might sell out to a rival, and there were plenty of those keen to get a toe into the NER's monopoly. At hugh cost the railway was completed and remained uneconomic for most of its life.
Simon Chapman, Cleveland Mining Heritage Society.
Thank you Simon, thats fantastic. We are aiming come back up again next year...... tour guides very welcome!!
@@pwhitewick Let me know - contact me via the CMHS website. Simon.
@@simonchapman5611 Thank you, will do!
on your next part of the old line you will be passing my home town. nice to see you doing video of this line. it was a pity the line closed. as its a very nice area for the old train line. I only just remember the line being open to the public. The only memory I remember is walking down the steeps ahead of my mother. She shouted stop to me because the steps that come from the old Brotton station came out at the traffic light junction. right near the railway bridge. there's never been a path near them steps. making exiting the station on that side a little dangerous. there is supposed to be some good news for the line. iv read the potash line to be open to the public again, how far its going to go, I don't know. as you have shown in your last video. Bridges taken down and houses in the way now. hears hoping for the line to open again. when you get to brotton. you will see remain of an old pit. there was another 2 pits further alone. one pit is now a play park. the other one is just grass land behind some houses. both on the same road as the exit for the station. the side with the steps. plus i here there is a buried train turntable and many other thing. being an old miners town
We are hoping to get back up and do the southern section of the line early new year
Crazy idea to build the track on that coast 😱
Yup. That picture we found d really shows the insanity of the route
I like this channel, it reminds of the Ben Wheatley movie Sightseers, just without the random acts of extreme violence
excellent video 👍glad you managed to get through to explore the tunnel shame it was blocked the other end why did they go round the cliff edge to start with 🤔
had to lol at every time Paul says "six tunnels" he keeps putting four fingers up! lol
A tad awkward!
He's obviously not from Norfolk.....
I've been to these tunnels loads of times but not through them as when the barriers have been broken they look to be flooded with quite deep water.that most northerly tunnel is used by freight trains from Middlesbrough to Boulby Mine and a few years ago they did a special passenger service from Saltburn to Boulby.
Definitely aiming to come back and do Sandsend again
Just down the road from Seaton Carew where I live,shame that they couldn't open them up as a walk way like those ones in the Peak District but North Yorkshire County Council aren't interested in things that don't involve cars and driving.
I remember going past the entrance to Sandsend tunnel on the coast path.
Yup doesn't take much to find that northern portal
I could quite easily live in that there hole.! It all looks wierdly dry, and should be quite comfortable, temperature wise that is.! I'd be very happy inhabiting that particular space. With the obvious ghosties for company 🤣🤣👻🤣🤣.
I liked how I could see where the sleepers have been when you went through the tunnel but wisely desired not to climb the wall at the end. Pity about the fallen wall of the other one.🇦🇺👍
I was lucky enough to get all the way through both tunnels nearly 2 years ago. Starting at sandsend
I'm very jealous. We were fully ready to walk Sandsend not knowing the south end was blocked.
marvelous vid short but sweet
Short and sweet. Thanks Thomas. Oh you mean the Video!
yes looking forward to next week's video
These tunnels should be fixed up and access opened. Probably the most famous disused tunnels in England. I hope they don't block off access to the Kettleness tunnel.
As you're in the area, you should quickly nip over and do the Pickle Bridge Line near where I used to live.
Good video
Go to the youtube channel "onthegoldenline" for loads of videos of this line running and images inside the tunnels.
It's interesting to see a strange hidden passage inside an old abandoned railway tunnel. And there is rumours of a "strategic reserve" of steam loco's being kept hidden for possible use during the cold war years, and there was rumours of lines branching off inside tunnels into secret underground storage sidings, but no-one seems to know if any of it is true, or at least anyone who does know is keeping very quiet, most likely because they have to. So it's all a bit mysterious and full of speculation, and one such rumoured location is somewhere near Chorley.
i like roundhouses and turntables ... were any of those on the line?
Yes, sandsend, my other channel, RetroGamerVX has a real time video walking through :) The door is actually open. If you go to the North of Kettleness tunnel, from a distance, look back at the headland, you can see the slight sump and change in colour of the grass where that heading was dug. I saw one god awful video, that looked down the side tunnels of sandsend and claimed the light was a ghost!! lol. So many people in the comments pointing out, naa, it's just daylight. Sandsend north portal is in a real bad way. The tunnel is worth going in though for the shafts and the 2 side drifts. You can see them in my video.
clearly cool videos
It's not easy to see, but on the 1892/93 map you were showing you can make out part of the original route. It's part of the terracing of the cliff. It gets easier at the Kettleness end.
Coastal erosion has wiped most of it away.
Yup I think you are right.... I really want to go back in less windier weather with the drone
@@pwhitewick that part of the coast is also the birth place of the British chemical industry. After the split from the Pope in the Tudir times the Pope banned the sale of alum to England; the Papal states were the monopoly supplier. Thomas Challoner had already noticed that fossils in this part of Yorkshire and what is now Redcar and Cleveland were similar to those found in the quarries in the Papal State. Basically coal from brought from Newcastle to burn the local shale over nine month, which was then put into pits filled with urine (carried back from London as ballast in the colliers that took coal to London) to extract the alum needed by the dyers of cloth. At the peak of production 200 tons of stale urine was needed per year, that's the equivalent of the out put of 1000 people. The alum helps the dye to stick fastto the cloth. The last of the coastal alum works closed in 1871 due to the invention of synthetic alum, but to this day we Yorkshire folk are still taking the piss out of southerners, especially Londoners.
@@pwhitewick the recently reprinted Oakwell Press book on the Whitby yo Loftus Railway has some very detailed maps of where the original construction was. The book also details an intended in land route from Whitby that avoided the Sandsend area completely.
8:26... grease up with goose fat, get your trunks on...you found a flume tube!
The run back around to the stat might get tiring though.
We love tunnels... There is more than 3000 (secret) tunnels where we are in Tenerife.. You should come 👍
Well that sounds brilliant
Went into both a few years ago, Kettleness is in good shape, Sandsend is on its last legs. There are bad sections with huge bulges and its opposite portal has collapsed.
Glad we didnt go in, in that case!
Hi, i love your railway videos. Is it possible you could shoot your different video cameras at the same frame rate so that the video doesn't stutter/skip when changing between the two of you filming, or a drone shot? Thanks and keep making interesting enjoyable videos.
Thanks for the feedback Wayne. Really good point as i didn't notice a stutter. We both film in 30fps but Rebecca is 2.7k and I am 1080. (Matts was 60fps and 4k). Can you give me an exact example from the video so I can see it happen. Much appreciated.
Drone shot lift off from the crop field at the beginning of the Blisworth Tunnel Mystery stutters/ frame skips as if one of the cameras is shot at a different frame rate, 24, 30 or 50.
@@brcinemawm ah funny you should mention that. That was Matts dji Osmo. OK any examples from this weeks video as thats a tad more up to date and ill be able to recall the details
@@pwhitewick
Shot coming down from Whitby Abbey and in car at Sandsend and then on footpath after. Beautiful part of the country. Been on holiday for last 10 years or so all around there. Based in Scarborough. Have you been to Ravenscar Tearooms train tunnel yet? I've got some pics.
Go Pro is stuttering in latest vid on steps.
Tunnel i pictured is well hidden and steep to get down to.
My torch is 1500 lumens like yours.
HS2 vid was brill and informative!
From time to time there is news saying the tunnels are going to be reopened for cycle routes .
Canadian here. Not everyone knows about Sandsend and Kettleness.
Ha... thats a good point
To make your next trip up North more worthwhile check out Skiningrove Mining Museum (Private so check opening times) experience an iron stone mine. Find out why the railway company and the ironstone company had a big fallout which led to a steam loco being made redundant and mounted on blocks to drive an electric generator for the mines and the village
There's a tunnel somewhere near Saltburn that goes from a field down to an unaccessible beach 🏖, it would be great to find out more so l could use it to go kayaking from the beach.
You love your tunnels
Cool video guys you do right to not put your safety at risk... I hope that came out right
Cheers Andy, yup absolutely.