Kilsby Tunnel

Kilsby Tunnel
Air shaft in the Kilsby Tunnel, illustrated in an 1852 railway publication
Overview
LocationNorthamptonshire
Coordinates52°19′52″N 1°09′50″W / 52.331°N 1.164°W / 52.331; -1.164
StartKilsby
EndCrick
Operation
OwnerNetwork Rail
OperatorWest Coast Main Line
Technical
Track length2,216 m
No. of tracksTwo

The Kilsby Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line in England, near the village of Kilsby in Northamptonshire, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Rugby. It is 2,423 yards (2,216 m) long.

The Kilsby Tunnel was designed and engineered by Robert Stephenson for the London & Birmingham Railway (L&BR). It was constructed by contractors Joseph Nowell & Sons and later by the L&BR. It took much longer to construct and exceeded its estimated cost, attributed to a roof collapse and consequential flooding. At the time of its opening in 1838, it was the longest railway tunnel ever constructed.[1]

The tunnel had atypically large ventilation shafts, because of a lack of experience as to how much ventilation would be needed for steam locomotives to pass through.[1] On opening in 1838, the tunnel was single track and in 1879, double-track was laid. In March 1987, Kilsby Tunnel portals and its two ventilation shafts were given listed status.

  1. ^ a b Bickerdike, Graeme (27 April 2018). "Stairway to heaven: shaft repairs at Kilsby tunnel". Rail Engineer. Retrieved 5 July 2020.