Monday 18 Jan 2010
ICE PHOTOS SHOW BIG FREEZE COULD NOT STOP RAILWAY
- Region & Route:
Dramatic pictures issued by Network Rail show that even massive icicles weighing several tonnes could not stop trains running on the Settle-Carlisle line in the recent bad weather.
The photos show icicles that formed in and around ventilation shafts deep inside the tunnels as a result of the natural seepage of water through the ground. Even when temperatures rise above freezing in the open air, they are always several degrees colder inside the tunnels.
A 20mph temporary speed restriction was imposed through both Rise Hill and Blea Moor tunnels, which were the worst affected, although several others had smaller icicles.
As well as icicles, there is also a build up of ice at track level in the tunnels, giving the effect of stalactites and stalagmites in caves. Fortunately, the fact that trains run 24 hours a day keeps the ice off the tracks themselves.
Elsewhere on the line, even when the railway tracks were barely visible, the trains kept running, prompting the Friends of the Settle – Carlisle Line to issue a news release to that effect.
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