Railways and Tramways of Australia

Oppressive tunnel

 

Ardglen Tunnel was opened on 13 August 1877.

 

Construction of the Great Northern Railway from Newcastle reached Murrurundi in 1872. It was a further five years before the next section was completed, between Murrurundi and Quirindi, which included Ardglen Tunnel.

 

Ardglen Tunnel is a single-track tunnel with a length of 488 metres. Steep 1 in 40 grades approach it on both sides, and the gradient through the tunnel is 1 in 40 facing northbound trains.

 

Work on the tunnel took longer than expected because of the hard basalt rock, landslips and labour shortages. To mark the official opening, two trains ran from Murrurundi to Quirindi. Among the official guests were Commissioner for Railways John Rae and Engineer-in-Chief for Existing Lines John Whitton. A large crowd gathered in Quirindi, where Rae officially declared the line open. A banquet followed in the goods shed.

 

Conditions in the tunnel were oppressive for steam locomotive crews. A driver and fireman were severely scalded by steam while passing through the tunnel in November 1909. The fireman died later in Murrurundi Hospital. Another serious accident occurred in July 1926 when a driver and fireman were overcome by fumes in the tunnel. The train ran away and derailed. The fireman was killed and the driver was injured.

 

Respirators were introduced in 1927 to assist engine crews. They included a mask, hood and gloves. The mask was attached to a flexible tube connected to a fresh air supply. These provided relief but it was difficult to control a steam locomotive while using a respirator in the dark confines of a tunnel while surrounded by fumes and deafening noise.

 

The oppressive Ardglen Tunnel is the oldest tunnel used by regular passenger and freight trains in New South Wales.

 

View

An Xplorer train proceeding through Ardglen Tunnel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6PWd35B29s

 

Bibliography

RK Booth, ‘Byways of steam – Murrurundi’, Roundhouse, vol. 18, no. 4, October 1981, pp 4–27.

R Love, ‘The death of Herbert John Heffernan’, In Byways of steam 6, Eveleigh Press, Sydney, 1993, pp 33–59.

‘Opening of the Great Northern Railway extension to Quirindi’, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 14 August 1877, p 4.

‘Opening of the Great Northern Railway extension to Quirindi’, The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 14 August 1877, p 4.