Thackley Tunnel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thackley tunnel is a tunnel upon the Airedale line from Leeds to Shipley then on to Bradford or Skipton. Built in 1844/5^{[citation needed]} the tunnel is approximately 1200m long and cut through the prominent Thackley hill reducing travel time. The contractor chose to build the Tunnel was James Bray an Iron and Brass founder from Leeds who later contracted the construction of Bramhope on the Leeds to Thirsk main line. Originally there was one Tunnel shaft but in 1900 the Line was increased to quadruple tracks and a second Tunnel was built one carrying the Fast lines from Leeds and the other the slow lines. The Southern tunnel was closed in 1968 co-inciding with the final closure of the Great Northern Branchline from Shipley to Laisterdyke Via Idle & Thackley. At the Western mouth of the Tunnel stood the original Idle station (albeit closer to Thackley than Idle) it opened in 1847 but closed the following year in 1848.