There is so much detail in this week's prompt that it's difficult to know where to start, especially when you have no photos of your own that are appropriate.
Let's look at the prompt again,
We know that it's Liverpool - a city where I have only been to Anfield, the football ground. Forced to look at the picture my eyes alighted on the sign showing the direction to a tunnel.
I have been through many rail and road tunnels in my time but never one on a canal like the one protected by this sign in Leicestershire.
Let's look at the prompt again,
I have been through many rail and road tunnels in my time but never one on a canal like the one protected by this sign in Leicestershire.
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| Sign approaching Saddington Tunnel 31 July 2006 - by Kate Jewell - CC By-SA 2.0 - Geograph Project collection |
Saddington Tunnel, also known as Fleckney Tunnel. on the Grand Union Canal was opened for traffic in April 1797.
Some tunnel signs may be confusing like this one you will find on a waterway under the Pennines.
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| Inside Hyde Bank Tunnel 8 August 2009 - by David Jones on Flickr - CC BY 2.0 |
Hyde Bank Tunnel is only 924 feet (300m) long and despite being unusually wide it has no towpath. If you are still confused by the sign - it means you are halfway through.
A much longer tunnel is to be found on the Settle & Carlisle Railway in Cumbria as you can see from this sign at its northern end.
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| Blea Moor Tunnel near Stonehouse, Cumbria 21 February 2002 - CC BY-SA 2.0 |
At 2629 yds (2404m) Blea Moor is the longest tunnel on the line and is located between The Ribblehead Viaduct and Dent railway station.
For a road tunnel I just have to come back to Liverpool for the Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnel though it's not a particularly inviting picture. There are a few lamp posts and even a van, not one for furniture unfortunately.
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| Queensway Tunnel 3 August 2007 - by Quackdave - PD |
If there are any Harry Potter fans reading this, you might like to know that the scene from Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows - Part 1 where Harry skips on a bus while on Hagrid's enchanted motor bike was filmed in the tunnel in September 2009.
If you wondered what the 'column' was towards the left of the Liverpool photo was, I've solved the mystery - it was one of these.
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| Light pylon near Queensway Tunnel exit at Birkenhead |
26 March 2003 - by Rept0n1x - CC BY-SA 3.0
This was on of the original tunnel pylons.
If by now you have tunnel vision and suffer from claustrophobia, on your way across to Sepia-Saturday-207., you might like to take a -
14 comments:
That is the first time I ever heard of a "chain" as a unit of measure.
Great take on the theme. The tunnel signs are all interesting. Love the song at the end.
These are most interesting. It's probably obvious to everyone else but not to me - what does SAC stand for on the Blea Moor tunnel ? Looking at tunnel pictures brings back the distinctive smell you got when your train with a steam engine went through a tunnel
Chain is not a measurement you see very often any more. I don't know what SAC means either. Used to love going through train tunnels. Only canal I remember is the one that runs past Brigg in Lincolnshire, we lived on that one for a while.
Postcardy - a chain is a US unit of measurement as well. UK (Imperial) chain = 22 yards.
boundforoz/Jo - SAC = Settle and Carlisle.
I enjoyed you unusual take on the theme. "Chains" as units of measurement takes me back to those old exercise books at school with multiplication tables and measures etc. on the back, with such archaic terms as gills, quarts, furlongs etc.
Oh what fun, this was like a trip for me as well. Not only that you have given me just the greatest of ideas for my post. Time has been so short for me to blog, once the holidays are over things should settle, but you gave me inspiration on this busiest day ever! Nice post.
I think most of us will go off on tangents this week - I enjoyed my trip though your tunnelling tangent.
Enjoyed the video, took me back to when I was younger. I even noticed a little "Line Dancing" going on there.
I think I see a light at the end of your post, Bob. Having been introduced to the British Waterways system on two narrow boat holidays, I've become fascinated with the canal engineering. As I understand the canal tunnels, the ponies were walked around, being afraid of the dark I guess, while the boatmen would lie on their backs and propel the boat by "walking" along the tunnel ceiling. And thanks for the explanation of the light pylons. I could only think it might be an ancient Egyptian relic.
I found going through tunnels on the canals in the Midlands very exciting and, since I was at the helm of the narrow boat, extremely nerve wracking.
Th light pylons are amazing - very stylish.Over-engineered do you think?
I remember some of those train tunnels were pretty long up along the Canadian border, going to Seattle via the Rockey Mountains. Perfect place for a murder if the lights blinked out. Maybe I've been watching too much Poirot lately.
Fine idea for a post! There are some tunnels in Oklahoma but most built were for smuggling and the prohibition era. There's a series of tunnels in Oklahoma City constructed for pedestrian traffic in the mid town area. But I've never seen them.
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