Wallers Ash tunnel collapse
In the Wallers Ash tunnel collapse on April 2, 1842, a section of the railway tunnel at Wallers Ash, Hampshire , Great Britain , collapsed . Four people died. This is one of the earliest tunnel accidents in railway history .
Geographical location
The Tunnel of Wallers Ash is located in the village of South Wonston just outside of Winchester as part of the railway line by the then Station London -Nine Elms to Southampton .
Starting position
The 458-meter-long Wallers' Ash Tunnel is part of the railway infrastructure on this route, opened in 1840 by the London and South Western Railway . It was driven through limestone and then lined with bricks . After the tunnel was completed, but before the relevant section of the route was opened, part of the tunnel vault had collapsed and large quantities of rock had slipped behind. A cavity formed next to and above the tunnel. The cavity next to the tunnel was filled, but left above the tunnel. Here only the vault was restored. There was an access shaft to the cavity created in this way.
As the erosion progressed , pieces of rock repeatedly fell from the ceiling of the cavity onto the vault. This resulted in damage to the vault, which was found during an inspection on March 28, 1842.
the accident
The chief engineer of the railway company then ordered that workers should enter the cavity through the shaft and pull out the loose rock lying on the vault to relieve it. While this work was in progress, the vault collapsed.
consequences
Four construction workers died and an unknown number were injured.
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 7 ′ 26 " N , 1 ° 17 ′ 46.3" W.