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A quick question one of Nottstalgia's resident train experts might be able to answer for me.

Travelling from Skeg to Nottm via Grantham on the train, can anyone tell me where the long tunnel before Grantham Station is located please.

No particular reason, would just like to know out of curiosity !

Thank you.

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Probably Gonerby tunnel, on the Grantham side of Allerton Junction, where the Grantham and Skegness lines from Nottingham diverged or, in your direction of travel, via Grantham, converged. So it's after Grantham, not before.

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It's before Grantham actually, Valuer Jim! It's the only tunnel between Nottingham and Skeg and I would guess it's about 700 yards long.

If you travel to Skegness on a train which stops at Grantham, you pass through it twice now, because the train will reverse and come back to Allington Junction before turning off to Skeggy.

If you get a direct train to Skegness which doesn't stop at Grantham, you won't pass through it at all!

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Ah, well the same thing applies when travelling from Skeggy.

Once through the tunnel before arriving at Grantham, then again through the tunnel after leaving there for Nottingham.

But as catfan says, only if the train calls at Grantham that is.

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That's right, since the chord was put in. I assumed Catfan was asking about the pre-chord situation.

In which case it would have been Peascliffe Tunnel on the main line between Barkston and Grantham (quite a bit longer than Gonerby Tunnel). After then leaving Grantham for Nottingham the train would then, as now, go through Gonerby Tunnel.

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Quite right Mr Imp. 967 yds long. My recollection of the services from my trainspotting days has Nottingham to Skegness trains bypassing Grantham, with the odd Grantham to Skegness dmu leaving from the bay platform at the north end of the up platform and via the, since lifted, link at Barkston. I guess it made more sense for the services to go direct by reversing at Grantham, but this may have been after my time. Incidentally, aren't locomotive names and numbers useful as passwords?

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Well done Merthyr Imp, that tunnel does seem quite long, it goes for ages !

You should try going through the Severn Tunnel! Or from Sheffield to Manchester, which has three long tunnels, making up I think around 18% of the whole distance.

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I agree with Merthyr's figures - Totley tunnel : 6,230 yards between Dore & Totley and Grindleford; Cowburn tunnel : 3,702 yards between Edale and Chinley; and Disley tunnel : 3,866 yards, between Chinley and Hazel Grove. Total 13,798 yards or about 7.8 miles of tunnel from a total distance Sheffield to Manchester of around 43 miles.

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Well, there's also a tunnel 12 miles long on the HS1 line to the Channel Tunnel and the 17+ miles of the Northern Line on the London Underground, but I was thinking more of Network Rail lines (i.e. the former British Rail).

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