The Kelmarsh Tunnels are disused

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

s in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, England. The

Northampton to Market Harborough line Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

opened in 1859 and had tunnels at Kelmarsh and nearby Oxendon. The original tunnel was single-track, and when the line was doubled a second single-track tunnel was built. Due to the small bore, the tunnels were known as "the rat-holes" by train drivers. The former "up" line tunnel at Kelmarsh is open as part of the

Brampton Valley Way The Brampton Valley Way is a rail trail built on the way of the former Northampton to Market Harborough Railway in Northamptonshire, England. It forms what trail managers, Northamptonshire County Council, describe as a linear park. The railwa ...

, a linear park which runs from Boughton

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass An overpass (called ...

on the outskirts of

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

to Little Bowden near

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough District, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in ...

, on the former railway trackbed. A species of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

''Triphosa dubitata'' has been observed to overwinter inside Kelmarsh Tunnel. The tunnel is easily navigated on foot or by cyclists, and the open bore has been effectively restored but is unlit. The sign on site placed by the council indicates the tunnel length as . The other bore is sometimes accessible from one end but unsafe. the ventilation shafts approximately half of the way through lets in light water and air; also these do not have covers on so are considered unsafe.

External links

Northampton & Lamport Railway
{{coord, 52.4067, -0.8966, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures in Northamptonshire Rail transport in Northamptonshire Railway tunnels in England Pedestrian tunnels in the United Kingdom Tunnels in Northamptonshire Tunnels completed in 1859 Footpaths in Northamptonshire Disused tunnels

See also

External links