The Somerset and Dorset railway network Combe Down Tunnel is the northern portal and Devonshire Tunnel is the southern portal which both were opened in 1874.

Combe down tunnel was once the longest tunnel in the UK without ventilation when trains pass through it would be very hard to travel through its dark blackness the tunnel would fill up with smoke when trains had heavy loads on which would cause drivers to pass out.

Combe Down Tunnel is 1,829 yards (1,672m)long

Devonshire Tunnel is 447 yards (409m) long

The two tunnels were closed in 1966 until may 2008 when planning permission was approved to turn the two tunnels into an cycling path which opened on 06 April 2013 after the tunnel was equipped with cycle friendly surface and led lighting.

THE TWO RUNAWAY TRAIN STORY

on 26 July 1936 driver Rawlings and fireman Frank Parker was on there little Jinty tank engine which was carrying 8 coal wagons at 8.10am they noticed a large class heavy train heading towards them to avoid head on they open their regulator to try and get away from the runaway, The crew on the 7F train jump off the footplate to try and pinned down the break on the wagons to slow the train down. Rawlings jumped off his train and climbed onto the 7F and slowed the train down to a halt to stop a disaster.

Fireman  Frank Parker didn’t hear Rawlings to stop their engine to the train and he also jump off the footplate which now their train was an runaway which was heading toward Wellow, Midford and bath with eight wagon both trying to catch up with the Jinty but could only watch in horror as the train went out of sight.

lucky no one was killed or hurt the train caused a lot of damage as it was doing 50mph along the track seven of the wagons derailed on along the way the damaged cause was telegraph poles, signal post, station building was damaged in Midford then six wagon fell 40ft  down embankment which two landed in an residents garden at this point it was surprise the engine didn’t derail at this time.

The train and it one wagon that was left on the train but only by running on one wheel set carry on to Bath yes the train made it way through both Combe down and Devonshire Tunnels successfully the engine derail under Claude Avenue Bridge when the coal wagon door end fell off the train was lodged sideway against the bridge stonework which was lucky all there would off be an collision with an passenger train which was leaving Green park station in bath 20 minutes after the crash.

TRAIN CRASH

On 20 November 1929 at 3.25pm the driver was Henry Jennings and fireman Maurice Pearce had left to go towards Bath with an full load which was mainly coal, The engine was not steaming well but the crew carry on they was running late and had to stop to let one goods train and two passenger train to pass.

As they enter the mile long Combe Down Tunnel due to the train moving slowly through the tunnel it became very hot and filled up with smoke which cause the driver and the fireman to become unconscious by the fumes, now the train is heading to the end of the tunnel which is an incline down toward Bath travelling at about 50 to 60 mph.

Sadly people were killed, Inspector John Norman was killed in his office and a clerk  who was with the LMS was killed by debris as he walked across the yard, The driver died on the way to the hospital the Fireman Pearce and the guard Christopher Wagner were only badly injured. 

The route was used in world war one and two which help troop trains, armament trains and ambulance trains were seen over the line in large numbers.

On 21 march 1879 Francis was in the Combe Down tunnel was replacing a broken fishplate bolt by himself around 2.40pm an Wimborne to Bath train enter the South portal side of the tunnel, This would of change the air pressure and tweaked his eardrum and make his flame on the hand lamp flicker why did Francis not stand clear from the track in one of the standing room in the tunnels.

By not doing so he paid with his life and was found laying next to the track still conscious but with his injuries he lost an boot with his foot still inside the boot which was found later by an engine driver, His other injuries was his left leg was crushed, six ribs broken and his scalp bore a large gash sadly Francis die at Royal Untied Hospital Bath leaving behind his wife and six kids this was not an suicide he was just one out of 1.032 lives that are taken by Britain Railway.