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Kelvingrove Tunnel [N Portal]

Kelvingrove Park, Finnieston, City of Glasgow (Lanarkshire).

Railway Tunnel, disused (1894-1960).

The locked gates at the stone clad brick wall at the entrance to the tunnel can be seen from under the Eldon St/Gibson St Bridge where the Kelvin Walkway passes from Kelvingrove park under the bridge towards Kelvinbridge.

The Parliamentary Act for the construction of the Glasgow Central Railway passed in June 1888. The small railway company became part of Caledonian Railways one year later. Digging of the tunnel began on 10 June 1890.

'For construction purposes, the line was divided into four contracts. The third of these covered the section between Stobcross Street and the River Kelvin, a distance of 2,323 yards. Successful in tendering for the work, at a cost of about £250,000, was James Young & Co. Responsible for the engineering on behalf of the Caledonian was Charles Forman of Forman & McCall; the resident engineer was Donald Matheson.'

'The tunnel demanded a number of construction methods. At its south end, "core tunnelling" was used to get under buildings on the south side of Argyle Street [including the still existing c.1800 Star Hotel now 'the Finnieston' pub]. This involved short sections of heading being driven at the crown of the intended tunnel, 4 feet square, from which excavations were progressed around the profile, down to invert level. These voids were then filled with concrete and brickwork, allowing the ground beneath to be safely removed. It was thus possible to construct this part of the tunnel in lengths of 4 feet, without affecting the buildings just inches above.'

'The next 270 yards used a "concrete safety arch" as a means of minimising disruption as it passed 35 feet under Kelvingrove Street. The roadway was opened up on one side and, to protect adjacent properties from subsidence, timber piles were then driven to a depth 4 feet below formation level. This was accomplished by a piling machine with a 2½-ton ram which could simultaneously drive three piles 3 feet in 1½ hours. In constructing this section of tunnel and another at Stobcross, 5,500 piles were needed - each 28 feet long and 12 inches square - which would have extended for 30 miles if placed end-to-end.

The exposed ground below the removed roadway was shaped to form a half-arch. From the low point of this arch, a trench was then sunk down to track level - alongside the piles - within which the tunnel's sidewalls could be built. Thereafter, concrete was poured into the excavation, creating a saddle 2 feet 3 inches thick at the crown and more than 6 feet at the haunches. The roadway was then reinstated before the same process was carried out at the other side, resulting in a concrete arch being formed the full width of the tunnel. The material beneath it could then be excavated from shafts along the street and the lining constructed. Hampering activity was a sewer running up the middle of Kelvingrove Street which had to be transferred temporarily into a wooden trough. A new brick sewer was built to replace it as the work moved forward.'

'Beyond Kelvingrove Street, the line passed under West End Park, the gradient easing from 1:100 to 1:260. It had originally been intended to have a station here and, to that end, hoardings were put up, behind which a large box was excavated to accommodate it - 100 yards long, 44 feet wide and 24 feet high. This would have been spanned by steel girders supported by concrete sidewalls, dressed in white glazed brick. But Glasgow Corporation rejected the idea with the station already well advanced, concerns being raised about the impact of a working class influx on the delicate middle classes thereabouts. Had this decision been made sooner, conventional - and much cheaper - tunnelling methods would have been adopted. As it was, a brick arch was instead installed, the box backfilled and the parkland restored to its previous state.

To the north, the railway passed under the hillier part of the park in a bored tunnel of 465 yards, reaching 90 feet below ground level at its deepest point. A summit was encountered close to the midpoint, climbing northwards at 1:100 before falling towards the exit at 1:850. The alignment here curved first to the east before a short westerly curve took over through a final 50-yard cut-and-cover section adjoining the [north] portal.'

'The railway was inspected for the Board of Trade by Colonel Addison in July 1896 and fully opened on 10th August. To ensure the route remained well ventilated, seven specially constructed condensing engines plyed their trade on the line whilst a substantial fan was installed near Wellington Court. The line retained its operational status until 5th October 1964.'[K-Burn]

Alternative Names: Kelvingrove Railway Tunnel

Notes: Given coordinates are for the northern portal (just S of Eldon St).

Hydrographic Feeds: None

Hydrographic Resurgences: None