In the early hours of Saturday 17 March 1979 a section of Penmanshiel Tunnel roof collapsed during work being carried out to lower the trackbed. Of the 15 men on site at the time, two were tragically killed. It was deemed too dangerous to attempt to re-excavate the tunnel or try to recover the bodies and it was eventually decided to seal off the structure and divert the ECML via a new cutting to the west. This also necessitated realignment of the A1 trunk road. A memorial to the two men killed in the tunnel collapse, Peter Fowler and Gordon Turnbull, is seen here on 8 March 2010 looking south west from the hillside above the abandoned tunnel. See image 28047
Location: Penmanshiel Memorial
Original line: North British Railway
Photographer: John Furnevel
Contact photographer: John Furnevel
Date: 08/03/2010
Image number: 28041