Penmanshiel Tunnel Monument
Landmark Duns Borders

Penmanshiel Tunnel Monument

Landmark In Duns, Borders

A monument to two engineers who died during the collapse of the Penmanshiel Tunnel expansion.

The Penmanshiel Tunnel was a railway tunnel that was constructed between 1845 and 1846 which ran between Dunbar and Berwick-upon-Tweed. Measuring 244m in length it carried two train tracks.

The tunnel was used by a wide variety of trains, including passenger trains, freight trains, and military trains.

In 1979, the tunnel was closed for improvement works to increase the clearance for larger containers. However during these works, a section of the tunnel roof collapsed, killing two engineers.

Roughly 20m of the tunnel's arched ceiling caved in, triggering a massive rockfall. The rubble and debris filled the tunnel for approximately 30m, completely engulfing a dump truck, an excavator, and the two workers operating them, Peter Fowler and Gordon Turnbull.

It was deemed that the tunnel was now too dangerous to reopen and so was replaced by a new bypass.

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How To Find Penmanshiel Tunnel Monument

Where Is Penmanshiel Tunnel Monument?

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Lat / Long

55.896494, -2.327391

What three words

decimal.melon.dumpling

Where To Park For Penmanshiel Tunnel Monument?

There is a little layby right next to the monument.

Contributed by Simon Hawkins

Thanks for checking out this place on the Fabulous North! I do enjoy a wander out in to the countryside trying to find hidden gems that not many people know about. You can't beat a rogue Pele tower up a remote hill or a mysterious stone circle or a stunning waterfall secluded in a forest.

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Simon Hawkins

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