Old Sodbury Church Of England Primary

"Let your light shine" Matthew 5:16

Railway Tunnel and Ventilation Shaft

They started work on the Sodbury Tunnel in 1897 and finished in 1902-1903. It properly finished in 1903 because passengers were not allowed on the train in 1902 as it was mostly for cargo trains. They made the line longer to reduce the amount of trains between Bristol and Wales. Around 150 navvies and 100 railway workers worked on the tunnel. There was a station in Chipping Sodbury until 1961.

At both sides of the tunnel is The Great Western Railway also known as (GWR) which runs from London to Bristol. It was built in 1835-41 it was first used to carry coal and other supplies. It also extends to Wales to get there it uses the Seven Tunnel and when it ends is goes to Newport, Swansea, and Cardiff Central.

The ventilation shaft was built in 1898 so that train smoke could come out of the tunnel. There are six in total. They built a brick factory in Old Sodbury to build the tunnel and shafts.