Cross Town Train Traditional Cache
Phil100: I have checked this morning and it looks as though it has been taken. 😒 I've decided not to replace it.
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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The cache location is in the Ouseburn area of Newcastle which, over recent years, has gone through extensive redevelopment. The cache itself is a small "snap-lock" container with a log book and pencil and a few trinkets. It should be able to hold small trackables.
The Victoria Tunnel, an underground waggonway, was built to take coal from Spittal Tongues Colliery to the Tyne for shipping in a bid to cut the cost of transporting the coal through the streets of Newcastle by cart. Digging began in 1839 after the colliery owners' plans for a railway through Jesmond had been turned down and the corporation granted permission for them to dig a tunnel under Central Newcastle instead. The tunnel was 2 miles long, had a brick arched roof and a stone inverted arched floor for drainage. It measured approximately 7ft high and 6 1/2ft wide. At its deepest point it is 85ft below street level. It cut the price of transportation to 1/8th of its former cost, but the seam at the colliery gave out, and the tunnel was closed 18 years later.
At the outbreak of WWII, it was found to be perfect for conversion into an air raid shelter and £37,000 was spent on installing blast walls, chemical toilets, and entrances at various points along its route including: Claremont Rd, The Hancock Museum, Barras Bridge near St Thomas' Church, Ridley Place, Shieldfield near Copeland Terrace, Crawhall Road, and Ouse St.
After the Battle of Britain in 1941 the need for such shelters declined, as the air-raids decreased, and it fell out of use. The lower part of the Tunnel can be toured by appointment and emailing tunnelenquiries@newcastle.gov.uk may well get you a place on one of their fab tours.
The 'visitable' part of the Victoria Tunnel, some of which - including the audio-visual displays - is wheelchair accessible, extends to a total of 766 yards (700m) underground with it having been restored by Newcastle City Council.
Suffer from "Undergroundophobia" or cannot make the tour dates? Use this link for a virtual tour:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/tm_headline=below-the-streets--a-tunnel-into-our-history&method=full&objectid=18820448&siteid=50081-name_page.html
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(Decrypt)
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