Description: See also DCHQ008555.
The entrance to Cowburn Tunnel & the railway track going over Cowburn or Colborne Moor to the shaft from where the greater part of the spoil was extracted and to where the lining material for the 900Æ deep castellated shaft was transported. The vast amount of water released from the hills was piped to three water tanks, two at Chinley station and one at Chapel Milton to provide water for the steam locomotives.
The construction of the tunnel was started c.1888, & after opening by Queen Victoria in 1893, was closed for 12 months before coming into general use in 1894.