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225:. In accordance with this policy, between June 1893 and 1895, a second Ampthill Tunnel was constructed alongside the first bore. As it was determined to be impracticable to drive a bore between the faces due to the lengthy cuttings on either side for the operating line, the additional tunnel was instead entirely excavated from three shafts that were sunk from above. The completed second tunnel had a length of 717 yards (656 m); this was slightly shorter than the original tunnel, which reportedly possessed a length of 759 yards (694 m).
235:(DMU), which traversed Ampthill Tunnel at a speed of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h); the tunnel was closely monitored by engineers to evaluate the effects of the pressure waves generated by the train's speed run. Having found the conditions imposed acceptable, numerous stretches of the line were cleared for trains to regularly run at the elevated maximum speed of 125 mph, including Ampthill Tunnel.
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wherever practical to do so. Both bores have remained active through to the present day. During mid 2012, Ampthill Tunnel was subject to a series of high speed evaluation runs, including a record maximum speed for the route of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h); in the following year, the line speeds
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The first
Ampthill Tunnel was built during the 1860s; growing demand on the line led to the original double-track configuration being inadequate for further growth. Thus, during the 1890s, a second Ampthill Tunnel was constructed directly alongside, facilitating the Midland Railway's expansion plans
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By the 1890s, company officials had recognised that, due to a lack of free capacity for running further services, an expansion programme was required for the
Midland Main Line, which primarily involved its widening from two tracks to four along much of the route between
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60103 'Flying
Scotsman' races out of Ampthill Tunnel on 'The Yorkshireman' - 30/06/18 via youtube.com
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On 1 July 2012, a new record maximum speed for the
Midland Main Line was established by a
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The
Ampthill Tunnel was constructed during the early 1860s on behalf of the
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Chapter XXXVI. Timbering of the
Ampthill Second Tunnel (Midland Railway)
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201:. It was necessary to traverse a hill on the outskirts of the town of
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were increased to 125 mph along much of the
Midland Main Line.
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Ampthill Tunnel on the
Midland Mainline via geograph.org.uk
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342:"The New Midland Line between Bedford and London"
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383:"125 mph test heralds Midland Main Line upgrade"
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371:. networkrailmediacentre.co.uk. 2 July 2012.
301:. Geological Survey of England. p. 225.
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16:Railway tunnel in Bedfordshire, England
357:– via British Newspaper Archive.
329:– via British Newspaper Archive.
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369:"Record Speed on Midland Main Line"
299:"Excursion to Ampthill and Bedford"
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297:Cameron, A.C.G. (25 July 1885).
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438:Rail transport in Bedfordshire
255:Simms, Fred K. Walter (1895).
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388:. btpa.police.uk. July 2013.
164:, being positioned between
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423:Railway tunnels in England
347:Sheffield Daily Telegraph
314:"The New Ampthill Tunnel"
261:. icevirtuallibrary.com.
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443:Tunnels in Bedfordshire
349:. England. 13 July 1868
321:. England. 30 June 1894
230:British Rail Class 222
143:759 yards (694 m)
319:Bedfordshire Mercury
233:diesel multiple unit
88:52.03361°N 0.51333°W
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267:10.1680/pt4e.51768
93:52.03361; -0.51333
276:978-0-7277-5176-8
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129:Network Rail
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207:Oxford clay
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66:Coordinates
417:Categories
325:29 October
239:References
109:Work begun
76:52°02′01″N
219:Kettering
178:Kettering
135:Technical
104:Operation
79:0°30′48″W
428:Ampthill
203:Ampthill
170:Flitwick
158:Ampthill
58:Ampthill
54:Location
39:Overview
353:28 July
282:28 July
211:fossils
189:History
166:Bedford
160:on the
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223:London
182:London
154:tunnel
140:Length
117:Opened
386:(PDF)
125:Owner
355:2017
327:2017
284:2020
271:ISBN
221:and
180:and
168:and
120:1868
112:1865
44:Line
263:doi
156:at
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