Standedge Tunnel

Builder: Phil Porter

Gauge & scale: 2mm:1ft scale, 9mm gauge ‘N’

Size: 6ft by 3½ ft

The Pennines have always offered the perfect backdrop for watching and photographing trains but, during the 1970s, already thin pickings were about to get thinner. The spectacular Stainmore Route went in the early 1960s, Matlock-buxton followed in 1968 and now the Woodhead Route appears to be under threat. However, one line – Stalybridge to Huddersfield – seems to be safe, including the wonderful vantage point at Standedge Tunnel. The remains of the canal still flow in and around the tracks and, despite recent track rationalisation, the tunnels and valley form a spectacular setting as a two-car DMU rumbles east.