Here's something that has been bugging me for a while, I notice that the land directly above the course of tunnels is often empty, when the land all around is planted with trees (leaving a clear strip through the forest marking the course of the tunnel). I've always guessed that this is something to do with land ownership; the rail companies owning the land vertically above the tunnels and the tree-people not having the right to plant on it... anyone got any other theories, or know the reason?
BlackMountainSite Forum » Tunnels
Empty land above tunnels
(7 posts)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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Maybe Summut to do with the land being more shallow maybe? This would mean that there was not enough soil to sustain trees. If memory of GCSE Biology serves, trees tend to be as big underground as they are overground...
Posted 2 years ago # -
Hmm, I thought of this too but there's empty land over Abernant tunnel, even where it's 600feet underground... they'd have to be some pretty big trees!
Welcome to the forum by the way, you're my first member that isn't me, or Axeman (who set it up for me) :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
Land ownership makes sense then, though you see farmed pasture over some tunnels too. Maybe it depends on the tunnel?
Posted 2 years ago # -
i think it,s to do with the fact that the land above tunnels belongs to the tunnel owners, but it does seem to be mainly in forested areas
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think so. There are too many examples of this empty land for them to be coincidental fire-breaks, although I suppose they would serve this purpose anyway.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Probably something to do with the Railway Consolidation Act of 1845. Similarly you will always find the coal still intact below railway land, or atleast you did. It is a very lucrative business obtaininbg rights to dig the coal which was sterilised by the railways.
Posted 1 year ago #
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