CAMPAIGNERS who hope to reopen a disused railway tunnel have unveiled plans for a memorial to the ten men known to have died during its construction.

The tribute is proposed by the Queensbury Tunnel Society, which wants the Victorian structure to be reopened to form the centrepiece of a cycle path network connecting Halifax to Bradford and Keighley.

Work on the 1.4-mile-long tunnel began in May, 1874, when navvies started to sink a shaft close to its north end.

Around 600 men were employed on the project, which involved the excavation of 180,000 cubic yards of rock as well as the manufacture and placement of over seven million bricks to form the arch.

Progress was significantly delayed by the volume of groundwater entering the workings. Pumps at five of the seven construction shafts removed 63,000 gallons of water every hour.

The engineering feat was eventually completed in July, 1878 – more than two years after the date specified in the contract – but at huge human cost.

In addition to those who died, dozens of workers suffered appalling injuries during construction.

The youngest person to lose his life was 25-year-old Frederick Goulding, who was crushed between a wagon and a large timber.

The oldest was John Swire, 44. He was run over by wagons in the tunnel’s southern approach cutting.

Newlywed Captain Pickles was the last fatality. He died in June, 1877, after being struck by a half-ton roof support.

Others succumbed to explosions, drownings and falls at the shafts.

To commemorate the navvies, the society is planning to erect a memorial comprising two rows of railway sleepers – one sleeper for each of the ten men.

They would stand either side of the path connecting the Great Northern Railway Trail to the tunnel entrance.

An offer of help has been received from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, plus the society is exploring the possibility of salvaging a collection of sleepers from a tunnel on the former Bradford to Thornton line.

Dr Norah McWilliam, the society leader, said: “The experiences of these men are beyond the comprehension of anyone in the 21st century.

“Although they were paid comparatively well, the risks they faced were overwhelming. Every shift could realistically be their last.

“Of the navvies involved in construction, one in every 60 lost their lives; even more would have suffered life-changing injuries. And every accident brought with it the threat of destitution for the family, as there was no financial support from the companies involved.

“Although there were basic safeguards, health and safety simply didn’t exist as we now know it. Almost every construction activity was perilous – the use of explosives, excavating rock overhead; it was very difficult to control the risks associated with tunnelling in the Victorian era.

“What we fail to appreciate when we’re sitting in comfort on today’s modern trains is that the infrastructure we’re travelling on, through or over was mostly built 140-plus years ago. We owe these men a huge debt for their determination in gifting us our railway network against the odds. The very least we can do is pause to reflect on the sacrifices they made.

“Hopefully our memorial will serve as a focus for those reflections.”

Queensbury Tunnel has been plagued by controversy since Highways England – which manages it on the Department for Transport’s behalf – announced plans for a partial infilling scheme, after voicing safety concerns. A planning application, which has not yet been determined, has attracted more than 7,250 objections.

Dr McWilliam said it would be “a travesty” if the tunnel was lost.