Whitaker tunnelling machine & Winchelsea tunnels

[NigelS]

A recent episode of UK TV's Yesterday Channel's 'Impossible Engineering' (Series 5, Episode 1 'London's Super Sewer' https://uktvplay.uktv.co.uk/shows/impossible-engineering/watch-online/6120026276001) describes how past engineering technology developments and discoveries have evolved to be used in the construction of the London 'super sewer'  currently under construction. The hi-tech boring machines being used on this project are, apparently, the latest evolution of  Douglas Whitaker's (or is it Whittaker?) early tunnelling machines one of which  was used - albeit unsuccessfully - on the Western Front (from previous topics Messines?)  which is still believed to  be underground where it was abandoned. The programme shows a later, but  similar, machine from the Science Museum's collection (not accessible to the general public) which was used in the 1920's attempts to build a Channel tunnel. Also shown are  tunnels at Winchelsea, Dover ( https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/winchelsea-caves/ ; also not usually accessible to the general public) which, as a trial,  were bored through chalk during the Great War possibly for use as air raid shelters then (& later during WWII) by a Whitaker machine prior to the failed deployment on the Western Front. 

 

NigelS

[Chasemuseum]

There are also photos of the Austrians experimenting with a similar TBM.

[Steve T]

The Whitaker machine shown on the programme was refurbished at Fairclough Tunnelling workshops at Cold Meece in 1991. I was the project engineer. Lovely to see it hasn't been forgotten. 

Edited 13 April , 2023 by Steve T