THER REELWAY TUNNEL

Dust know, ther’s an age when thee thinks thee beyin’ clever – but they do ther daftest things. Mey and mar
maytes ad fownt this reelway tunnel - qweyt long – up Newcastle wey, an wey decided wey wanted walk threw it.
Sew, next dee, wey o got together with ower torchis. Marn was biggest o the lot, a threy battery Ever-Ready torch
with summat larke a threy hundred yard beym. From the bottom of ower road it shiyned on the Collige at the top
end.

Nar the thing abite this tunnel was it ownly ad one track runnin threw it, an every so often, a steym trayn caym
along. But weyd bin pleyin arind this track many tarmes, an wey knew that thee only caym along every alf ower.
Sew wey went ter tunnel entrance an wayted fer a trayn ter cum threw. Then, wey could sey the other end nice an
clear, sew wey started ter walk threw. Abite alf wey threw, wey could sey these reycesses in the tunnel wew fer
ther werkmen ter stand in if a trayn cayme in. As wey started ter cum ite, ar noticed someone ad paynted the
length ow the tunnel in whyte paynt on the wew an it was summat larke 120 yards.

Wey cayme ite in a steyp sarded valley. Theere was grass cummin dine ter a concrayte wew at the bottom. This
wew were ibite ten feyt tow, and wey cudna clarm ite. The valley were ibite 100 yards long and at thee end, tew
ower greyt exartment was another tunnel. Near thee end o the valley thee was a reelway signal with some steps
set in the wew. Wey went up the steps an sat in the grass. This wer a greyt adventure an wey were dead exarted.
Then wey decided ter ave a lewk at this new tunnel. Wey looked dine it an wey cudna sey thee end of it. But weyd
got ower curidge up nar an decarded wey were goin ter go in this tunnel an all. Wey thought wey were very clever
thew…we’d wayt bar this signal fer ther next trayn ter cum past, then wey’d ave a good arf ower tew explore. An
sure enough, after abite ten minutes, a trayn came rumblin threw the tunnel weyd just cum threw – one o them 0-
6-0 Fowler engines.

Sew, when this engine ad gone, wey knew it was safe ter go in this tunnel. The further wey went in, the darker it
got. There’s a Biblical phrase ar learnt later…thick darkness…an that’s what it got larke in this tunnel. Fost of o
wey saw theyse reycesses fer ther werkmen. Ar shone me torch in it but ther lite wudna reych the back er it. Wey
ow stud an lewked at it, but none of us dared gew into it. Wey cudna sey ow deep it was or what was in theer. Wey
started to gew further in the tunnel an it was darker than midneyt. They cudna sey thee and in front of thee feyce.
The darkness just seymed to swallow up the leyt from me torch. It wudna even pick ite the reelway sleypers or
mee feyt. But now wey could sey a feynt bit o leyt at thee end of the tunnel. Wey realised that it curved at thee end
and that they other entrance was just arind this bend. Wey o went in a bit ferther. Then, up above us, wey came
across this leyt cummin dine from a ventilashun shaft. Wey carried on an must ave bin abite arf way in this tunnel.
It were difficult ter walk cause wey cudna sey the grind even with ower torchis, and the reelway sleypers were
unevenly spaced. Theys sleypers stood farve or six inches above the ballast, so it were easy to stumble.
Then wey erd this rumblin sind. Wey o looked behind us but ther wonner a trayn in site. Ar lewked in front, an in
that faynt bit o leyt are cud say the shape of a staym engine cummin in! Ar yelled to mar maytes, an wey turned an
started ter run fer it. But it were dead ard ter run on these reelway sleypers in the dark! Ar were dead scared…ar
cudna gerrany speyd up at ow an ar ad no idea ow fast this engine was cummin up behind us. Then ar tripped an
fell sprawlin on the grind. Me torch flew from me and, it the grind and promptly went ite. At such tarmes, peyple do
the daftest things, an ar spent precious seconds serchin fer me torch. Ar fownt it, grabbed it an gorrup ter run
agen. O the tarme, this rumblin were gerrin lowder and lowder!

Av yer noticed, tame seyms ter slow dine in this sort a situashun. Ar remember thinkin that this trayn was goin ter
run me dine. The driyver and’t sownded is whistle or anythin. Ar was shewer e and’t seyn us. Finally wey began ter
gerrin ter the daylite an ar cud sey where me feyt wer goin! But once owt of the tunnel, wey ad ter run another 20
yards ter ther steps and signal. Anyroad, wey o made it – scared an breathless, and ther staym engine follered us
ite an went past us. Ar thought that ther dryver was goin ter give us rite mouthful, but ey just went past as if eyd
not seyn us.

We didna dare go in ther tunnel agen after that! Wey went back threw ther first tunnel, (cus we ad tew), very
quickly, an made ower way ome feylin not quarte ser curious or grewn up.