C&A provide electrical expertise
The first Tyne tunnel was constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons in 1907 to link the Newcastle Electric Supply Company’s plant at Wallsend with the Robert Stephenson & Company’s engineering works at Hebburn. It measures six feet in diameter and is formed from cast iron segments.
When civil engineering contractors, Lumsden & Carroll—the only company authorised to inspect the tunnel for regular safety appraisals—needed to replace the badly aged tunnel lighting they called upon one of the north-east’s few electrical contractors with the expertise, training and equipment to work in this environment. They commissioned C&A Pumps to design and install a new lighting system. The task took three weeks, with workers able to spend only four hours in the tunnel at any one time. Each shift was supported by a safety team of six people, and every worker carried a temporary oxygen supply.
