Blisworth Tunnel was the only section unfinished. This was despite the tunnel having been under construction for seven years: the gap was filled by a temporary horse-drawn tramway over the top of the hill, with goods being transported from boat to wagon and back again. The tramway, built in 1801, was Northamptonshire's first railway. In March 1805, the tunnel was finally opened and the rails were used to connect the main line of the canal to the River Nene until the branch canal to Northampton was constructed. Until the 1870s travel through the tunnel was only achieved by men lying on their
Stickpile Tunnel 1975 and the rail line was abandoned that same year. Green Ridge, West Virginia, an abandoned railroad town, was located near the western portal of the tunnel, across the Potomac River. The National Park Service acquired the tunnel and adjacent portions of the WM right of way in 1980. The site is part of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Stickpile Tunnel Stickpile Tunnel, also known as Greenridge Tunnel, is an abandoned railroad tunnel in Allegany County, Maryland, located about southwest of Little Orleans. It was built by the Western Maryland Railway (WM) in 1906. It was constructed with