Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

I visited the EVR shortly after it opened and thought it was a lovely ride and the line had lots of potential for development. Passenger capacity was a problem, especially on the steam-hauled set, but I assume that will have moved on.

I must be due for another visit sometime soon.

 

Tim,

It was indeed back in 2011 when the whole line opened: we had three hauled coaches of which one was an inspection saloon!

We are better equipped now and are approaching the stage where before too long we will have two loco-hauled sets plus the plethora of DMUs.

Neil

 

Latest delivery to Wirksworth is a restaurant/kitchen car No. M1779, which has bee privately purchased. It is in need of full overhaul before entering traffic.

 

A proper travelling kitchen will be a wonderful addition to the catering on the EVR. Of course the line's a bit short so we'll have an appeal to dig the tunnel through to Matlock. Must check to see if the powers have lapsed yet.

 

Where would the line have actually joined the MBM&MJR if built?

Dave

 

I'm a little unsure on that. I know that the summit level would be in a tunnel starting at Wirksworth just north of where the railway currently ends, would cross the Via Gellia (A5012) on a high viaduct, tunnel through Masson Hill (the west side of the Derwent Gorge) steadily descending to somewhere west of, and higher than, the current Matlock Station. Others may know more about the possible junction location.

 

A few years ago I published an April Fool to the effect that we had acquired an old TBM from the Channel Tunnel and we were going to build the line through to Rowsley. It was full of funnies such as hoping not to surface in the local reservoir etc. but I received a very angry call form another heritage railway nearby asking me to take it down as they were receiving enquiries as to whether it was true!

 

Haha - just found it!

FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

Contact: Neil Ferguson-Lee

Tel. (01629) 822806

Email neilfl@wyvernrail.co.uk


The ‘Rush for Rowsley’

Railway Revives Historic and Ambitious Scheme to follow ‘Dash to Duffield’


Wirksworth, 1st April 2008: With detailed planning underway for the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway’s ‘Dash to Duffield’; an exciting plan to reopen the last five miles of the line by October 2010, the railway’s management has today announced an even more exciting plan to revive a Victorian scheme to tunnel under Cromford Hill and extend the Ecclesbourne Valley line to Rowsley.



All systems are go here at Wirksworth to start work immediately on boring a 1,503-yard tunnel to take the line under Bolehill, followed by building a 280 yard-long viaduct near Cromford. The new line will then follow the west bank of the River Derwent, before burrowing under the Heights of Abraham in another 500-yard tunnel, followed another two tunnels before forming a junction with Peak Rail at Rowsley.



“Following the superb efforts of our volunteer team to reopen the line to Idridgehay, and the chance discovery on eBAY of a spare tunnel boring machine from the Channel Tunnel project, it just seemed the right thing to do.” Remarked Martin Miller (104), the railway’s General Manager. “We plan to open the line by October 2012, which will be the 20th anniversary of the formation of WyvernRail, the community-owned and managed company behind the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway” he added.



The 1986-vintage tunnel boring machine was purchased on eBAY by a consortium of the line’s volunteers, following a series of detailed planning sessions in several of Wirksworth’s hostelries during March. It has been repainted in the railway’s corporate colours and refurbished with several new features, including a microwave oven, deep fat fryer, compass and an A to Z guide of the Derbyshire Dales.



Construction will commence on Tuesday, 1st April and could take several hours to complete. In the meantime, the railway’s Head of Marketing, Neil Ferguson-Lee (24) will be undertaking a series of briefings along the route of the line, including the Via Gellia, Winster and, if the Tunnel Boring Machine’s navigation system fails, Carsington Water.



John Snell is 97.

 

Wonderful. It must rate as the best WIBN ever proposed.

 

You could then push on to Buxton, I'm sure you'd get there before a certain other railway........................

Andy

 

Steam Locomotives At Wirksworth this Summer:

The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway will be mounting their most ambitious steam programme to date in 2017. A steam tank locomotive built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway, No.47406, will be on hire from May to August and working trains between Duffield and Wirksworth.

Two other locomotives based on the railway, "Cathryn" and "The Duke", are being overhauled and making major progress; one or both of them are hoped to be completed by the Autumn.

Class 14 No. D9537 will also be visiting the railway and operating trains at the diesel weekend in March.

There will be an open day for prospective volunteers on Saturday 18th February, so that will be an ideal day to see behind the scenes.

 

It is great to see how you are moving forward with this project. Visited a couple of years ago and feel that another trip down, to include a trip on the line this time, in due. You may not have many miles of track but there are good facilities and countryside around for visitors to enjoy.

 

Martin Miller looks well for 104! Perhaps his retirement was long overdue?!

 

Aviva Community Awards Grant

The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway have been awarded a grant of £5000 towards the restoration of Ex Severn Tunnel rescue railcar No.55027. The railcar had been very extensively modified for its rescue role and will not be returned to passenger use, one feature is a fold down ramp attached to the side of the vehicle to aid the evacuation of passengers . It will be a mobile tool and mess van for working parties down the line, and the ramps will be retained as a means of unloading tools and machinery. There are rumours that further modifications will include a log burning stove and witch's hat chimney.

 

Will it be the same sort of set up as Dan's coach on the 13 minutes to 9 from Titfield to Mallingford?

 

Oddingley Signal Box.

The EVR board have authorised the installation of the ex-Oddingley level crossing box at Gorsey Bank crossing just South of Wirksworth, initially as a gatekeeper's shelter. If anyone is interested in getting involved we would be very pleased to see them at the volunteer recruitment day at Wirksworth on 18th February.

Tim Oaks

 

Wasn't that where the old box was originally?

 

The box at Gorsey Bank was the last box remaining on the line when it was taken to Peak Rail at Buxton in around 1985. Oddingley will go on the same site. Initially we were thinking about installing it at Shottle, but first, we don't have a frame yet, second, a fully flexible operating requirement might need a bigger box. There is a lot to be said for getting cracking on something simple to start with.

 

Those of you who have visited Wirksworth will be familiar with the "Dust Dock", a huge concrete structure for loading limestone products which was built in the 1960's. The steel canopy was removed some years ago and used towards building a "maintenance facility" at the top end of the site. The dock itself remained a huge and very ugly obstacle towards the development of the site.

Now it has gone, replaced by a very useful car parking area.

Sadly there was no truth in the rumour that the stones of the old station building had been dumped here. Fortunately the backfill turned out to be reasonably clean quarry waste which could be sent for recycling rather than dumped as landfill, which kept the cost down. One thing which did turn up was the buried remains of a Midland Railway bufferstop. After 50 years underground and an argument with a very big excavator, the remains were not worth digging out.

Rather to our surprise, the front concrete wall, which was not reinforced but about about 4 feet thick at the base, fractured through quite cleanly and about 2 feet above rail level, probably a fault line between two batches of concrete. This will be an ideal base when the railway gets around to extending the platform.

 

Regards signalling, will wirksworth ever have any? I know there's the ground frames but never seen any ground signals etc.

Also where will the frame be sourced from for gorsey bank box?