Peak Rail General Discussion

Don't tell him Pike!! Now everyone will know about it and clog that way up as well...

 

Personally I'd go by the above route over the hills, this route goes down Station Road at Darley Dale through Winster to the Via Gellia and then turns off at Hopton and comes into Wirksworth through Middleton where the Hopton Wood Quarry Branch used to cross the road and under the bridge which carried the Middleton incline, there is a lot of railway history up there; the Rising Sun and the Nelson Arms are worth a visit. Or you could go by Hopton and drive along next to the trackbed of the Hopton Incline, either way is more interesting than the A6; also you come out near the Wirksworth Co-op where petrol is £139.9 per litre.

 

It’s been a while since posting last but I’m happy to say the joint diesel gala. Between PR and the EVR went well, it certainly looked busy for both railways and I’m told a healthy turnover was made too.

some photos of the bits I could get between working the 22 trains that ran for passengers on PR over the Saturday and also the Sunday attached.

the narrow gauge are continuing with point-work on the extension and have been swapping around some of the point-work to get round missing bits and now nice weathers back are back on with track-laying again.


Work should start on the water tower soon, breaking ground first to get all the steelwork and concrete pad in first, as soon as work starts wel pop up some photos.

that’s all for now, see you soon.

 

Water tower construction is moving ahead, great to see some infrastructure action at Peak Rail. https://www.peakrail.co.uk/2023/05/

 

S103 Cathryn is apparently out on its first service trains today after overhaul.

 

If anyone has any photos I’m dying to see her!

 

https://flic.kr/p/2oVwviF

None of the loco actually working a service train, just pottering around at Rowsley South.

 

Don't all of the steam locos at Peak Rail spend their time "pottering about" ? It's not a full gear and full regulator line.

 

On a different note (but following on, slightly) is the new management at Peak Rail showing any signs of wanting to extend the railway towards Bakewell? It seems like an obvious move when the time is right.

 

Exciting as that would be, consolidate first, then expand, is the mantra of the new management.

Dave

 

'Cathryn' worked service trains last weekend.

Dave

 

How far / how much of the track bed is actually available after Rowsley South? there is some sort of industrial unit and recycling centre on some of the track bed immediately beyond the current railhead. Is there enough space to get to the old sidings site? and another set of industrial units at Rowsley itself, is there sufficient space to get past them with presumably also a foot path/cycle way ?
After that I assume the next big obstacle would be the missing bridge over the A6.

 

It seems a pity that Peak Rail did not secure the route under the A6 road into the original 1849 Rowsley station. That could have made a very suitable terminus for a modest heritage railway from Matlock. The station building does still exist, but has had a shopping village built around it.

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/r/rowsley/index0.shtml

Peak Rail instead focussed on the higher-level route though Rowsley's second (1862) station as part of its much grander scheme to rebuild the line through to Bakewell and Buxton.

http://disused-stations.org.uk/r/rowsley/index.shtml

Peak Rail faces formidable obstacles if it is to expand. Firstly, the need to weave a path through the industrial development between the current Rowsley South site and the 1862 station site. I thought that Peak Rail had indeed secured that route, but I might be mistaken.

Secondly, the major engineering task of getting across the A6 at Rowsley. To meet modern requirements, a new bridge and the approach embankments will probably need to be several feet higher than the former bridge demolished after 1968.

Thirdly, shortly after the A6 crossing, the route also crosses the River Derwent (bridge extant) and enters Haddon Estates territory for a couple of miles. Haddon Estates have been reported as being strongly opposed to railway reinstatement. So unless they can be persuaded to change their minds, Peak Rail would face having to get powers for compulsory purchase from a major landowner. History is to an extent repeating itself here. In order to get approval to build this section in the 1860s, the Midland Rly had to accept the nonsense of constructing the shallow half-mile Haddon Tunnel, in order that trains should be out of sight of the Duke of Rutland's residence at Haddon Hall.

 

A 24 hr Mcgarbage drive thru on the old buxton ALDI about to be heard at a planning meeting in a few days, the site would be very useful for parking for peak rail, for ‘consolidation’ purposes. I have no doubt that peak rail wouldn’t be able to outbid that dreadful American corporation for the land but I would’ve hoped that PR would let it be known to the planning board and the council of an alternative vision for the site and their intentions for infrastructure re-establishment. PR only have a thin sliver of land in buxton so any land that becomes available should be contested, PR needs to fight for its future interests. Although the buxton branch has ‘officially’ been revived I fear things aren’t being paid attention to.

Anyone know exactly where this underbridge was? Had a good look not too long ago, there is no sign of it at all, presumably a road widening has erased it, rather than it just being filled in.

A few years ago the haddon estate was receptive to the cycle trail being extended through the tunnel, (with an access out onto the estate being provided at the opening halfway along the tunnel, if they were open to the tunnel being re-used for that, then maybe it could happen, bicycles and steam trains are of course miles apart in the brave new world of environmental intransigence.

 

Looking at the old OS maps, the route into the original 1849 Rowsley station passed under the A6 very close to the junction with the road (now the B6012) to Chatsworth. The later higher-level 1862 route passed over the A6 about 200 yards to the west.

Heritage railways and cycle-ways do share trackbeds in some other locations, but it is difficult to see that happening in Haddon Tunnel - especially with a westbound steam train blasting up the 1 in 100 gradient.

 

An update after it’s been a little while

loco news, Cathryn is having her final paint undertook in Rowsley Shed, there’s more locos and boilers now about and I’ve given up noting which Loco is which, no72 finally left for pastures elsewhere, we’ve had some incoming too.

with all the extra rain and sun it’s been a busy growing year so the pway and Tom arranged a hedge trimming session with the flat waggon and tractor and cutter along the line sides ,likewise the s and t have been doing the same for the wire runs by hand too.

the water tower steelwork has been finished and was away being painted up , next step is erecting, the water crane base too has been built, after that plumbing and such , the tank has been on site for a while being fettled as required, that will need fitting on top when the rest is ready for it.

the end of the month sees a mixed traffic gala coming up on 31st sep-oct1st. Details will be posted nearer the date.

Rowsley has had a bit of a tidy around with one of the grounded vans moving away from the engine shed area ,it’s looking a lot tidier .

The narrow gauge has dropped ballast on the triangle behind the picnic area, it just needs shovelling into place now.

that’s all for now folks, have fun



whilst on I noted the above topic relaying to combined walkways and tunnels on heritage railways, one near to us will of course be the short tunnel at leekbrook on the new CVR MCR extension which has a walkway and railway together.

 

There’s a mixed traffic gala on next weekend, details in the pictures attached

 

Will this be Cathryn's launch as a fully painted up loco?

 

Wouldn't it be better to post this in the galas section of Nat Pres?
It needs promoting.

I was amazed to see there are three steam locos appearing, most people think you only have the RSH available

 

I didn’t know 2842 was still/back in ticket, but S102 has only just returned to steam after overhaul.