Our own secretary, Colin Peskett, entertained another near-capacity audience with a talk about the Peak Rail heritage railway in Derbyshire, where he is one of the many volunteers who provide essential back-up to a small full-time workforce.
The original line from London to Rowsley was opened in 1849 for passenger and coal traffic, and the line from Rowsley was extended to Manchester in 1860. To the north of Rowsley was the Haddon Hall estate, owned by the Duke of Rutland. The duke did not want the railway to cross the estate on the surface, so the Haddon Tunnel was constructed to take the railway line underground. Rowsley freight yard, next to the station, opened in 1877 and provided banking engines to trains that were going north from Buxton because the line northward had severe gradients. Banking engines acted as brakes to prevent wagons from running away from the train.
In 1963 Dr Beeching published his report, ‘the Reshaping of British Railways,’ which recommended the closing of two thirds of unprofitable lines and all passenger services. After that trains still ran as far as Matlock and along Ashwood Dale in the Peak Forest area. But in 1968 the St Pancras express service was transferred from the Peak line, and the rails were lifted. Rail enthusiasts were upset by this and formed the Peak Railway Society in 1975 to try to reopen the line. There were many people who were keen to support the venture.
Darley Dale station was closed and the tracks taken up, but Peak Rail started renovation in1987. The volunteers installed tracks and built a signal box and a toilet bock, completed in 1991.
Peak Rail volunteers built a new station at Matlock Riverside, with a run-around loop which was opened in April 1992, enabling locomotives which had pulled trains into the station to be moved to the head of the train for the return journey. They had also extended the lines and built a new station at Rowsley, named Rowsley South, with tracks laid for sidings and a new turntable and offices by 1997. Now there is a station shop, a ticket office and a cafe. Peak Rail trains now run into Matlock Station, Platform Two. Information can be found online at www.peakrail.co.uk.
This was a very interesting talk with many slides and much information. I was extremely impressed by the amount of work and dedication of the volunteers. Peak Rail operates steam and diesel timetables throughout the year, from Rowsley South to Matlock and back. They also run a series of special events such as Halloween trains and Santa Specials. Information about all services can be found online at www.peakrail.co.uk.
