Peak Rail General Discussion

A question from an occasional visitor to Peak rail. Where will the proposed station at Rowsley be sited? Is it going to be near the small car park, at old station close or positioned elsewhere ? I cycled up to there recently and thought it would be a decent length extension.

I am pleased they are doing something about the dodgy crossing in Matlock near the Premier inn. Those temporary steps are a nightmare.

 

this has been discussed many times before in some length,the basics being that , the cycleway proposed a simple platform and run round against the river on approach to the old station site ,about where the line branched into the original station before the curve, however this put the actual station quite far away from anything and no real benefit to us, personally id also be personally wary of any plans showing a railway placed right on the bank side of a major river where the formation hasn't been used for sixty odd years as you'd want the engineering assessment of the banking before committing to anything like that especially knowing the changes in recent weather patterns and bank slips countrywide of late affecting heritage lines nationwide.

the original platforms i`m told are still there and filled in as is the subway, but to reuse them (e.g.) dig them back out would mean you're eventual bridge over the road would be considerably low, noting that the road underneath has been raised up over time , its still a matter for final discussions, as Andy has noted the section forward through Haddon tunnel is still in planning and designs as is the bit between Rowsley and Haddon which has two missing bridges over farm accesses.

there are from memory some diagrams of proposals on the internet on the cycleway planning somewhere.

 

latest update on all things Rs8 by Mr Briddon, who has been busy over at its previous location of original operation at Tunstead Quarry where the engine and frames have been worked upon recently.

latest blog regarding engine and bits; https://www.weekendrails.co.uk/blog/384.html

and of course the Heritage Shunters Trust restoration news while were at it; http://heritageshuntertrust.wixsite.com/hst1/restoration-progress

 

No photos this time as the day involved both pway grease and bitumen,so not planning to destroy my phone by either, but to say John and myself managed to prime the Riverside flange lubricator up and will now let it got its merry way with a few trains to see how it goes for a week or so, we also while down there looked at the rear of the roof on the cabin as some tiles had come adrift,save to say there was also a not so pleased wasp nest just under the eaves

Up at rowsley the pway were having a large shunt around of the Waggons and unloading materials, while in the shed the prairie has been raised and the wheels and frames are now being looked at, the rear pony trucks wheels at some point have to go away to get remachined I'm told, The class 25 cab work continues with the underfloor metalwork and cable conduits having some attention.

But at least it's not raining

 

Details of the amended footpath crossing near the Arc Leisure Centre

https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/images/Item 4 Footpath No 26 Parish of Darley Dale_tcm44-294636.pdf

 

Oh dear it looks like the legal case hasn't gone Peak Rail's way - £130k plus costs. If I were a shareholder I would be raising some serious concerns about the leadership and management of PR

 

See the other PR thread about the accounts and keep this one for progress.

https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/peak-rail-annual-report.983259/

But this appears now to be locked

 

If the case is no longer sub judice, the thread should now be unlocked..

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I suggest looking at
https://www.weekendrails.co.uk/latest-posts/385.html
whoever feels the necessity could start another thread about that part and leave this as a physical progress thread.

 

Probably best to start new thread.
Leaving this thread clear to continue the details of the dedicated voluntters work undertaken on and around the railway which is appreciated by many.
Change is always good , fingers crossed Peak rail will recover and have a bright future.

Peace

 

I’ve sent a message suggesting re-opening the other thread but, obviously, this is the forum managements’ call.

 

White Peak Loop East: Matlock to Rowsley

An order is currently being advertised which would have the effect of diverting the line of the existing sub-standard public footpath crossing opposite the Arc Leisure Centre, Matlock onto the line of the crossing that is currently closed off. Work to upgrade the new crossing to make it fully accessible will be programmed for completion during January 2018 (close down period for Peak Rail). The County Council will enter into an agreement with Peak Rail to allow cyclists to also use this crossing until an alternative route for cyclists that does not involve crossing the rail tracks is provided.

White Peak Loop East: Rowsley to Bakewell

Landowner negotiations are ongoing as funds are in place to progress the designs for this section.

 

The Peak Rail annual report thread has been reopened.

 

Is there any chance that Peak Rail might just try and reach Bakewell in one big push? Reinstating a station at Rowsley seems like a lot of capital expense for not much reward, whereas Bakewell would give the railway a gold plated tourist friendly destination for visitors beginning their journey at Matlock. It's a destination which might also appeal to Northern Belle or railtour customers.

And of course it would bring the railway significantly closer to visitors from Sheffield and the rest of South Yorkshire.

 

From an engineering point of view a big push towards towards Bakewell would be very expensive but not that difficult otherwise.
However, with the PR current management's extensive record of expenditure on litigation and their claimed "Robust Defences'. It will probably take PR a greater time to get track to Rowsley than the ten years plus it took them to get track laid between Matlock Riverside and Matlock Town.

The reality of PR reaching Bakewell is out of the question as far as this century is concerned.

 

Don't forget that just across the missing A6 bridge the railway then needs to traverse the Haddon Hall Estate. Once those two issues are resolved the rest is plain sailing.

 

The biggest difficulty is not the actual physical construction of a new bridge over the A6.

The greater difficulty is represented by the fact that, since the demolition of the original bridge, the level of the A6 road beneath has risen. Thus any replacement bridge would have to be constructed at a consequentially greater elevation.

This in turn will require an extensive new and gentle approaching gradient formation on either side of any new bridge.

Whilst there is adequate space and length for such a gradient construction on the Haddon Hall side. At Rowsley it is a different matter with limited space available both for a new on the level station and run around loop plus the positioning of a locomotive friendly graded trackbed approaching any new bridgement.

 

Is Bakewell a honeypot or is that the surrounding halls etc. Bakewell station is occupied by a business that has been there since probably 1986. Certainly 1989. The car parking is limited and it is the wrong side of a valley for the town. Any occasional railtour would want meeting by coaches and that might as well happen at Rowsley.


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As a local I'd say it definitely is, full of tourists any day of the week.