Monsal Dale railway station
Encyclopedia
Monsal Dale railway station was opened in 1866 by the Midland Railway
on its line from Rowsley
, extending the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
.
The original intention was merely to have a goods depot to serve the nearby Cressbrook Mill
, to be called Cressbrook or Cressbrook Sidings. However a passenger station would also serve the villages of Upperdale and Cressbrook
.
The down line and platform was built on a shelf carved in the rock face, while the up was built on wooden trestles over the hillside. The wooden buildings for the latter were obtained from Evesham railway station
.
It was written :
The station closed in 1959, the down platform edge can still be seen, nothing remains of the up platform or timber buildings.
From Monsal Dale, the line proceeded through Cressbrook 471 yards (430.7 m) and Litton 515 yards (470.9 m) tunnels to on its way north. Cut through solid limestone, they were both complex tunnels on a gradient of 1 in 100, and curved to allow the line to conform to the terrain.
Today this section of line forms part of the Monsal Trail
, an 8.5 miles (13.7 km) walk and cycleway. The tunnels previously mentioned were re-opened in 2011, and the previous path diversions over the river via a permissive path by Cressbrook Mill are still available.
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
on its line from Rowsley
Rowsley
Rowsley is a village on the A6 road in the English county of Derbyshire.It is at the point where the River Wye flows into the River Derwent and prospered from mills on both.-Overview:...
, extending the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton....
.
The original intention was merely to have a goods depot to serve the nearby Cressbrook Mill
Cressbrook
Cressbrook is a village in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire. Before its Enclosure Act of 1762 Cressbrook did not exist. It later grew up around a textile mill complex built alongside the River Wye, first by Richard Arkwright and then later by his son Richard, JL Philips and Brother...
, to be called Cressbrook or Cressbrook Sidings. However a passenger station would also serve the villages of Upperdale and Cressbrook
Cressbrook
Cressbrook is a village in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire. Before its Enclosure Act of 1762 Cressbrook did not exist. It later grew up around a textile mill complex built alongside the River Wye, first by Richard Arkwright and then later by his son Richard, JL Philips and Brother...
.
The down line and platform was built on a shelf carved in the rock face, while the up was built on wooden trestles over the hillside. The wooden buildings for the latter were obtained from Evesham railway station
Evesham railway station
Evesham railway station is in the town of Evesham in Worcestershire, England. It is operated by First Great Western, and is between Honeybourne and Pershore stations on the Cotswold Line from Oxford to Worcester, Great Malvern and Hereford...
.
It was written :
The station closed in 1959, the down platform edge can still be seen, nothing remains of the up platform or timber buildings.
From Monsal Dale, the line proceeded through Cressbrook 471 yards (430.7 m) and Litton 515 yards (470.9 m) tunnels to on its way north. Cut through solid limestone, they were both complex tunnels on a gradient of 1 in 100, and curved to allow the line to conform to the terrain.
Today this section of line forms part of the Monsal Trail
Monsal Trail
The Monsal Trail is a cycle, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District.-Route description:It follows a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London...
, an 8.5 miles (13.7 km) walk and cycleway. The tunnels previously mentioned were re-opened in 2011, and the previous path diversions over the river via a permissive path by Cressbrook Mill are still available.