Matlock Riverside railway station
Encyclopedia
Peak Rail
Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales....
, a preserved steam railway of approximately 4 miles in length. For many years Peak Rail had planned to run trains into Matlock station
Matlock railway station
Matlock Railway Station is a railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains. It is located in the Derbyshire town of Matlock in Derbyshire, England. The station is now currently the terminus of both the Derwent Valley Line from Derby and Peak Rail who operate heritage...
, shared with the main line from Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
(the Derwent Valley Line
Derwent Valley Line
The Derwent Valley Line is a railway line from Derby to Matlock in Derbyshire.The line follows the Midland Main Line as far as Ambergate Junction, which is just south of Ambergate railway station, continuing to Matlock, following the course of the River Derwent.*Derby*Duffield**Former branch line...
).
The station was built in 1991 due to problems negotiating with British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
to run into the station at Matlock at that time. Peak Rail has now negotiated a 50 year lease to run into Platform 2 at Matlock and track layout adjustments and refurbishment of the Matlock down platform are now complete, with services Peak Rail services having operated into the shared station from 2nd July 2011. Matlock Riverside will be retained as a run-round loop for demonstration goods trains and other special occasions.
The station itself is a temporary wooden construction, and was previously used at Chee Dale Halt near Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
when Peak Rail was based there in the 1980s. Due to operating complications at the Buxton end of the route, Peak Rail moved south to Darley Dale
Darley Dale railway station
-History:Lying at the bottom of Station Road in the settlement of Darley Dale, Darley Dale in its current form is not the first station to have existed upon the site. That halt was built in 1849, by the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, and existed on the other side of the...
near Matlock, and the former Chee Dale Halt was re-used, forming Matlock Riverside.
The station consists of one platform, situated on the Up side of the former deviation, whilst the Down line is used as a run-round loop, which permits the use of a single locomotive on services (although top-and-tail operation occurs on Special Event Days). Access to the station is via a public footpath from Matlock Town
Matlock railway station
Matlock Railway Station is a railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains. It is located in the Derbyshire town of Matlock in Derbyshire, England. The station is now currently the terminus of both the Derwent Valley Line from Derby and Peak Rail who operate heritage...
, the distance between the two being no more than a quarter mile.
For a time, Matlock Riverside possessed a small hut that functioned as a Ticket Office. After this was frequently damaged by local vandals, however, the station became permanently unstaffed with tickets required to be purchased aboard the train.