An item from the Railway Ramblers web site might be of interest. The early April weekend event could be worth a visit too. JohnS
February 2011. Duffield to Wirksworth, Derbyshire. This is a branch line that might eventually have become a railway path were it not for the efforts of the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, which has succeeded in bringing it back to life. The grand opening weekend runs from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th April, with a two hourly service from each end of the line. Some years ago, the club negotiated a walk over the route when it was derelict, so a small number of members have actually done a 'trackbed bash' over the line. An unusual feature was the use of solar power to illuminate level crossing warning lights. One wonders if the solar panels have been preserved along with the rest of the branch. (Jeff Vinter)
3 comments:
The opening weekend is likely to be very busy with most seats booked in advance.
Info at http://www.e-v-r.com
I believe the solar panels are still there at Idridgehay, but no longer in use as the crossing has been gated.
Nick P.
We are planning to take our bikes to Wirksworth and thence onto the High Peak Tail sometime soon, having had talks with EVRA who then confirmed that a guards van (remember those?) would be available to carry bikes.
If the fares are reasonable, this could be a popular trip for Derby cyclists. The road to Wirksworth is not cycle friendly due to traffic and the hilly terrain.
Watch this space for a date.
The initial opening weekend, if not already fully booked, is just too costly for us pensioners. One the euphoria has died down (and the steam loco has been returned whence it came) the "normal" service is likely to be their 2 car 1960s built multiple unit. These had real guards vans - probably occupying one third of one of the vehicles so plenty of bike capacity. I suspect, however, that EVR will charge extra for cycles - most of the heritage lines I know do so. We still have to get to Duffield, dont forget.
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