Country Images Magazine North January 2018 | Page 10

Th e goods yard at Wirksworth
Wirksworth
Gradually the nine miles of track disappeared beneath brambles and
sycamore saplings. Th is was the state of aff airs when Wyvern Rail, the
eventual owners of the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway took over the running
of the line in 2005. Using mostly volunteer labour who hacked their way
through jungles of brambles and overgrown trees; ripping up and restoring
rotted sleepers and laying new track, had the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
up and running in 2011. At the end of those six years, the railway was ready
to give passengers a nostalgic trip back into the way trains ran fi ft y years ago.
Aft er wandering round the station yard at Wirksworth admiring the
collection of rolling stock, some of it undergoing restoration, we found
a lovely little miniature railway layout in one of the cabins just off the
platform. With time in hand we could enjoy a cup of tea and a piece of
cake before joining the diesel run Railcar. Th en with a toot and a slight
spinning of wheels we were off into the countryside. Over Gorsey Bank
level crossing where all the safety procedure held up the one car on its way
into town. Fields dotted with ruminating cows fl ashed by and as we entered
a stretch of trees, a covey of pheasants fl ew up, almost beneath the wheels
of our carriage. Not the best of fl iers, they tried to commit suicide by fl ying
10 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk
One of the tunnels linking the railway to the quarries
directly in front of the slowly moving train. Idridgehay was the fi rst station
stop as they say on Midland main Line. We could have taken a stroll from
this idyllic setting, but stayed on to the next stop at Shottle, where, if we
had wanted we could have popped next door to the Railway Inn. Trains no
longer stop at Hazelwood aft er passing the site of Travis’ Folly, but continue
as far as Duffi eld. A stroll along the EVR platform to watch a Virgin train
thunder by and then off back to Wirksworth with the added attraction of
taking in the 1:27 incline.
Regrettably it is no longer possible to join a train at Wirksworth and get off
at Derby. In its wisdom, Railtrack have very fi rmly closed off the end of the
Ecclesbourne line at Duffi eld. You can see where the points join the branch
to the main line, but that is a far as it gets.