Just a thought........ Has the connection been completed? Signed off as fit to use? If not...................? Like I said, Just a thought.:rolleyes:

Regards, 62440.

Dont understand. :confused: They wouldnt be contemplating a rail tour if the connection were not passed for passenger service surely?

Just because the promoter wants to run the tour, doesn't mean that the jobs going to be complete and signed off. Don't forget this tour was originally scheduled for March 5th when there was no sign of a connection.

Where's all the hullaballoo like the North Norfolk had for the Sheringham crossing with the test train? I haven't seen any, have you? Has there been a test train at all?

If I remember correctly the plan is for Peak Rail to reopen to Matlock Station in around Seven weeks time, I believe they are more concerned with this than bothering about the odd railtour being inconvenienced.

Regards, 62440.

The national rail connection doesn't look all that sure . . . . .

Derbyshire Times:The Matlock-Derby line is one of 56 loss-making routes across the country where the Government's Strategic Rail Authority is demanding a doubling of income and halving the cost to passengers for each journey within five years.

Speaking personally, even when I have to pay full fare next August, I dont find the fares on that line excessive. I'm pretty sure it's comparable with bus.

three things to say to that;

1.theyve been threatening the connection of the line same as the buxton one right through from the sixties to the 2000s, lines still there,more so the fact the matlock line feeds more of a populace than the buxton one does so stands more of a chance than ever to survive

2.the government will always put the death knell worries in place,its how buisness` push things forward,if you dont then productivity stagnates or sits at a level,if you threaten things the local groups,councils etcetera start to push for greater use,services etc.

3.if it ever shut that would also affect the services further down the line,imagine the local service going,what would happen the locals that stop at duffield too,any local service would require a turnback and if the branch went to improve speeds on the mainline such as what happened at Duffield then NR would not neccesarily want to spend money on putting another turnback in that doesnt benefit them further up the line.

will it close,unlike the 60s i dont think think so,its one of the few lines that have made great leaps in service patterns in coming years and with the credit crunch/fuel prices getting worse it could still be used more,remember the governments latest report recommends large closures again, going back in time the Serpell report wanted three main lines and little else.

best thing to do is to make as much use of the line as possible by local groups, EVR&PR,local attractions..etc

The Matlock Branch is already very heavily used and the opening of the EVR to Duffield has contributed quite significantly to passenger numbers at Weekends. I am amazed how many of the visitors to the EVR arive by train. On some EMT Trains it has been standing room only to Duffiled.

The reason many people use the line is probably because the A6 is woefully inadequate but is unlikely to be deveoped as it goes through a World Heritage Site.

I expect to go on travelling on the Matlock for years to come. However, judging from the crack pot ideas that have come out of N0. 10 over the last 12 months, I supose anything is possible!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

No worries guys, Passenger numbers generally on upward trajectory. TOCs need to keep up with intro of wi-fi, real time online info etc..

Perhaps EVR/PR joint venture for the Derwent Valley franchise next time round?

Peak Rail taking over the line was mooted the last time it was threatened.

Its unlikely people would want to change at Ambergate - and to what ? - so running rights would be needed into Derby.

I have to say they've been trying to shut it down as long as I can remember. The trouble is people keep using it.

An important factor is that the County Council sees it as important in relieving road congestion up the valley.

i do agree, whilst a nice idea,why would we want to take over the branch to ambergate?,with the problems it could entail,we have a nice length of line now,not too long,just right length to not get the kids bored too, plus youd have to expend some money on facilities at the ambegate end for running around thatd always be temporary with the signalling works required etc.

as we all feel -there will hopefully be many years of national operations on the branch to come and thats the best option to be honest, we work best where we interface (PR&EVR) into the NR system and the valley and its attractions have for many years not been pushed to the full potential, good to hear to the numbers on the EVR for normal travellers are up too, weve also noted a rise in numbers and as you say i hope its due to the poor service the a6 provides and not just something due to the credit crunch,else the figures could drop when that mess eventually gets sorted out,last bank holiday,my colleague Pete noted traffic down to about 20 mph all the way from Rowsley to Matlock,we never saw a break in traffic on the a6 alongside all day!

we note quite a few passengers getting on at Riverside one way too,they usually walk the dales on the way back alongside the railway,this used to be more the domain of your side of the valley over wirksworth way where there are more walkers and less tourists who dont want to stray too far from their cars,such as is the usual traffic of tourists through matlock and rowsley towards chatsworth.

does anyone know what passenger trends at say Crich and MRC are like,is there a surge there too???

does anyone know whats happening with the portion of land at Duffield on the EVR the other side of the runround loop fence opposite the platform, are you making it a carpark of your own,i note the station carparks are to be pay and display soon!,would be a good idea.

According to the Office of rail regulation the number of passengers to Matlock went up massively in the last year measured;

2008-9 110,548
2009-10 155,536

If that increase continues with Peak rail opening the link, then there may even be justification for more trains not less.

Going to an hourly service made a big difference.

The rest of the EVR Land at Duffield is planned to be used for carparking but needs more work before it can be opened up.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

The problem with railways is you have to think 20 years ahead. Factor in the eventual run to Buxton, HS2 feeder, Sainsbury's freight siding, quarry products via Peak Rail, shunting the quarry sidings and the exponential growth in passenger numbers. Not to mention the ambitions of Deutsche Bahn..

My crystal ball tells me that you won't recognize Peak Rail in 20 years time. It will be necessary to stay ahead of the game or lose out..

Buxton to Brussels..

Matlock to Madrid..

Think BIG

Phil
is it you with the Atlantic tunnels plans ?????:D:D

Nope, not me..

Can't visualize uploading monthly travelcard Millersdale to Manhattan to my Oystercard, even in 2031! LOL..;)

damn,and i was hoping we could introduce oystercard too!!!!

thanks for the replies,makes sense having your own car park.:)

Some form of touch card system is about to be installed on the main line. Dont think it will include through tickets on to the evr or Peak Rail - I haven't tried Belper station's machine.

I very much expect that we will see Oyster on a few Heritage lines inside ten years. Its a very convenient way to pay.

Through tickets to Wirksworth are available from EMT Booking Offices but I don't know about ticket machines.

Best wishes,

John.

Pity the National Rail enquiries website don't know about that, John, been trying to sort out a through price for the weekend.

Regards, 62440.

I think that's East Midlands Trains operated station, not necessarily any others.

I'll ask at Woking on Saturday :)

Even the East Midlands Trains website don't have the info.:mad:

Regards, 62440.

trackwork is down in matlock platform,though unballasted,platform works next

Any photos yet of the additional work, i would be happy to see the progress.
Thanks
Regards
Phil

there probably is on flickr,etc, if you go on nat pres, woodster could email you some,i know theres some on the enthusiasts group but you have to log in for them,worth contacting them though

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/grou...guid=173836278

:)

I will try to get up to Matlock over the next couple of days to take photos to post direct to this Forum.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Got to go to Sainsbury's tomoz so might beat you to it - if it's not pouring down with rain.

Right. Here we are.

They've made a real good start, though much work to do on the platform.

I notice they've used concrete sleepers rather than steel.

Latest Photos of Matlock Station
 

As promised a selection of photos to show progress at Matlock: Track into the Station and platform cleared.

I understand that the track will be tamped next and that the platform is to be raised to modern height.

Running round is going to be interesting!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Two peole's views for the price of one!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Thanks for the update John and Wyvern both good sets of photos. I will get there soon and have a look myself.
Thanks
Regards
Phil

One way would be to use two locos. One in a siding which will run in to couple up to an arriving train. On departure the train releases the first loco which then runs out to the siding ready for the next one?

Or have one each end as with normal present day mainline practice.

Presumably they couldnt put a crossing onto the other line as it belongs to Network Rail.

Also its on a different level because of the metal sleepers which incidentally retain the height of the platform (1?) relative to the train.

I think the idea is to have two locos in volved but this will increase costs. Anothe idea is to have a Diesel shunter to release the train engine by hauling the stock away. This will be time consuming and will need all passengers to detrain.

best wishes,

John H-T.

im pretty sure somewhere on here ive already metioned this but for this year all trains will be top n tailed till the signalling is finished, then the method will be either

1.eg santa trains-top and tail throughout for time saving.
2.run into matlock in the first train top n tail,rear loco detaches,train proceeds away to rowsley,the loco left behind then drops down to riverside into the loop, the next passenger returns then the loco drops onto the front end,followed by the same occuring again till the last train of the day when the locos both return.

time is saved by the fact the train is in the platform for 5-10 minutes anyhow detraining/loading passengers,in that time you do the uncoupling,recoupling.,theres no requirment to take train back to riverside to run round,remember you arent allowed to propel.

3.run round at riverside,if you cant run to matlock,alos allows you to drop original loco back on front again but that move may be not used by the ops dept.

thats the shortened version.

I understand that work on platform 2 to bring it up to normal height is due to start on June 1st.

According to recent additional page on Peak Rail website http://www.peakrail.co.uk/eventinfo.html, Matlock station extension opening + inaugural steam service will take place on Sat 2nd July.

Unlike EVR, the Peak Rail timetable doesn't easily connect with the EMT as trains are every 1hr 16min - but there's always Bill Hudson books to spend a bit of time in.

Why are you not allowed to propel, apologies up front if I've missed something here.

If method 2 was good enough for the most intensive steam service in the world - the Jazz out of Liverpool St before electrification, then I'm sure it will work for Peak Rail

http://www.lner.info/forums/working-...zz-t941s0.html

Yes I'm interested in this too why are you not allowed to propel because the Pretendalino and East Coast Flying Scotsman services are propelled albeit using a DVT

big difference in propelling with the sole mode of control and power being at the rear from a dvt which has control at the front and power at the rear,likewise even an auto coach has control at the front, for a time when we first opened up we propelled with a driver sat in the rear coach in a specially made drivers door,with lights,horn,comms to the engine, thats fine on our side, now go through the paperwork with NR telling them youd like to!

:)

To propel with members of the public on board it is necessary for a suitably qualified person to have a clear view of the track ahead, to have access to a vacuum/air brake control to be able to apply the brakes in an emergency and a means of audible approach, eg: horn. The suitably qualified person must give his/her undivided attention to the job and not do anything else.

Best wishes,

John H-T.