There will be a huge big Bark from No. 3 on your incline John,
Regards

I'm looking forward to it.

Group of us went to Foxfield to-day to pick up 140 chairs for the ashpit siding. Another tick on the list!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Final fixing and clearing up at Duffield 13.1.2010
 

All the loop and mainline track is now down at Duffield and today and tomorrow should see everything screwed down and clipped. Jacking, packing and slewing will wait for warmer weather when the sleepers and ballast are not frozen! There is also the platform to rebuild!

A few photos from today, including laying the sleepers in Duffield tunnel for the north end headshunt. ...... and yes it was snowing again!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Great work John look forwards to getting up there and taking a ride.
all the best
Garrat

thanks for the pics John, you all deserve a medal with the dedication shown in the current weather (or a visit from the men in white coats :) ). Mind you I was helping with the brush overhaul last night till late so who am I to say anything. you will soon be there now.
Regards

Just a view of the Wirksworth platform at Duffield from long ago:

(The picture is a screen grab from the DVD "KIRTLEY JOHNSON CO" a film made in 1962 by the BBC in their series "Railway Roundabout" available as part of a DVD published by www.dukevideo.com, included for the purposes of discussion (and may interest people in buying their own copy)

Great photo Wyvern. Thanks for sharing.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

1958 en-route to/from Wirksworth for Railway Roundabout filming by any chance?

Regards, 62440.

I assume so 62440, in company with the Kirltley 2-4-0, the compound and the Tilbury 4-4-2T. As far as I know it was the only time all four of them went up the branch together. There are some lovely posed photos of them in Wirksworth yard, especially the Compound and the Single.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Yes John, I have seen a few of them. The compound at least got dragged up the branch twice, took it all the way back to Derby to turn it round so's the other side could be photographed. See the Railway Roundabout DVD's for details. It's the 1959 disc, not 1958 as I posted previously.

Regards, 62440.

Thought 1958 was a bit early! I have the Railway Roundabout Film.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Just done a check, the 1959 disc has the ex-works Compound 1000 being dragged about by a Jinty. The 1962 disc has the Compound dragging 118, 158A, and Thundersley about.

Cheers, 62440.

Just looked at the colour photo of 1000 in the RCTS Book on the Midland compounds, which was taken at Wirksworth. It is dated 1959. 1000 is not in steam, which is strange as I think it had just been restored to working order. Anyway it is a lovely photo.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

According to the DVD, Wirksworth was a favourite place for publicity shots.

I know a chap who worked at the loco and had a hand in restoring number 1000. He tells me his great grandad (?) was the first works manager at Derby so probably met George and Robert Stephenson.

They even took the Blue Pulman up the Branch for some shots. The line was used for testing from the works. Most of the Derby built DMU's were test run up to Wirksworth.

We continue the testing traditions and a number of firms from the rail industry regularly use the line for testing. A very useful source of income!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Yep. I was sitting on the stile at Holloway Road level crossing one Summer's day in the early 50s when an old LMS railway carriage came coasting past all by itself.

As it happened someone had told me about it or I'd have thought it was a breakaway!

Because of the crossover where the branch joined the main line, Duffield was the destination of the first run out of the APT.

And of course, years before that, the village had turned out to see 10000 go through. And do you remember the Fell Diesel?

I saw the Fell Diesel in Derby Works about 1956 when it was in BR Green Livery. I never saw it in action. I lived in Birmingham at the time. 10000/1 and 10202-3 were quite regular visitors to New Street then.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Had a bit of a dig and found the nailed on pic. Sorry it's not colour.

Regards, 62440.

It is a great picture of the compound. Thanks for posting.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

How far is the line to Duffield away from completion and why was it not re instated when the EVR was constructed,..?

John I don't fully understand the question but I hope this will answer what I think you are asking.

The Branch line was never closed it was mothballed. However no maintanance was done from 1989 until we were allowed to start clearing the line in November 2000, by which time it was a nine mile forest. Since then we have opened the incline up to Ravenstor - half mile. - and three and a half miles of the main branch to Duffiel (to Idridgehay). We are now upgrading the rest of the line to passenger carrying standards, mainly by spot resleepering and have relaid the run round at Duffield. We now have less than one and a half miles left to do and hope to have in done by the Autumn for full reopening next spring.

The mainline connection was removed when the Midland Main Line was upgraded to 100mph running as Network Rail wanted £250,000 per year to maintian the link, money we do not have!

Hope this answers your question.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

We are now below 1,000 sleepers to be changed: 995. This week's total is 116 changed.

68 days left before the September deadline so it is going to be a "damned close run thing!" - both physically and financially.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

www.one-last-push.org

Last Sleepers placed at Hazelwood.
 

Yesterday,Wednesday 15th Septyember, the last of the sleepers that have to be replaced to complete the upgrading of the Shottle to Duffield section were placed under Hazelwood Bridge.

We do have about another 200 sleepers which we will replace before tamping takes place but the main work is now done. 200 sleepers represents about 3 weeks work. Yesterday we changed 36 sleepers!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Well done John and team another goal reached and very nearly there now. Good photographs
Regards

Have just read your news feed for Thursday.

You can call yourselves a proper railway now the cable fairies have visited.:) :)

Golden Sleeper and Spike
 

Today the official golden sleeper and spike were placed just south of Hazelwood in front of the TV cameras. Great feeling to know that we have got the job done within the time scale set.Best wishes,John H-T.

Once upon a time , you had a countdown clock on your webby - how does it stand now against it?

We have now completed the work that must be done before opening next April. The exact date will depend on who opens it. Likely to be sometime in the first two weeks of April.

In the meantime we have some maintenance work we want to do before the tamper arrives: 179 more sleepers to change, two lengths of rail to replace, 176 pairs of fishplates to grease, Duffield platform to complete and several cross drains to clear. Fairly minor compared with the 5,000 plus sleepers already changed etc. etc!!

Serious planning for the opening can now get fully into gear!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

That takes care of September, so what will you be doing next month? (LOL)

Watch this space!!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Looks as though you just got done in time before the weather broke!

Congratulations

Thanks. At least the pressure is off. We can now get on with the remaining jobs without feeling guilty when we shelter from the odd rain shower!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Congratulations.. When does the Work Start on the Extention to Rowsley Village..?

Congrats on what you have all acheived so far the trackwork looks first class hope the jumbo train goes well.Will definitely visit next year .

I think that idea fell by the wayside in the nineteenth century when the line was built. :):)

When we have good quality Station Buildings at Wirksworth and Duffield, two train running, decent workshop and maintenance facilities for Locos and Carriage and Wagon and the Railway is on a sound financial footing. In short when we have developed our current Railway to it's full potential!

It has often been said that eight and a half miles is about ideal for an Heritage Railway. That is what we have got. There is about 20 years work to develop what we have got and lift us into the Premier League. After all we will be one of the top 20 longest Heritage Railways in the UK!

Money connecting us to Peak Rail would be better spent getting them to Bakewell, which would be a real service for the National Park and the enviroment. Anyway we are linked by the Matlock Branch, why duplicate the route?

On a more immeadiate level we manage to change 20 more sleepers today in spite of the weather. These are the sleepers it is desirable to change before tamping the whole line.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

I've been watching this space carefully since post 71 John, but you seem to have been keeping this http://rail-news.com/2010/10/27/stea...me-since-1965/ under your hat. Congratulations to all involved!:D

Regards, 62440.

Grey power triumphs you could offer your services for HS2 might be built quicker.Well done and keep up the good work.

Sorry Folks not to have kept you up to date. A lot more news and some photos. Will make a more detailed post tomorrow.

Best wishes,

John H-T.