Rowsley South railway station

Rowsley South railway station lies approximately a mile short of Rowsley village, the location of the settlement's previous stations. This makes Rowsley South the third station to be built in the area, constructed as it was by Peak Rail volunteers in the latter part of the 1990s.

Opened to passenger services in 1997, the station was for a time referred to as 'Northwood', which is the part of Rowsley settlement that is near to the terminus. This 'connection' can still be observed through the name of the café that stands on the station, which is known as the 'Northwood Buffet'.

History

The initial station in Rowsley was opened in 1849 and formed a terminus for the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway line from Ambergate. That location became a goods yard in 1862, serving a new station built at that time, which lay on a through deviation. The latter took the line over the present day A6 road and the River Derwent, then into the Duke of Rutland's estate and on towards Bakewell. This later station in Rowsley closed in 1967 when the route itself was rationalised, prior to complete closure early in 1968.

Present Day

Rowsley South is now the main centre for the activities of preservation and heritage group Peak Rail and its various affiliated societies. The former operate a heritage steam service over some five miles of the one-time London, Midland and Scottish Railway route to the south, with an intermediate station at Darley Dale and terminating at Matlock Riverside.

Built as it is by the site of Rowsley's former Goods Yard, the station has both good access and extensive space available for future developments. Part of the Goods Yard has been restored as sidings for locomotives and coaching stock, a number of which lead to the sheds that are operated by other societies (see next section).

Other tracks from the sidings lead to Peak Rail's locomotive shed, which is under construction, and also to a turntable (previously located at Mold Junction) which is close to becoming operational.

The actual station is in the form of a single platform based, like the railway's other utilised platforms, on the Up side of the track. It is currently Peak Rail's northern terminus, although Peak Rail has now secured a 99-year lease on the trackbed up to the A6 at Rowsley Village.

Other societies

Other societies on the site include:
* London, Midland and Scottish Carriage Association
* Heritage Shunters Trust (South Yorkshire Railway Co Ltd)
* Renown and Repulse Preservation Group, who are currently restoring a brace of Class 50 locomotives.

Facilities

Facilities at the location include a Ticket Office (open many operating days), the 'Northwood Buffet' (open all operating days), and a shop (opening times as Buffet), along with disabled access toilets.

Parking at the station is both extensive and free of charge. Access to the station's facilities and to the yard is also without charge, though this only applies on operating days (on other occasions, the site is closed to the public). The LMSCA operate a small visitor centre inside their shed at the yard's southern end, and both they and the Heritage Shunters Trust welcome interested visitors. However, except in the case of such visits, the yard is closed to public access.

A recent development is that Peak Rail have been awarded £10,000 from the National Lottery's "Awards for All" scheme to upgrade facilities at the station itself.

Narrow gauge line

At the station's northern end is a small park, a play-area and also the narrow gauge line of the Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway Group. These are located on the other side of the line as the station, and can be accessed by a level crossing. The latter attraction is usually in operation in the summer and also on many Sundays when Peak Rail's own trains are in steam.

External links

* [http://www.peakrail.co.uk/index.htm Peak Rail Website]
* [http://www.dwvrt.org.uk/ Derwent and Wye Valley Railway Trust]
* [http://www.lmsca.org.uk London, Midland and Scottish Carriage Association]
* [http://www.renownrepulse.com Renown and Repulse Preservation Group]
* [http://www.peakrail.co.uk/narrow.htm Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway]

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