Little Eaton Branch nr Derby

[yummy125]

North of Derby station there is a track split just below a village called
"Little Eaton", the track has been cut from the main network but is complete and very overgrown.

It runs by the A38 to Rawson Green / Kilburn & stops just passed Park Hall Road.

Was this a passenger or Freight line, when did it close.

 

[thenorthern]

North of Derby station there is a track split just below a village called
"Little Eaton", the track has been cut from the main network but is complete and very overgrown.

It runs by the A38 to Rawson Green / Kilburn & stops just passed Park Hall Road.

Was this a passenger or Freight line, when did it close.

It ran to Ripley and joined onto the Pye Bridge line at Butterley, it did carry passengers until 1930 when regular passenger services ended when afterwards it was used for excursions and freight.

 

[STANDISH]

Last coal traffic from Denby Disposal point. Disused certainly by 2003.

 

[73202]

The track was lifted around 2, maybe 3 years ago. There is definitely nothing at all left around where the A609 crosses the line at Kilburn apart from the rails which are left in the road surface.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It ran to Ripley and joined onto the Pye Bridge line at Butterley, it did carry passengers until 1930 when regular passenger services ended when afterwards it was used for excursions and freight.

There were stations at Little Eaton, Coxbench, Kilburn, Denby and Ripley.

The track section from between Denby and Holbrook level crossing was lifted between July and August 2011 and the remaining track section from Holbrook level crossing to just short of the mainline connection was lifted during the first week of March 2012 by the contractor, Trackwork of Doncaster.

 

[Mugby]

The track section from between Denby and Holbrook level crossing was lifted between July and August 2011 and the remaining track section from Holbrook level crossing to just short of the mainline connection was lifted during the first week of March 2012 by the contractor, Trackwork of Doncaster.

Just before that date, a local businessman in the Ripley area had been making noises about the possibility of re-opening the branch as a passenger line.

I couldn't help feeling that NR's attitude was 'Let's rip it up quick before that idea goes any further!'

 

[The Planner]

Doubt it, the track would have needed complete re-laying anyway. Another case of "there is a disused line, lets re-open it" and not really thinking about all that it entails.

 

[thenorthern]

If they did reopen it a Derby to Ripley service calling at Little Eaton, Kilburn and Ripley I reckon could be feasible.

I haven't been to Ripley in years though does anyone know what it is like now?

 

[bunnahabhain]

Just before that date, a local businessman in the Ripley area had been making noises about the possibility of re-opening the branch as a passenger line.

I couldn't help feeling that NR's attitude was 'Let's rip it up quick before that idea goes any further!'

If you call this cretin a "businessman" then sure...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/railway-boss-is-convicted-child-rapist-1695693

 

[G0ORC]

The track was lifted around 2, maybe 3 years ago. There is definitely nothing at all left around where the A609 crosses the line at Kilburn apart from the rails which are left in the road surface.

Not now - I live a few hundred yards from the crossing and the rails were lifted last year with a road closure and the surface tarmac-ed over
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

If they did reopen it a Derby to Ripley service calling at Little Eaton, Kilburn and Ripley I reckon could be feasible.

I haven't been to Ripley in years though does anyone know what it is like now?

A local businessman tried to promote a pie-in-the-sky scheme a few years ago when the track was still in-situ and was quickly disabused on the feasibility of it.

1) A38 Ripley - Derby takes 30 mins peak, 20 mins off peak by road. The railway, in its dying years, had a speed limit of 15 mph and even going back to 1948 the speed limit was never more than 40 mph.

2) Most of the trackbed to the north of Kilburn has been built on by roads, business parks and housing estates.

3. Competition from excellent bus services in the area

4. A ridiculous number of level crossings to negotiate - I can think of about 7 or 8 between Kilburn and Little Eaton alone a distance of about three miles all of which were trainman operated in its later freight days. Bearing in mind NR's current aversion to level crossings, this would probably render it a non-starter on its own.

5. In terms of re-opening it it would cost a phenomenal amount of money for very little gain. There simply isn't the population density to support a passenger railway :-

Little Eaton - small village, 20 mins from Derby centre by road at peak, 10mins off-peak, also excellent road public transport links

Coxbench and surrounding area (Holbrook, Bargate, Horsley Woodhouse, etc) tiny villages, no significant population and within easy reach of Derby by road 20 mins or so also excellent road public transport links. Also Belper station about 10 mins away with an hourly service, good bus links to Derby too.

Kilburn - small place, no significant population, only 2 miles or so from Belper (railway served) and excellent road public transport links

Denby - insignificant population - Denby Pottery and Deb local big employers but most workers at those sites live very close anyway and also has excellent road public transport links

Ripley, small town with a reasonably significant population but Belper station is about 5 miles from Ripley, Alfreton about the same on the Erewash Valley and has excellent road links and public transport to railheads at Derby, Nottingham, Alfreton and Belper (coming soon - Ilkeston)

I'm all for rail re-openings but this is a total non-starter in any economic climate I'm afraid.

 

[Mugby]

Yes, I completely agree with everything you say ^^^, particularly the point about the level crossings.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Proposed for reuse as a cycle path.

 

[MidlandMainlie]

Wonder if this route could ever become a viable tram rote linking local communities to Nottingham and Derby city centres?

 

[G0ORC]

Wonder if this route could ever become a viable tram rote linking local communities to Nottingham and Derby city centres?

In the very, very long term, as far as Little Eaton its just about possible, but after that it would struggle to be viable and, due to infrastructure damage almost impossible north of Kilburn.

In addition the old formation met the main line at Little Eaton Jcn and thence formed the up goods line. That is still in use by heavy rail from about half way between Little Eaton & St Mary's and thus a new alignment would be necessary to take it, perhaps towards Pride Park, through a densely built up area of shops, factories and houses along Alfreton Road.

Taking a flight of fancy, we could have had trams from Little Eaton running over the GN bridge (demolished long ago) over the MML near Alfreton Road, over Skew Bridge (still extant) near Duke St with an interchange somewhere on Chester Green or, if the old GN Tunnel under West Parade hadn't been filled in, near to the Seven Stars pub on Queen Street... wow what might have been possible.........

So, in my humble opinion very, very unlikely indeed - a cycle way or pathway as suggested above looks about the only credible use for it.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Just out of interest Coxbench station was recently up for sale. It's quite a substantial building when you consider the size of Coxbench (basically just a collection of houses). For many years after the last train ran and before the track was removed the owners of the station had a little ramp across the line to their garden. God help them if NR had decided to run a train with no notice! Incredibly just a few months before the track was removed NR vans could often be seen at a farm crossing between the LC at Holbrook and Kilburn LC. What they were doing was anyone's guess!

 

[Mugby]

Incredibly just a few months before the track was removed NR vans could often be seen at a farm crossing between the LC at Holbrook and Kilburn LC. What they were doing was anyone's guess!

I did know the answer to that but I've forgotten!

Anyway, to the best of my recollection, it was being used by either the welders or the rail grinders for practice purposes, the fact that the branch had been disconnected by then meant that it could be used on an ad hoc basis without the need for protection to be arranged etc.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I did know the answer to that but I've forgotten!

Anyway, to the best of my recollection, it was being used by either the welders or the rail grinders for practice purposes, the fact that the branch had been disconnected by then meant that it could be used on an ad hoc basis without the need for protection to be arranged etc.

Ah well that explains a lot! At the time I didn't realise that the branch had been disconnected from the mainline and assumed that a local farmer had inadvertently damaged the track. I couldn't believe that NR were spending money on the branch.

Completely off topic but I recently saw a NR van beside the private siding running into Courtaulds at Spondon. Any ideas? As far as I can see the mainline connection hasn't been removed so I can't think that it would be the same reason as above

 

[ungreat]

Used to go up there when based at Toton.Happy days

 

[RichmondCommu]

Used to go up there when based at Toton.Happy days

It must have been one of the last MGR services to use a brakevan due to all the level crossings. From memory all those trains ran to Willington PS but I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[Mugby]

Completely off topic but I recently saw a NR van beside the private siding running into Courtaulds at Spondon. Any ideas? As far as I can see the mainline connection hasn't been removed so I can't think that it would be the same reason as above

No, it would have been purely for access purposes, there's a gate there which leads onto the track, there's also a larger gate on the opposite side which enables vehicles to be driven alongside the up main for a short distance, it's down to whichever's handiest really.

 

[G0ORC]

It must have been one of the last MGR services to use a brakevan due to all the level crossings. From memory all those trains ran to Willington PS but I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong!

Yes most did with usually 2 x SSF Class 20 (or the occasional SSF 47), 36 (or was is 42? - I think it was) MGRs and a brakevan front and rear. It went to Willington because the poor grade of coal being loaded at Denby was suitable only for Willington's burners. Later, when coal was sourced at other sites and transported to Denby for rail loading, the occasional Denby - Ratcliffe would run.

In latter years Denby was a stocking site, of course with the coal coming in by road from other pits to be loaded to rail at Denby. The associated local collieries had closed some while before and it was just the rail loading point at the former Denby (Kilburn Seam site) in use. Denby (Kilburn seam), Denby Hall, B Winning and Denby Drury Lowe closed as coal producing collieries in the 50s, 60s and 70s I think (don't quote me though....)

I'll dig out Howard Sprenger's excellent and definitive book on the history of the line "Rails To Ripley" on the Denby branch and have a look.

 

[Kneedown]

It must have been one of the last MGR services to use a brakevan due to all the level crossings. From memory all those trains ran to Willington PS but I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong!

It used to be one of my stamping grounds too!
The Denby's were certainly the only MGR's us Toton bod's worked with brake vans, and yes, the vast majority went to Willington although on occasion they found their way to Ratcliffe or Drakelow.

 

[G0ORC]

I have consulted Howard Sprenger's excellent book on the line (Rails To Ripley) from which I quote and paraphrase below and here are a few dates that may well be of interest.

The last train was scheduled to be on 16th April 1999 when 6T47 0835 Denby - Drakelow ran with a full train of 36 loaded MGRs but it was communicated to EWS's Control (where I was the Control Manager at the time - G0ORC) that there was enough coal left in the bunker to fill about half of a 36 wagon train and thus a trip from Toton was very hastily arranged for 19th April that year.

So hastily was it arranged that the train staff, which had been removed from the Token Machine at Little Eaton was in the safe keeping of the signallers at Derby PSB and in my experience and more importantly Nick Allsop, the signaller concerned's experience it was perhaps the only train staff ever handed to a driver from a PSB when the train of empties was brought to a stand at DY430 signal (outside of the PSB) especially for the purpose.

So the last commercial freight train with 16 out of 36 wagons loaded, a special trip to Drakelow, ran on the 19th April 1999, although technically it wasn't the last train ever as a weed-killing train ran up the branch in the following year. After that, road-knowledge lapsed and nothing else ever ran up the branch.

Thus ended 152 years of rail operation along the line. The connection to the main line at Little Eaton Junction was removed in 2002 and the line was mothballed in case a further use could be found for it but when this local order lapsed in 2007 we all though that was the end but it took until 2011/12 for the rails finally to be lifted.

 

[Cletus]

Just out of interest Coxbench station was recently up for sale. It's quite a substantial building when you consider the size of Coxbench (basically just a collection of houses). For many years after the last train ran and before the track was removed the owners of the station had a little ramp across the line to their garden. God help them if NR had decided to run a train with no notice! Incredibly just a few months before the track was removed NR vans could often be seen at a farm crossing between the LC at Holbrook and Kilburn LC. What they were doing was anyone's guess!

Following the route on Google Streeview there's quite a bit of infrastructure left. At Coxbench you can see the station building, platform and ramps over the track.
http://goo.gl/maps/fYrEr

 

[Mugby]

Yes that's correct. Last time I went past on the bus, the station building was still inhabited. Exactly 133 miles from St. Pancras!

 

[Wyvern]

Wonder if this route could ever become a viable tram rote linking local communities to Nottingham and Derby city centres?

What? Like the Ripley Rattlers?

Quoting D. H. Lawrence: There is in the North a single-line system of tramcars which boldly leaves the county town and plunges off into the black, industrial countryside . . . . . This, the most dangerous tram-service in England, as the authorities themselves declare, with pride, is entirely conducted by girls, and driven by rash young men, or else by invalids who creep forward in terror

 

[CaptainHaddock]

This was the pie in the sky proposal for the Denby branch back in 2011.

http://www.rail-news.com/2011/01/01/proposal-for-new-derbyshire-passenger-line/

 

[Mugby]

It really makes you wonder what planet some of our local councillors are on.

And to think that public money is poured into things like that!

 

[MidlandMainlie]

What? Like the Ripley Rattlers?

Quoting D. H. Lawrence: There is in the North a single-line system of tramcars which boldly leaves the county town and plunges off into the black, industrial countryside . . . . . This, the most dangerous tram-service in England, as the authorities themselves declare, with pride, is entirely conducted by girls, and driven by rash young men, or else by invalids who creep forward in terror

Similar but hopefully built to modern safety standards

 

[Wyvern]

I should have given a better reference; the quote is from 'Tickets, Please!' by D. H. Lawrence in 1919

THere is a transcript here: http://www.pseudopodium.org/repress/shorts/D_H_Lawrence-Tickets_Please.html

I actually rode on it when it was a trolley bus just be able to say I had done so.