Should the Cromford and High Peak Railway Line reopen?

[tetudo boy]

This is something that has been circulating in my mind lately, should the Cromford and High Peak Railway Line reopen?

If you don't know what this railway line was, the Cromford and High Peak Railway was a railway line running from Whatstandwell to Whaley Bridge. The Line opened in 1831 and was closed in stages from 1963 to 1967 due to the Beeching cut's.

With the 2020 Initiative (aka De-Beeching process) of reopening closed lines, I thought it would be worthy to mention this line reopening. This is mainly because I thought it would act as a useful Intercity line connecting Manchester and the north-west with the Midland Main Line, and could also serve some local communities.

Thoughts?

 

[bramling]

This is something that has been circulating in my mind lately, should the Cromford and High Peak Railway Line reopen?

If you don't know what this railway line was, the Cromford and High Peak Railway was a railway line running from Whatstandwell to Whaley Bridge. The Line opened in 1831 and was closed in stages from 1963 to 1967 due to the Beeching cut's.

With the 2020 Initiative (aka De-Beeching process) of reopening closed lines, I thought it would be worthy to mention this line reopening. This is mainly because I thought it would act as a useful Intercity line connecting Manchester and the north-west with the Midland Main Line, and could also serve some local communities.

Thoughts?

Apart from the fact that there aren’t many communities along the route, and the fact that the route is duplicated on a better alignment by Matlock to Buxton via Bakewell which would be more useful in terms of where it goes (serves Darley Dale, Rowsley and Bakewell, and doesn’t avoid Matlock), there’s the small matter of three inclines at the Cromford end, two of which are extremely severe. That alone would completely kill re-opening even if it was otherwise able to be justified.

The only prospect for re-opening this route would be as a kinky tourist attraction, probably some kind of narrow gauge railway, but this would run into conflict with the cycle path lobby. This would also still have to find a safe and viable way of negotiating the inclines.

It’s a nice idea, but sadly it’s not going to happen. If only one could travel back in time!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

A very interesting idea. An ex work mate (no longer with us alas) , saw it working in it's glorious last years and then referred to it as a "self sustaining" railway, as it's "raison d'etre" by then it seemed to be in business for serving the requirements of the railway - water tenders , loco coal etc , with the very odd revenue load of silica or something similar.

Of course , it must have been built for a purpose , but that moment had passed. I guess.

 

[tetudo boy]

Apart from the fact that there aren’t many communities along the route, and the fact that there route is duplicated by Matlock to Buxton via Bakewell which would be more useful, there’s the small matter of three inclines at the Cromford end, two of which are extremely severe. That alone would completely kill re-opening even if it was otherwise able to be justified.

What I should've mentioned is that those could be altered in some way when they are reconstructed, however, I somehow thought it was irrelevant, but I think it could happen now that I've changed my mind.

 

[6Gman]

What I should've mentioned is that those could be altered in some way when they are reconstructed, however, I somehow thought it was irrelevant, but I think it could happen now that I've changed my mind.

The inclines varied between 1 in 8 and 1 in 14 (four of them). If they could be easily bypassed they would have been in the first place.

 

[bramling]

The inclines varied between 1 in 8 and 1 in 14 (four of them). If they could be easily bypassed they would have been in the first place.

The ones at the Buxton end ultimately were (5 in total at that end if my memory serves?). I don’t know how the ones at the Cromford end could be though. Both the Cromford and Middleton inclines are seriously fearsome.

 

[Dr Hoo]

So the OP is basically proposing contracting a brand new main line alignment through the middle of a National Park with no intermediate stations to serve the area?

Interestingly, after the Sheep Pasture and Cromford Inclines (1:8 or 1:9) were amalgamated they discovered that detached wagons could (and occasionally DID) exceed 100mph if they ran away. Hence the 'catch pit' built at Cromford as the first piece of railway infrastructure in the world explicitly designed to handle three-figure (Imperial) speeds. And it worked!

 

[Western Sunset]

To the OP. Are you having a laugh?

 

[bramling]

So the OP is basically proposing contracting a brand new main line alignment through the middle of a National Park with no intermediate stations to serve the area?

Interestingly, after the Sheep Pasture and Cromford Inclines (1:8 or 1:9) were amalgamated they discovered that detached wagons could (and occasionally DID) exceed 100mph if they ran away. Hence the 'catch pit' built at Cromford as the first piece of railway infrastructure in the world explicitly designed to handle three-figure (Imperial) speeds. And it worked!

Must have been a spectacular sight to see. If I remember rightly there’s still the remains of a wagon in the catch pit at Cromford.

I remember climbing Cromford for the first time, we approached what we thought was the top, turned a corner and there was Sheep Pasture!

 

[Doctor Fegg]

So the OP is basically proposing contracting a brand new main line alignment through the middle of a National Park with no intermediate stations to serve the area?

And obliterating a key part of a World Heritage Site.

Let me guess, will the reopened line be worked by Class 442s?

 

[talltim]

And obliterating a key part of a World Heritage Site.

Let me guess, will the reopened line be worked by Class 442s?

442s are so last year. Mk4s of course

 

[Harpers Tate]

As far as I know that route never had a scheduled passenger service and there were no "stations". It was single track throughout.
I gather that it was designed and built by a canal engineer which probably explains his choice to build it largely quite level but with a few extreme (by railway standards) gradients and many sharp curves - much as you might design a canal with locks.
I suspect in order to make a " useful Intercity line " it would require what amounts to an almost complete reconstruction throughout.

 

[tetudo boy]

So the OP is basically proposing contracting a brand new main line alignment through the middle of a National Park with no intermediate stations to serve the area?

And obliterating a key part of a World Heritage Site.

It's good to have a railway line through a world heritage site!

I suspect there could be some intermediate stations.

 

[Journeyman]

And obliterating a key part of a World Heritage Site.

Let me guess, will the reopened line be worked by Class 442s?

With HST power cars.

 

[XAM2175]

was closed in stages from 1963 to 1967 due to the Beeching cut's

Beeching cuts, or Beeching's cuts, but not Beeching cut's.

 

[CBlue]

With HST power cars.

Don't be daft. It'll be 3rd rail electrified using a converted Class 91 on one end and a modified Pacer at the other as a DBSO

 

[swt_passenger]

Don't be daft. It'll be 3rd rail electrified using a converted Class 91 on one end and a modified Pacer at the other as a DBSO

If it’s absolutely level how about water troughs between the rails? Then you’d just need something with a sharp knife on the end to split the hydrogen out...

 

[Philip Phlopp]

I thought it would act as a useful Intercity line connecting Manchester and the north-west with the Midland Main Line

Thoughts?

That's the job of the Woodhead Route for the crayon eating mapistas.

 

[DB]

Interestingly, after the Sheep Pasture and Cromford Inclines (1:8 or 1:9) were amalgamated they discovered that detached wagons could (and occasionally DID) exceed 100mph if they ran away. Hence the 'catch pit' built at Cromford as the first piece of railway infrastructure in the world explicitly designed to handle three-figure (Imperial) speeds. And it worked!

How many pieces did the wagons end up in?!

 

[Merle Haggard]

The line has been well described in words, but possibly some photos will help. In the 1960s I walked the line from Cromford (having travelled by train, walking from Whatstandwell) and here's my snapshots.
The first shows the catch-pit; there were wrecked wagons in it compressed against the end of the short tunnel that formed the 'pi'.
The second shows the first gradient post - sadly, my snap of the 1 in 9 to 1 in 8 gradient post was sabotaged by the camera case.
The third shows the top of Sheep pasture incline, giving a hint at the alignment and traffic potential.

 

[Journeyman]

Don't be daft. It'll be 3rd rail electrified using a converted Class 91 on one end and a modified Pacer at the other as a DBSO

Of course! That's a much better idea!

 

[D365]

To the OP. Are you having a laugh?

That would be a surefire way to categorise the types of posts made under this subform!