The last section of the Darley Dale footbridge (the span) levels Rowsley South yard on a GEO Siddall vehicle (B J Waters Transport), followed by the bridge columns on a separate vehicle, on route for Steelway of Wolverhampton for repair and restoration in May 2025.
The first phase of the Darley Dale footbridge restoration is now well underway at our contractors, Steelway Fensecure, Wolverhampton. The staircases and related components were the first parts of the bridge to be transported from Rowsley thanks to Peak Rail PLC. The lattice span, which most people will be familiar with, will follow after this phase has been completed.
Preliminary work has now been completed preparing the footbridge components for their move to Steelway in the West Midlands for repair and restoration. This has involved Peak Railway Association volunteers putting in many hours removing hundreds of rivets by hand and replacing them with nuts and bolts to allow easier transport to Steelway.
Following the successful open session held at Darley Dale Station in September, the Derwent and Wye Valley Railway Trust is holding a second session at The Imperial Rooms, Matlock, on Saturday 9th November, 10.00am-2.00pm., as part of its Bridging the Past project.
The Derwent and Wye Valley Railway Trust is holding an open session at Darley Dale Station on Saturday 28th September, 10.00am-2.00pm., as part of the Bridging the Past Project.
A grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is set to ensure The Derwent & Wye Valley Railway Trust can restore the historic Darley Dale Station railway footbridge back to its former glory as part of a far-reaching history project.
The DWVR Trust is delighted to receive a £1000 grant from EMR’s Customer and Communities Improvement Fund for improvements at Platform 2 of Matlock Station. This is the platform used by Peak Rail when trains are running into Matlock Town.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Nigel Carabine to the Board of Trustees. Nigel has been an active supporter of, and volunteer on, the Peak Rail Heritage Railway for many years. Previously he has supported the DWVRT's "Tracking our Heritage '' project as a volunteer interviewer in its oral history work. He brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and enthusiasm through a number of other groups in which he is involved.
It is with deep sadness that the trust learnt of the death on 10th February 2022 of Jackie Statham.
Jackie was the longest serving trustee having been involved since the charity’s incorporation in 2004. She has been a strong supporter of the work of the DWVRT and her contributions will be greatly missed.
The trust is very pleased to announce that Susan and Russell Morgan have been appointed to the Board of trustees with effect 6th October 2020. The board made the appointments at its meeting and is delighted that Russell will take over as Treasurer when Roy Mackinlay gives up this role which he has carried out to great effect for the last 6 years. Russell will take over these duties at the end of 2020. Both Susan and Russell are, amongst other things, active volunteers on the Peak Rail heritage railway.
After a great deal of hard work by trustee Ben Riley and volunteers from the Peak Railway Association, Darley Dale Station has both the up and down platform lights shining brightly again. For the 'down' platform (where the main station building is located), this is the first time that platform lights have shone since the station closed in 1967 and the line itself closed in 1968. The lamp posts are original Midland Railway posts sourced on behalf of the trustee by Ben Riley who also replaced the 'up' platform posts (which had been Midland Railway yard posts and much taller than normal platform posts). The lamps themselves are accurate replicas of Midland Railway designs giving the whole station a very atmospheric feel when dusk falls. This is another milestone in the restoration of this unique station to a period piece to be enjoyed by visitors and local communities.
©Ben RileyThe 2020 AGM was due to take place on 19th May but was postponed for as along as possible during the current Covid-19 crisis. However, to comply with various statutory requirements to hold our AGM, and taking into account the latest government guidance, we can confirm that the meeting will be held on Tuesday 8th September at Darley Dale Station, at 7.30pm. Papers will be posted to members.
Members are very welcome to attend but should not feel under any pressure to do so.
If you plan to attend please bring a face covering with you and wear it in the building, unless you are exempted from wearing a face covering.
The room will be sanitised before people arrive, and we will ensure that chairs are placed in such a way to maintain social distancing.
Hand sanitisers and wipes will be available. Unfortunately we will not be offering any light refreshments on this occasion.
Following the joint quiz put together buy the Derwent and Wye Valley Trust and The Peak Railway Association, the answers to this quiz have now been published.
We hope you enjoyed the challenge and perhaps leaned more about the history of the route.
You can download a copy of the answers to the quiz by clicking here.
Owing to the continuing restrictions relating to the Coronavirus pandemic, the trustees have agreed that the Annual General Meeting scheduled for Tuesday 19th May 2020 will be postponed.
The meeting has been provisionally rescheduled for 7.30pm on Tuesday 8th September 2020 at Darley Dale Station, Station Road, Darley Dale, Matlock. DE4 2EQ
As of 11 August 2020 it is confirmed that the revised date of the AGM is 7.30pm on Tuesday 8th September. Read more...
The Derwent and Wye Valley Railway Trust and The Peak Railway Association have combined forces to put together a railway quiz in these testing times. However, we hope you have a bit of fun doing it, and that you enjoy the challenge. You may even learn one or two new things about the history of the line, and the organisations invloved in preserving our railway heritage. If you would like to learn more about becoming a member of the the Peak Railway Association please click the logo on the Weblinks to get the full details.
David Lathrope (DWVRT) and Roger Hallatt (PRA).
The answers (as we understand them) will be published on Monday 11th May 2020, but if you you have any feedback on the quiz for the DWVRT or the PRA, please let us know at dwvrtrust@gmail.com by Friday 8th May 2020.
For some years, the trust has been fundraising for the restoration and reinstatement of the original double staircase footbridge at Darley Dale Station. Towards the end of 2019 a project enquiry form was submitted to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). This is a way of getting feedback before starting work on a full application.
The project represents an important phase of the restoration of the station, and proposes the restoration of the footbridge. It also includes the development of the ‘Tracking our Heritage Project’ by focusing the oral histories of the people who used the bridge, Darley Dale Station and its environs like the Whitworth Park. This is both a major heritage restoration piece, with an associated oral social history project.
©Sheila RaysonThe feedback from the NLHF has been encouraging. We will need to develop our ideas about the accessible digital outputs of the work (which we will make available through our website), and the NLHF wanted a clearer picture of the likely planning outcomes of reinstating the bridge.
As a result, a request for pre-application (planning) advice was submitted to Derbyshire Dales District Council in March 2020. Although a full application will have to be submitted in due course, the proposal is considered to be acceptable and does not require Listed Building Consent (not being attached to the Listed Buildings).
This is very encouraging and the trust is now minded to develop a full application to the NLHF to part fund the project. This will take some time but watch this space for updates.
As part of its response, the Fund has halted new applications until at least October 2020. However, the trust had started work on a full application through the Fund’s portal, and will continue to develop the project application in the interim The Fund has halted all new Committee-level grants (£250,000-£5m) and single-stage delegated grants (£3,000-£250,000) until at least October 2020.