A rather small railway

 Once again on our way North, with a planned stop over at Gretna Green, I suggested we visit another railway and make a full day of the travelling. The 'Steeplegrange Light Railway' became our centre of attention, it is out of the way so satnav and a map were essential.

The Railway is built on part of the former Cromford and High Peak Railway track bed. In 1971 the track bed was bought by the local authority and turned into the High Peak Trail, which today is very popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders.The C&HPR was constructed in the 1830s to link the Cromford Canal to the Peak Forest Canal. The 33 mile line used horses for motive power, but also used stationary engines for the 9 inclined planes. The first locomotives operated from 1833, but the horses remained for another 30 years. The Beeching axe fell in 1963 with the closure of the Middleton Incline, then with traffic reducing over the following 4 years it finally closed in 1967 after 137 years of service.

In 1833 a branch line was built off the C&HPR at Steeplehouse to Middleton Quarry, without Parliamentary approval. The Killer Brothers of Wirksworth, owners of the Quarry paid for 'The Killers Branch'. The line's traffic consisted of trains, loaded with Limestone .... the 1 in 27 gradient was one of the last parts to close in 1967.

The SGLR Society formed in 1985 and decided not to restore the Killers branch, but instead to build a narrow gauge railway using rolling stock from mines, quarries and other industrial sites. The 18'' gauge was chosen for its curiosity value. It is light enough for manual handling but strong enough to carry reasonable loads of visitors.

On the main ride for visitors this is a typical view from the 'Man rider', these are ex coal mine transports. They are rather small, but it all adds to the fun.

That's me in holiday mode (shorts)

You get two rides, the first is up the incline and this is the second one into the quarry. It is here you get a geology lesson from the enthusiastic driver, as you can see the motive power is battery electric.

This is the Station, Loco shed, Shop and tea room, they have an eclectic collection of vehicles which have been or are being lovingly restored. They are all very enthusiastic about what they do, and very friendly.

The guard on the first ride has the responsibility of dismounting a short distance from the terminus, here he/she has to hold a red flag and stop any heavy truck going in or out of an adjacent transport yard.

This is the second ride into the quarry, I have to add it's not very far but does not diminish the fun.

This gives you an idea of how miners travelled underground.

As you can see, this is from the top of the incline, the track drops away sharply. It does not become a roller coaster ride, as the little locos are very heavy and are a superb brake.

These are 'Crinoids', which are fossilised sea creatures and found extensively in the old quarry. Your driver/guide is only too happy, to show you where they are and explain the Geology of the area.

The whole area was once a warm shallow Coral Sea.

As with any other Heritage Railway, The Steeplegrange is not open due to Covid restrictions.

Their website has all of the up to date information. I am sure they,  as we are so looking forward to getting back to operations.