Ecclesbourne Valley Railway News & Updates

[ThirteenArches]

have you ever considered the possibility of running brake van rides through the tunnel to the Big 'ole from Wirksworth yard?

I asked someone on site quite a few years ago about this; they told me the problem was ensuring adequate ventilation. Not just carbon dioxide, but radon too.

 

[43055]

Coal Tank 1054 has arrived at Wirksworth ready for the Road and Rail event on Sunday. After EVR it will be visiting Peak Rail and be at the Greatest Gathering.

Bahamas Locomotive Society | Keighley

Bahamas Locomotive Society, Keighley. 5,023 likes · 1,021 talking about this · 43 were here. We are based at the Engine Shed Museum, Ingrow, Keighley. Owners of Jubilee class loco 45596 Bahamas.

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About to depart from Ingrow today (6th May) for its summer holiday. The Coal Tank is bound for the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, with a spell at Peak Rail before appearing at the Greatest Gathering at Derby at the beginning of August.
And with thought currently on VE Day events, it is worth recalling that the engine was ‘called up’ for service in the Second World War, and is the reason why the engine survives today.

 

[50002Superb]

Does anyone know if these are the confirmed workings this weekend?

https://x.com/chimewhistle/status/1925188365969764440?s=46&t=BM205xSI_a2WpM7mwwwJ7Q

I might visit tomorrow if so.

 

[43055]

Does anyone know if these are the confirmed workings this weekend?

https://x.com/chimewhistle/status/1925188365969764440?s=46&t=BM205xSI_a2WpM7mwwwJ7Q

I might visit tomorrow if so.

Yes 73001 is planned to work tomorrow with 33103 on Monday.

 

[50002Superb]

Yes 73001 is planned to work tomorrow with 33103 on Monday.

Great, I will pay a visit

 

[43055]

1940's weekend in just under 3 weeks time is shaping up well with 4 steam locos!! The Duke, Moorbarrow, Coal Tank 1054 and now Saddle tank 4388.

The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway | Wirksworth

The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, Wirksworth. 13,268 followers · 496 talking about this · 9,094 were here. The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is Derbyshire’s longest heritage railway, running steam and...

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A further locomotive addition to Wirksworth Back to the 40s by Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is Kerr Stuart saddle tank 4388 which comes to us courtesy of Jack Dibnah.
The engine will be operating services on the Ravenstor incline throughout the 1940s weekend and brings the total number of operating steam locomotives for the event to 4!

Book your tickets now*
https://wyvernrail.digitickets.co.uk/category/54941

Ian Ralphs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
*main event days are 14th & 15th June with special fares in place. Standard fares apply to services running on the preview day, Friday 13th June

 

[43055]

Couple of shots from the 1940's weekend last week. The normal timetable seems to be planned for 'the Duke' for the next couple of weeks now it has returned from maintenance giving 'Moorbarrow' a bit of time off.

In Diesel news the Summer gala will take place on the 18th - 20th July featuring the home fleet with a curry train on the Saturday evening and class 08 driver experience on the Sunday. https://www.e-v-r.com/events/

Friday 18th, Saturday 19th, & Sunday 20th July

Join us for our annual Summer diesel gala. There'll be lots of mileage on offer for the enthusiasts behind a variety of different locomotives. Plus, there'll be a Saturday evening curry special and the chance to drive the 08 diesel shunter on the Sunday!

 

[43055]

The Summer diesel gala is now a Rail 200 gala with a bit of everything.

Friday - diesel day with all the diesels out
Saturday - anything goes with the Steam loco's joining in as well and vintage bus tours from Wirksworth.
Sunday - Branchline day with Steam, DMU and 08 on driver experience.

Full details:

Rail 200 Summer Gala 2025 – Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

www.e-v-r.com

 

[m79900]

The last 101 vehicle, 51505, left the railway last week. From the looks of things, its at the North Norfolk railway, so could be reunited with 51188 once again. They're building up quite the fleet down there!

 

[43055]

After a successful test run earlier in the week LMS coach 27162 has entered service after a 14 year overall after a fire in 2011. This joins similar coach 27001 in the rake which is normally used for dining.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Volunteers Celebrate 15,000-Hour Restoration of Historic Railway Coach 27162
Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, Wirksworth Station 15th August 2025
The LMS Carriage Association (London Midland and Scottish Carriage Association) is delighted to announce the return to service of its meticulously restored London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Third Open coach, No. 27162. After a monumental volunteer-led effort spanning many years, the historic carriage will once again welcome passengers, showcasing the extraordinary dedication and skill of a small team of enthusiasts.
The launch of this historic carriage is the culmination of an estimated 15,000 volunteer hours of tireless work. Starting in earnest in 2020, a core team of approximately ten volunteers undertook the immense task of rebuilding the entire interior of the coach from scratch following a disastrous fire in 2011.
This challenging project was expertly led by Derek Glynn, a former craftsman from the historic Litchurch Lane carriage works and a trained upholsterer, who personally handled the complex seating arrangements. The rest of the team built everything from the wood trim and bulkheads to the interior doors and toilet compartment, demonstrating an inspiring commitment to heritage preservation.
The LMSCA is particularly proud to highlight its oldest volunteer, John Leather, who at the age of 93, continues to play a vital and active role in the restoration work. His contributions, along with those of the entire team, embody the spirit of the heritage railway movement.
“This project is a true testament to the passion and resilience of our volunteers,” said David Tillett, Lead Trustee of the LMSCA. “They have faced every challenge with unwavering dedication and immense skill. This coach is a credit to them all, and we can’t wait for the public to see this beautiful piece of history back on the rails.”
The restoration also received valuable support from many other individuals and organisations at various points since the carriage first arrived on the railway in 2009. Further images of the coach and the recovery work are available upon request.
About the LMS Carriage Association The LMS Carriage Association is a volunteer-led organisation dedicated to the preservation and restoration of historic railway carriages.
Media Contact:
Tom Tait
07540705453
tom.tait@e-v-r.com

 

[Trainman40083]

I must make an effort to get the recently restored DMU coach

 

[43055]

I must make an effort to get the recently restored DMU coach

Not sure when it is due out again as it looks like W55006 is only down for the market trains at the moment.

 

[Iskra]

I had a fantastic day at the railway today (which looked stunning in the Autumnal colours) doing a Diesel Driver experience. I got to drive a 121 bubble car and a Class 33. It’s excellent value compared to a lot of lines! I enjoyed driving both, but preferred the 33 as it’s easier as you don’t have to press down on the power handle or deal with gears. 25mph feels really fast when you're at the controls!

 

[Iskra]

The Twin Peaks diesel gala in conjunction with Peak Rail has been confirmed to be returning next year on 10th and 11th of April 2026.

 

[duffield]

The Twin Peaks diesel gala in conjunction with Peak Rail has been confirmed to be returning next year on 10th and 11th of April 2026.

I hope the traffic situation between Wirksworth and Matlock will be better this year! Last year the bus connections were completely screwed up due to the congestion caused at least partly by roadworks (in the Cromford area if I remember correctly).

 

[Iskra]

I hope the traffic situation between Wirksworth and Matlock will be better this year! Last year the bus connections were completely screwed up due to the congestion caused at least partly by roadworks (in the Cromford area if I remember correctly).

I still think the most sensible thing would be to allow travel between Duffield-Matlock on EMR and bin off the bus shuttles.

Bus enthusiasts may disagree however.

 

[31160]

Hopefully 73210 may be back next year

 

[duffield]

I still think the most sensible thing would be to allow travel between Duffield-Matlock on EMR and bin off the bus shuttles.

Bus enthusiasts may disagree however.

I'm not a bus enthusiast, but the thing is that the bus connection from Wirksworth to Matlock should ideally only take about 30 minutes so it makes the whole twin peaks thing work properly if something like that time is actually possible. If you're at Wirksworth, going back to Duffield and getting the EMR service is probably going to take 90 minutes depending on the connections.

As an aside I wonder if the EVR services will get retimed to connect with the new mainline timetable?

Assuming the main traffic to/from the EVR is from Derby/Nottingham, the EVR services arriving at around xx55 (when the EMR service from Derby arrives) and leaving at around xx10 (when the EMR service to Derby departs) would be ideal, that would give 15 minutes for incoming passengers to buy tickets etc. and 15 minutes for outgoing passengers to get their connection.

I wonder if that will be possible?

 

[50002Superb]

I still think this should be a Three Peaks with the MRC

 

[Iskra]

I still think this should be a Three Peaks with the MRC

It’s an interesting idea, but I think it would be hard to cover all three railways in one day.

The MRC is able to hold pretty successful galas on its own because of the better mainline connection, so would probably just pull people away from the other two railways.

 

[50002Superb]

It’s an interesting idea, but I think it would be hard to cover all three railways in one day.

The MRC is able to hold pretty successful galas on its own because of the better mainline connection, so would probably just pull people away from the other two railways.

Completely understand but the allure of doing two of the three would appeal to a wider audience and they just pick and choose without one losing out.

 

[43055]

I'm not a bus enthusiast, but the thing is that the bus connection from Wirksworth to Matlock should ideally only take about 30 minutes so it makes the whole twin peaks thing work properly if something like that time is actually possible. If you're at Wirksworth, going back to Duffield and getting the EMR service is probably going to take 90 minutes depending on the connections.

As an aside I wonder if the EVR services will get retimed to connect with the new mainline timetable?

Assuming the main traffic to/from the EVR is from Derby/Nottingham, the EVR services arriving at around xx55 (when the EMR service from Derby arrives) and leaving at around xx10 (when the EMR service to Derby departs) would be ideal, that would give 15 minutes for incoming passengers to buy tickets etc. and 15 minutes for outgoing passengers to get their connection.

I wonder if that will be possible?

The difficulty is that can't run a hourly service to allow for the train to go from Shottle to Wirksworth and back so the connections will change throughout the day. Generally event timetables are around every 70-80 mins.

 

[duffield]

The difficulty is that can't run a hourly service to allow for the train to go from Shottle to Wirksworth and back so the connections will change throughout the day. Generally event timetables are around every 70-80 mins.

That's a problem on event days, true, but for the ordinary timetable (e.g. the 30th October timetable which is still on the website) the time seem to vary for no apparent reason (image of timetable extracted from link https://www.e-v-r.com/event/steam-services-22/).

Image below shows services departing Wirksworth at 10:50, 13:15, 15:25 and arriving Duffield 11:28, 13:53, 16:03 and in the other direction services departing Duffield 11:50, 14:10 and 16:20 and arriving at Wirksworth 12:30, 14:50 and 17:00

It looks like it should be possible to run a regular two hourly interval service, connecting with the EMR service, if the turn round time at Wirksworth was cut to 20 minutes, which is managed at Duffield (17 minutes minimum). In fact with the new EMR timetable you could even get good connections with a 2hr 5 minute interval (allowing 25 minutes turn around at Wirksworth) if the first EVR service arrived at Duffield at xx50, the second at xx55 and the third at xx00

I expect there's some reason behind the irregular intervals but it's not obvious.

 

[43055]

That's a problem on event days, true, but for the ordinary timetable (e.g. the 30th October timetable which is still on the website) the time seem to vary for no apparent reason (image of timetable extracted from link https://www.e-v-r.com/event/steam-services-22/).

Image below shows services departing Wirksworth at 10:50, 13:15, 15:25 and arriving Duffield 11:28, 13:53, 16:03 and in the other direction services departing Duffield 11:50, 14:10 and 16:20 and arriving at Wirksworth 12:30, 14:50 and 17:00

It looks like it should be possible to run a regular two hourly interval service, connecting with the EMR service, if the turn round time at Wirksworth was cut to 20 minutes, which is managed at Duffield (17 minutes minimum). In fact with the new EMR timetable you could even get good connections with a 2hr 5 minute interval (allowing 25 minutes turn around at Wirksworth) if the first EVR service arrived at Duffield at xx50, the second at xx55 and the third at xx00

I expect there's some reason behind the irregular intervals but it's not obvious.

A couple of years ago it was xx20 for the two afternoon departures but these were moved to give a larger gap between the two at Wirksworth. In between each run the loco will water which adds about 10 mins and occasionally they may also require coal which means going up the yard. More so these days catering plays a part in the afternoon where you may have to clear and reset 3 to 4 coaches of tables in 20-25 mins once everyone is off and before checking in for the next run.

 

[duffield]

A couple of years ago it was xx20 for the two afternoon departures but these were moved to give a larger gap between the two at Wirksworth. In between each run the loco will water which adds about 10 mins and occasionally they may also require coal which means going up the yard. More so these days catering plays a part in the afternoon where you may have to clear and reset 3 to 4 coaches of tables in 20-25 mins once everyone is off and before checking in for the next run.

Yes, of course, I was thinking the turn around time at Wirksworth shouldn't be much longer than at Duffield but as you've pointed out, there's much more to do. I thought there must be some reason for the irregular rather than 2 hour interval. I just hope that the first service out of Duffield can be tweaked to connect with the altered time of the incoming EMR service, as it stands it would leave 5 minutes before the mainline service arrives!

 

[DDB]

Yes, of course, I was thinking the turn around time at Wirksworth shouldn't be much longer than at Duffield but as you've pointed out, there's much more to do. I thought there must be some reason for the irregular rather than 2 hour interval. I just hope that the first service out of Duffield can be tweaked to connect with the altered time of the incoming EMR service, as it stands it would leave 5 minutes before the mainline service arrives!

I also really hope that they can do that tweak to the first Duffield departure to allow a good day out in Wirksworth without hanging around in Duffield for 50 mins.

The last trian back to Duffield gets in at 16:03 which now gives a nice connection to the 16:10 EMR under the new EMR timetable.

Therefore with that 10 min tweak to the first service of the day, if it can be achieved, people can arrive by EMR from the Derby/Nottingham direction with convient connections. They could either do two complete trips or have about 3 hours to look round the attractions at Wirksworth station and Wirksworth village and have a lesuirely lunch.

 

[43055]

Yes, of course, I was thinking the turn around time at Wirksworth shouldn't be much longer than at Duffield but as you've pointed out, there's much more to do. I thought there must be some reason for the irregular rather than 2 hour interval. I just hope that the first service out of Duffield can be tweaked to connect with the altered time of the incoming EMR service, as it stands it would leave 5 minutes before the mainline service arrives!

I also really hope that they can do that tweak to the first Duffield departure to allow a good day out in Wirksworth without hanging around in Duffield for 50 mins.

The last trian back to Duffield gets in at 16:03 which now gives a nice connection to the 16:10 EMR under the new EMR timetable.

Therefore with that 10 min tweak to the first service of the day, if it can be achieved, people can arrive by EMR from the Derby/Nottingham direction with convient connections. They could either do two complete trips or have about 3 hours to look round the attractions at Wirksworth station and Wirksworth village and have a lesuirely lunch.

The standard timetable has been changed for 2026 which the first day will be on the 1st Jan with DMU running which will mean the first train will connect with the 1049 from Derby (0815 ex Grimsby) and allow for more reset time between trips at Wirksworth. New times are:

1015, 1245 & 1520 from Wirksworth
1115, 1345 & 1620 from Duffield

Events so far in 2026:
Twin Peaks Gala (with Peak Rail) - 10/11 April
Vintage road and rail rally - 10 May
Back to the 40s - 12-14 June

 

[Russel]

The standard timetable has been changed for 2026 which the first day will be on the 1st Jan with DMU running which will mean the first train will connect with the 1049 from Derby (0815 ex Grimsby) and allow for more reset time between trips at Wirksworth. New times are:

1015, 1245 & 1520 from Wirksworth
1115, 1345 & 1620 from Duffield

Events so far in 2026:
Twin Peaks Gala (with Peak Rail) - 10/11 April
Vintage road and rail rally - 10 May
Back to the 40s - 12-14 June

What DMU will it be on the 1st?

 

[43055]

What DMU will it be on the 1st?

55006 maybe with the Lightweight trailer car as well.

 

[DDB]

The standard timetable has been changed for 2026 which the first day will be on the 1st Jan with DMU running which will mean the first train will connect with the 1049 from Derby (0815 ex Grimsby) and allow for more reset time between trips at Wirksworth. New times are:

1015, 1245 & 1520 from Wirksworth
1115, 1345 & 1620 from Duffield

Events so far in 2026:
Twin Peaks Gala (with Peak Rail) - 10/11 April
Vintage road and rail rally - 10 May
Back to the 40s - 12-14 June

That's great news. It will make it much easier to visit by train.