Further movement at Duffield cutting landslip
Inaugural winter steam gala and Santa trains remain unaffected.
THE Ecclesbourne Valley
Railway (EVR) has been hit by fresh movement on a landslip, although it is hoped repairs will be undertaken promptly.
As previously reported
(RM July 2023), on April 2 it was found that a landslip had occurred in the cutting north of Duffield close to the footbridge.
Interlocking concrete ‘Lego’ blocks weighing about one tonne each were installed to hold back the slope. EVR trains began running through to Duffield on June 10 – services having been curtailed since April.
Heavy rain on October 20 caused the landslip to slump further and this has caused the ‘Lego blocks’ to move by a few inches, while both ends of the slip have extended beyond earlier boundaries. As a result, trains will run only to Shottle until further notice.
It is understood that a large part of the cost is likely to be covered by the insurance of a third party, and work to rectify may get underway as soon as this month. While insurance is likely to cover the majority of costs, by mid-November it remained unknown how much funding the railway will have to provide.
Operation of the line’s Santa services is unaffected, which as in previous years, run from Wirksworth to Shottle.
On the motive power front, BR ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 No. 78018 arrived on hire from the Great Central Railway on October 11. The ‘Standard’ is scheduled to operate Christmas and New Year services, before returning to Loughborough.
Roster
The EVR plans to hold its inaugural Winter Steam in the Valley event on Sunday, December 31 and Monday, January 1. The gala is due to feature No. 78018, BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80080, Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Brian Harrison and Bagnall ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No. 68012 The Duke – the latter fresh from overhaul. All locomotives are subject to availability on the day.
Meanwhile, construction of a new ash pit is underway in Wirksworth yard. This forms part of a broader plan to extend the present maintenance facility to accommodate steam, diesel and restoration work in such a manner as to allow efficient operation.
In the New Year, work is due to commence on the completion of the new Wirksworth station project.
The new building will include modern catering facilities with a cafe providing seating capacity for up to 80 customers, together with a new booking office and direct interface with the EVR Association’s museum and extensive shop. Following completion of the new building, work will commence on the new extension of the rolling stock maintenance facility.
Further projects at Wirksworth station have included new point work to facilitate train departures and arrivals from platform one.
Experiences
The railway has been in discussion with the Derbyshire Stone Centre and plans to run scheduled services to the popular tourist attraction on the Ravenstor line next year, as well as introducing a number of new driving experiences on this branch, which features a 1:27 incline.