Rowsley South railway station lies approximately a mile short of Rowsley village, the location of the settlement's previous stations. This makes Rowsley South the third station to be built in the area, constructed as it was by

Peak Rail Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam and heritage diesel service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales. The preserved railway line is over 3½ miles (5.6 km) in ...

volunteers in the latter part of the 1990s. Opened to passenger services in 1997, the station was for a time referred to as 'Northwood', which is the part of

Rowsley Rowsley () is a village on the A6 road in the English county of Derbyshire. The population as at the 2011 census was 507. It is at the point where the River Wye flows into the River Derwent and prospered from mills on both. The border of the P ...

settlement that is near to the terminus. This association can still be observed through the name of the café that stands on the station, which is known as the Northwood Buffet.

History

The initial station in

was opened in 1849 and formed a terminus for the

Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton. In time it would become part of the Midland Railway's main line between ...

line from

Ambergate Ambergate is a village in Derbyshire, England, situated where the River Amber joins the River Derwent, and where the A610 road from Ripley and Nottingham joins the A6 that runs along the Derwent valley between Derby to the south and Matlock ...

. That location became a

goods yard A goods station (also known as a goods yard or goods depot) or freight station is, in the widest sense, a railway station where, either exclusively or predominantly, goods (or freight), such as merchandise, parcels, and manufactured items, are lo ...

in 1862, serving a new station built at that time, which lay on a through deviation. The latter took the line over the present day A6 road and the River Derwent, then into the Duke of Rutland's estate and on towards

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...

. This later station in

closed in 1967 when the route itself was rationalised, prior to complete closure early in 1968.

Present day

Rowsley South is now the main centre for the activities of preservation and heritage group

and its various affiliated societies. The former operate a heritage steam service over some 3.5 miles of the one-time

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...

route to the south, with an intermediate station at

Darley Dale Darley Dale, also known simply as Darley, is a town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, with a population of 5,413. It lies north of Matlock, on the River Derwent and the A6 road. The town forms part o ...

a halt at Matlock Riverside and (since 2 July 2011) terminating at Matlock. Built as it is by the site of Rowsley's former Goods Yard, the station has both good access and extensive space available for future developments. Part of the Goods Yard has been restored as sidings for locomotives and coaching stock, a number of which lead to the sheds that are operated by other societies. Other tracks from the sidings lead to Peak Rail's locomotive shed, which is under construction, and also to a

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

(previously located at Mold Junction) which returned to full working order on 1 May 2010, being opened in a special ceremony by

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterm ...

. The station is currently a single platform based on the Up side of the track and is Peak Rail's northern terminus. Peak Rail has secured a 99-year lease on the trackbed up to the A6 at Rowsley village for a proposed extension, which will involve rebuilding and full restoration of the former Rowsley railway station site itself. There are hopes of extending (via a proposed Haddon Halt) towards Bakewell in the future.

Other societies

Other societies on the site include: * London, Midland and Scottish Carriage Association *

Heritage Shunters Trust Heritage Shunters Trust (HST) is a trading name of ''The South Yorkshire Railway Co. Ltd.'' which was founded in 1989. Overview HST is a railway preservation society and is the only preservation society that specialises in the preservation of ...

(South Yorkshire Railway Co Ltd) *

Renown and Repulse Preservation Group Renown may refer to: * Celebrity, fame and broad public recognition Companies * Renown (company), a Japanese clothing brand * Renown Health, a healthcare network in Nevada, US * Renown Pictures, a British film company Transport Ships * ''Renown ...

, who are currently restoring two Class 50 locomotives.

Facilities

Facilities at the location include a Ticket Office (open many operating days), the 'Northwood Buffet' (open all operating days), and a shop (opening times as Buffet), along with disabled access toilets. Parking at the station is both extensive and free of charge. Access to the station's facilities and to the yard is also without charge, though this only applies on operating days (on other occasions, the site is closed to the public). The LMSCA operate a small visitor centre inside their shed at the yard's southern end, and both they and the Heritage Shunters Trust welcome interested visitors. However, except in the case of such visits, the yard is closed to public access. In 2008, Peak Rail was awarded £10,000 from the National Lottery's "Awards for All" scheme to upgrade facilities at the station itself, and this has since resulted in the construction of a new wooden station building, with new housing for a ticket office, shop and customer toilets, as well as rooms for stores and the stationmaster.

Narrow gauge line

At the station's northern end is a small park and a play-area. There was previously also the

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

line of the now-defunct

Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway The Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway () was a short, narrow-gauge railway located at Rowsley South at Peak Rail. It operated ex-industrial diesel locomotives and carriages. History The DDNGR was established by Henry and Mary Frampton-Jone ...

External links

Peak Rail WebsiteDerwent and Wye Valley Railway TrustLMS Carriage AssociationRenown and Repulse Preservation Group
{{rail end Heritage railway stations in Derbyshire Railway stations built for UK heritage railways Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1997