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Duffield railway station

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Coordinates: 52°59′17″N 1°29′10″W / 52.988°N 1.486°W / 52.988; -1.486
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Duffield
National Rail
Duffield railway station looking south in 2009
General information
LocationDuffield, Borough of Amber Valley
England
Grid referenceSK345435
Managed byEast Midlands Railway
Platforms3 (2 National Rail)
(1 Ecclesbourne Valley Railway)
Other information
Station codeDFI
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyNorth Midland Railway
Pre-groupingMidland Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1841opened
1867moved to junction with Wirksworth branch
Passengers
2017/18Increase 74,300
2018/19Decrease 68,770
2019/20Increase 77,568
2020/21Decrease 14,204
2021/22Increase 39,902
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Duffield railway station serves the village of Duffield in Derbyshire, England. The station is located on the Midland Main Line from Derby to Leeds, 133 miles 8 chains (214.2 km) north of London St Pancras. It is also a junction with the former branch line to Wirksworth, which is now operated as the Ecclesbourne Valley heritage railway.

The unmanned station is served by East Midlands Railway, who operate local services from Derby to Matlock via the Derwent Valley Line.

'Jubilee' Class 4-6-0 'Leander' passing through Duffield in 1957

History

The first station at Duffield was built in 1841, a year after the line opened, by the North Midland Railway a few yards further north from its present position.

From 1840 there had been a number of proposals for a line from Manchester down the Churnet Valley to meet either the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway or the Midland Counties Railway, and then go on to London. An amendment was put forward in 1844 bringing the line to the North Midland at Duffield, presumably via Ashbourne and the Ecclesbourne Valley. However, the line never materialised.

The Midland Railway, however, was looking for a path into Manchester as an alternative to the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway from Ambergate to Rowsley which it leased jointly with the LNWR. It built a junction at Duffield and began to construct the line, which opened as far as Wirksworth in 1867.[1] When the MR gained sole control of the Ambergate line in 1871, the extension proved unnecessary. However, the Wirksworth branch remained a busy line with a regular passenger service and freight in the form of limestone from Wirksworth and milk from the farms along the line.

In 1867 a large new station was built in the vee of the junction, with platforms on each side of the double track. A signal box was provided to the east of the main line, replaced by Duffield Junction box around 1890 at the south end of Platform One. By this time the population of Duffield had increased with railway workers and management, as had traffic on the main line. In 1897 a goods line was laid in the up (southbound) direction, and a fourth, down goods, laid in 1904.

At this stage there were two platforms with a footbridge, the second being an island between the two passenger lines, and another for the branch. The two subsidiary platforms each had a waiting room, while the main platform building contained the waiting room, ticket and luggage offices. Next to the footbridge was a separate W.H. Smith bookstall. The station master's house was separate, being beside the track to the north, and there was small luggage store just outside the gate. The Wirksworth branch having severed the main road, which had been diverted, a footbridge gave access across the line. To the north of the station, there was a wide level crossing which, besides allowing luggage trolleys to cross, gave access for the farmer who owned the adjacent land. Next to this was a footbridge from the front of the station to the field behind, and between them two signal posts with, until 1910, a Duffield Station signal box supplementing Duffield Junction. After that, the station changed little over the years until 1969 though in 1947, at the time passenger services were withdrawn on the Wirksworth branch, the signal posts were replaced with a fabricated steel gantry and upper-quadrant signals. Some time later the passenger footbridge was rebuilt in brick, using the existing walkway.

In the 1960s the station became unstaffed, and the buildings were removed in 1969 except for the station master's house which became a private residence, and the small luggage store which was just outside the gate. However these have also subsequently been demolished.

In July 2005 the station was adopted by WyvernRail plc under a scheme promoted by the Friends of the Derwent Valley Line. WyvernRail undertook to provide care and maintenance of Duffield railway station on behalf of Central Trains (who operated the station at that time) and continue to do so for East Midlands Railway.[2]

Stationmasters

  • Samuel Jennings ca. 1851 ca. 1860[3] ca. 1867
  • J. Skinner until 1877
  • George E. Aldred 1877 - 1879 (formerly station master at Denby)
  • Frederick Perry 1879 - 1908[4]
  • Wlliam Cope 1909 - 1922 (formerly station master at Spondon, afterwards station master at Ashby de la Zouch)
  • W. Clements 1922 - 1924 (afterwards station master at Apperley Bridge)
  • J.G. Goss 1924 - 1931[5] (formerly station master at Bamford)
  • J. Townson 1931[6] - 1933 (formerly station master at Great Longstone)
  • J.W. Walker 1933 - ca. 1944
  • George Henry Hill ca. 1955

Duffield station as it was

  • Duffield Station approaching down Station Approach.
    Duffield Station approaching down Station Approach.
  • Duffield Station booking office with accommodation crossing gate
    Duffield Station booking office with accommodation crossing gate
  • Duffield Station Platform One waiting room with W.H.Smith bookstall behind
    Duffield Station Platform One waiting room with W.H.Smith bookstall behind
  • Duffield Station view south from accommodation footbridge
    Duffield Station view south from accommodation footbridge
  • Duffield Station luggage shed by entrance gate
    Duffield Station luggage shed by entrance gate
  • Duffield Station waiting room on platform two.
    Duffield Station waiting room on platform two.
  • Duffield Station island platform rear view
    Duffield Station island platform rear view
  • Duffield Station waiting room on Wirksworth platform
    Duffield Station waiting room on Wirksworth platform
  • Duffield Station accommodation bridge to field behind station
    Duffield Station accommodation bridge to field behind station
  • Duffield Station bridge detail
    Duffield Station bridge detail

Services

A view of Duffield station in April 2011 showing the branch platform used by the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. On the left is a steam train recently arrived from Wirksworth, whilst on the right is an East Midlands Trains service to Matlock. At this date there was no physical connection between the EVR and the National Network here.

National Rail

National Rail services at Duffield are operated by East Midlands Railway.

On weekdays the station is served by one train per hour in each direction between Matlock and Derby, with around half the services originating or ending in Nottingham. Saturdays also have an hourly service but all the trains originate or end in Derby.[7]

On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service between Matlock and Nottingham in the morning, with services increasing to hourly from mid-afternoon onwards.[7]

For journeys beginning at Duffield, the full range of tickets for travel for any destination in the country may be purchased from the guard on the train at no extra cost. It is a penalty fare station however, so a permit to travel must be bought from the machine installed on the Derby-bound side of the platform before joining the train.

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway runs from Duffield station Platform 3 to Ravenstor via Hazelwood, Shottle, Idridgehay and Wirksworth[8] along the route of the old Midland Railway branch which closed to passengers in 1947 and goods in 1989.

This link was re-opened to passengers in April 2011, allowing heritage services from Wirksworth to connect with the Midland Main Line. Through ticketing is available from all main line stations.[9]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Derby   East Midlands Railway
  Belper
  Historical railways  
TerminusMidland Railway
Line open, station closed
Heritage Railways  Heritage railways
Terminus   Ecclesbourne Valley Railway   Shottle

References

  1. ^ Sprenger, Howard (2004). The Wirksworth Branch. London: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-625-6.
  2. ^ "Duffield Scene Edition 153" (PDF). July 2005. Retrieved 10 April 2009.
  3. ^ "1859-1866". Midland Railway Miscellaneous Depts: 59. 1914. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  4. ^ "After Forty Years Service". Belper News. England. 6 November 1908. Retrieved 16 February 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Stationmaster of Duffield". Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 13 August 1931. Retrieved 16 February 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Duffield Stationmaster". Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 3 September 1931. Retrieved 16 February 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ a b "EMR regional train timetable: Matlock-Nottingham" (PDF). East Midlands Railway. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Duffield Station". www.e-v-r.com. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (Wyvernrail PLC). Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  9. ^ "Royal opening of Duffield line". Rail.co. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  • Pixton, B., (2000) North Midland: Portrait of a Famous Route, Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Duffield railway station.

52°59′17″N 1°29′10″W / 52.988°N 1.486°W / 52.988; -1.486

  1. ^ https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/media/3150/download?inline
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