C&HPR modifications
Of all the railways that ever existed in Britain, the Cromford &
High Peak Railway (C&HPR) is by far the most interesting. While the line was in full use by 1831, the line saw plenty of changes during it's lifetime.
I have already covered Hurdlow incline being bypassed and closed in 1869 on my page and have recently turned my attention to Dowlow.
At the bottom of the image we see the current line going up to Dowlow quarry. The embankment higher up was the original alignment of the line.
The C&HPR was predominantly constructed by Canal engineers and featured long flat straights and sharp turns with steep inclines in lieu of Locks with winching engines. By the 1890's, the Ashbourne line was under construction by the LNWR, one of the later lines to be added to Britain's vast network of railways.
The late construction of this line meant more advanced construction techniques from experienced railway engineers were used; long sweeping turns and long shallow gradients (relatively!) that steam locos of the era could easily climb.
The line was envisaged to carry passengers so speed was an important factor on the line. By 1887, the LNWR had also taken over the operation of the C&HPR. The old alignment of C&HPR, which was serving the quarries near Dowlow, were inadequate for running passenger trains on and the LNWR had constructed a new line climbing out of Buxton from their terminus station, which would bypass the old alignment. This is what is seen in this image.
My assumptions is that the old alignment would have closed completely as the Ashbourne line opened in 1899.
I will next cover a tri-junction off to right of this image on my side of the line where this picture was taken. It has incredibly sharp turns and amazingly stone sleepers still in the place they were when presumably put down nearly 200 years ago!
C&HPR modifications
Of all the railways that ever existed in Britain, the Cromford &
High Peak Railway (C&HPR) is by far the most interesting. While the line was in full use by 1831, the line saw plenty of changes during it's lifetime.
I have already covered Hurdlow incline being bypassed and closed in 1869 on my page and have recently turned my attention to Dowlow.
At the bottom of the image we see the current line going up to Dowlow quarry. The embankment higher up was the original alignment of the line.
The C&HPR was predominantly constructed by Canal engineers and featured long flat straights and sharp turns with steep inclines in lieu of Locks with winching engines. By the 1890's, the Ashbourne line was under construction by the LNWR, one of the later lines to be added to Britain's vast network of railways.
The late construction of this line meant more advanced construction techniques from experienced railway engineers were used; long sweeping turns and long shallow gradients (relatively!) that steam locos of the era could easily climb.
The line was envisaged to carry passengers so speed was an important factor on the line. By 1887, the LNWR had also taken over the operation of the C&HPR. The old alignment of C&HPR, which was serving the quarries near Dowlow, were inadequate for running passenger trains on and the LNWR had constructed a new line climbing out of Buxton from their terminus station, which would bypass the old alignment. This is what is seen in this image.
My assumptions is that the old alignment would have closed completely as the Ashbourne line opened in 1899.
I will next cover a tri-junction off to right of this image on my side of the line where this picture was taken. It has incredibly sharp turns and amazingly stone sleepers still in the place they were when presumably put down nearly 200 years ago!