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| Ecclesbourne Valley Railway | |
|---|---|
 Wirksworth Station in 2007 | |
| Locale | Derbyshire, England |
| Terminus | Ravenstor Duffield |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Wirksworth branch |
| Built by | Midland Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | WyvernRail plc |
| Stations | 5 (to be 6) |
| Length | 9 miles (14 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1867 |
| Closed to passengers | 1947 |
| Closed | 1964 (freight) 1989 (completely) |
| Preservation history | |
| 1992 | WyvernRail is formed |
| 1996 | Light Rail order granted |
| 1997 | Derby and Wirksworth Railway Association is formed (later to become EVR) |
| 2000 | Volunteers start clearing vegetation from the line |
| 1 October 2002 | Wirksworth re-opens and its passenger trains begin |
| 2003 | WyvernRail and Network Rail agree fifteen-year lease-purchase deal |
| 2004 | Gorsey bank reopens and 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km), passenger trains begin |
| 1 September 2005 | Ravenstor opens and 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) passenger trains on 1 in 27 (3.7 %) incline (of the same name) begin |
| 2007 | Iridgehay level crossing reinstated and later reopened |
| 8 March 2008 | Idridgehay reopens and 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) passenger trains begin |
| 8 April 2011 | Duffield reopens and 10 miles (16 km) passenger trains begin |
| 9 August 2014 | Shottle reopens (after more than 65 years out of use) |
| Headquarters | Wirksworth |
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The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is a 9-mile (14.5 km) long heritage railway based at Wirksworth station in Derbyshire. It runs services to Duffield and along a short branch to Ravenstor.
Passengers can board and alight heritage services at Duffield where a platform was reopened in 2011. The station is shared with services on the Midland Mainline between Sheffield and London St Pancras International, and with local services between Newark Castle, Nottingham, Derby and Matlock, which call at Platforms 1 and 2. EVR trains to Wirksworth use Platform 3. The station is in Duffield village centre just a few minutes from shops, cafés and pubs.
The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is named after the River Ecclesbourne and the track follows the river from its source to its confluence with the River Derwent at the Derbyshire village of Duffield.
Despite being a branch in itself, there is also a separate 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km) branch operating from Platform 3 at Wirksworth Station up a 1 in 27 (3.27 %) gradient incline to Ravenstor (for the National Stone Centre and the High Peak Trail).
The line is operated by heritage steam and diesel locomotives, with currently No. 2746 Bagnall saddle tank engine "The Duke" handling steam services. Diesels include a BRCW Type 3 and a Brush Type 2.[1]