Peak Rail

30/05/2026

🚂Today is day one of our Rail & Road, Steam and Vintage Gala, and we are looking forward to a great day!

Join us at Peak Rail for our spectacular Rail and Road Event, proudly held in collaboration with the Cromford Steam Rally! It's the ultimate celebration of transport through the ages — perfect for families, steam buffs, and vintage vehicle fans alike.

🗓️ Date: Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st May
📍 Location: Peak Rail, Rowsley South Station
🎟️ Tickets: Available on the Gate, from the booking office and on the Train. Entry £10 Adult/Senior with Discounted train rides £10 Adult/Senior on production of site ticket. Accompanied Kids go FREE!
🕥 Gates open at 09:00, first train departs at 10:00.

Step back in time with:

🚂 Heritage Steam train rides through the beautiful Derwent Valley hauled by 2183 ‘Earl David’.
🚂 Brake Van rides behind our steam hauled freight (supplement applies available from the booking office), hauled by S102 ‘Cathryn’.
🚜 Classic and vintage vehicles, Traction Engines, Miniature Steam and more.
🚗 Motorbikes, lorries, cars, and tractors on display.
🚂 Peak Rail Shed Tours at 10:00 & 14:00
🚂 Heritage Shunters Trust shed open for viewing.
🍻 Bar and Vintage stalls.
🚂 Driver for a Fiver with a diesel shunter (Separate fee payable and age restrictions apply), Class 08 08573.
🎪 Family fun, kids’ activities & stalls.
And much much more!

🍽️ Rowsley South Tea Rooms will be open over the weekend, serving a wide range of homemade freshly prepared food.

🎁 The Goods Shed our gift shop will be open so why not pop in and browse our extensive range of gifts, books and more!

ℹ️ Further information can be found here: https://www.peakrail.co.uk/events/rail-and-road-steam-and-vintage-gala/

Come for the trains. Stay for the steam. Relive the golden days of rail, road, and rally — all in one place!

📸 Don’t forget your camera and a sense of nostalgia!

📢 Share this with your friends, and make a day of it.

📸 B Edwards

29/05/2026

Saturday night is going to be great🤗

This Saturday evening we’re heading back to Peak Rail to entertain you lovely lot. Dragging Chris away for the engines will take some persuasion but I can assure you we’ll be onstage for 7:30PM
Everyone welcome!! Grab a ticket and come on down!

29/05/2026

🚂 Not sure what to do this weekend?

We are running Steam trains at our Rail & Road event, and kids go free!*

📆 Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st: Steam hauled Service with the first departure from Rowsley South at 10:00. Hop onboard and enjoy travel as it used to be. Services will be hauled by 2183 ‘Earl David’

First Freight departure: 11:10 - please note you must have a brake van ticket (£5) for the freight train as well as a valid Rover Ticket. Freight services will be hauled by S102 ‘Cathryn’.

Don’t forget, you can travel by train directly from Lincoln, Newark, Nottingham and Derby, where it is then a short walk over the footbridge to our platform at Matlock!

🎟️ Tickets are only available on the day from the Gate (Entry) & Booking Office or Ticket inspector on the train (Train). Fares are: Adults/Senior £10 Entry & £10 Train fare & Kids go free! (*when accompanied by a fare paying adult/senior)

🍽️ Rowsley South Tea Rooms will also be open over the weekend serving a wide range of hot and cold food and drinks.

🎁 Our gift shop at Rowsley South ‘The Goods Shed’ will be open from 10:00 until 16:30, why not pop in a browse our wide range of gifts, books and much more!

ℹ️: https://www.peakrail.co.uk/events/rail-and-road-steam-and-vintage-gala/

28/05/2026

Now we're getting excited 🤗

🚂 Train timetable for this weekends rail and road steam and vintage festival at Rowsley Station 🚂

Don’t forget you can enter the show by riding the train from Matlock or Darley Dale

28/05/2026

🚂 Rail & Road - Steam & Vintage Gala 🚧

This Weekend!

📆 30th & 31st May 2026

Peak Rail are proud to be in association with Cromford Steam Rally Society in hosting our fourth joint Steam and Vintage Vehicle Weekend.

The site at Rowsley South, the original site of Rowsley Steam Depot will be the showground for this event and will showcase a vast array of both Large and Miniature Steam powered vehicles along with Vintage Plant, Cars, Motorbikes, Tractors, Stationary Engines, Commercial Lorries, Emergency Services and Military Vehicles on show.

There will also be Steam and Plant working demonstrations, Children’s Fairground Rides and Trade Stalls and Refreshments.

There will be freight and passenger steam trains running over the two days, hauling the train over the picturesque 4.5 miles of Line from Rowsley South to Matlock Platform 2.

Peak Rail will also be offering the following attractions:

- Turntable Demonstrations.
- Rowsley South Jct Signal Box will be open.
- WW1 Trench Display.
- Shed Tours at 10:00 & 14:00.
- “Driver for a Fiver” where you will be able to drive Class 08 08573 ‘Bob’ on a dedicated track (age restrictions apply). Tickets available from the booking office. Courtesy of RMS Locotec.
- Rowsley South Tea Rooms will be open over serving Hot and Cold food and beverages
- ‘The Goods Shed’ Peak Rail Gift Shop will be open selling souvenirs and second hand books at Rowsley South.
- Bar open from 10:00 behind the Tea Rooms
Live Entertainment on Saturday night from ‘The Lumps’. Bar Open from 19:00-01:00, with the music starting at 19:30

We are sure that there will be something for all the family so why not come along and have a taste of a bygone era full of Steam and Nostalgia.

🎟️ Fares are £10 entry and £10 for the train with Kids go Free!

ℹ️ Tickets are only available on the day - no prebooking required!

ℹ️ https://www.peakrail.co.uk/events/rail-and-road-steam-and-vintage-gala/

27/05/2026

🚂🚂Steam Trains are running today, and Kids go Free!

2183 ‘Earl David’ is hauling trains today, so why not step back in time and enjoy travel as it used to be?

🕥First departure is 11:00 from Rowsley South, following our Steam Timetable.

🅿️ Free parking is available at Rowsley South & Darley Dale Stations!

🛝 Why not take the kids into Matlock and let them blow off some steam in Hall Leys Park?

🎟️ Tickets are available from the Booking Office or the Ticket inspector on the train. Fares are: Adults/Seniors £15 & Kids go free! (when accompanied by a fare paying adult/senior)

🍽️ Rowsley South Tea Rooms will also be open serving a wide range of hot and cold food and drinks.

🎁 Our gift shop at Rowsley South ‘The Goods Shed’ will be open from 10:00 until 16:30, why not pop in a browse our wide range of gifts, books and much more!

📸 K Van Burlo

26/05/2026

🚂 Not sure what to do tomorrow?

We are running Steam trains and kids go free*

Steam hauled service with the first departure from Rowsley South at 11:00. Hop onboard and enjoy a Steam train trip to the past! Services will be hauled by 2183 ‘Earl David’

Don’t forget, you can travel by train directly from Lincoln, Newark, Nottingham and Derby, where it is then a short walk over the footbridge to our platform at Matlock!

🎟️ Tickets for our standard services are only available on the day from the Booking Office or Ticket inspector on the train. Fares are: Adults/Senior £15 & Kids go free! (*when accompanied by a fare paying adult/senior)

🍽️ Rowsley South Tea Rooms will also be open serving a wide range of hot and cold food and drinks.

🎁 Our gift shop at Rowsley South ‘The Goods Shed’ will be open from 10:00 until 16:30, why not pop in a browse our wide range of gifts, books and much more!

📸 B Edwards

26/05/2026

❗️It's Archive Tuesday❗️
The ‘08’ shunters that never arrived...

This week we look at another fairly obscure piece of Rowsley’s history which is described in the Midland Railway Society book ‘Rowsley a rural railway centre’ , namely the proposed dieselisation of the sidings shunting turns. This was first proposed after the visit of the Locomotive Productivity Committee in January 1955. It took until 11th July 1959 for any positive move to follow this up when D3775 and D3776 were allocated to Rowsley shed. Neither actually made it to Rowsley. On 30th September that year, D3776 was permanently allocated to Kettering and D3774 was its replacement. There were then negotiations over manning levels which were never resolved. There was also a proposal in 1960 to construct a diesel depot at Rowsley with limited maintenance facilities for seven Type 4 locos and thirteen Type 2 locomotives and heavy maintenance facilities for diesel shunters. This too was not implemented, more information on this and the allocation of the shunters in the book.

Fate has not been kind to the three shunters nominally allocated to Rowsley. D3775 became 08608 and was scrapped at Booths in 1994; D3776 became 08609 and was also scrapped at Booths in 2000. D3774 became 08607 and was scrapped at EMR Kingsbury in 2007.

So, this edition isn’t entirely gloomy; a photo of the first ‘08’ at Peak Rail is included (D3429). This loco worked at both Buxton and Darley Dale. The photo was taken at Buxton in 1986 by Sheila Rayson.

Also included is the drawing of the proposed diesel shed. The information on the history of D3774-6 comes from LTSV Raildata and 2024-2026 todieselalmanac.uk websites.

So, to this week's question; has anyone got photos of 08607-9 they would like to share with the archives?

Did you know you can drive an 08 for just £5 at our up coming road and rail event this weekend!
See the below link for full details of the event
https://www.peakrail.co.uk/events/rail-and-road-steam-and-vintage-gala/

25/05/2026

🚂🚂Steam Trains are running today, and Kids go Free!

In a change to previously published, 750 ‘Waleswood’ is hauling trains today, so why not step back in time and enjoy travel as it used to be?

🕥First departure is 11:00 from Rowsley South, following our Steam Timetable.

🅿️ Free parking is available at Rowsley South & Darley Dale Stations!

🛝 Why not take the kids into Matlock and let them blow off some steam in Hall Leys Park?

🎟️ Tickets are available from the Booking Office or the Ticket inspector on the train. Fares are: Adults/Seniors £15 & Kids go free! (when accompanied by a fare paying adult/senior)

🍽️ Rowsley South Tea Rooms will also be open serving a wide range of hot and cold food and drinks.

🎁 Our gift shop at Rowsley South ‘The Goods Shed’ will be open from 10:00 until 16:30, why not pop in a browse our wide range of gifts, books and much more!

📸 H Bradbury

24/05/2026

🚂🚂Steam Trains are running today, and Kids go Free!

S102 ‘Cathryn’ is hauling trains today, so why not step back in time and enjoy travel as it used to be?

🕥First departure is 11:00 from Rowsley South, following our Steam Timetable.

🅿️ Free parking is available at Rowsley South & Darley Dale Stations!

🛝 Why not take the kids into Matlock and let them blow off some steam in Hall Leys Park?

🎟️ Tickets are available from the Booking Office or the Ticket inspector on the train. Fares are: Adults/Seniors £15 & Kids go free! (when accompanied by a fare paying adult/senior)

🍽️ Rowsley South Tea Rooms will also be open serving a wide range of hot and cold food and drinks.

🎁 Our gift shop at Rowsley South ‘The Goods Shed’ will be open from 10:00 until 16:30, why not pop in a browse our wide range of gifts, books and much more!

📸 B Edwards

23/05/2026

We’re all set up at Chatsworth’s Family Festival!

Come and say hello if you’re at Chatsworth in the Gardens today and meet our friendly team.

We have a small archive display as well as flyers and leaflets for our upcoming event events and a small range of branded merchandise.

Don’t forget, we are also running steam trains all this bank holiday weekend!