200 Years of the Cromford & High Peak - Steeple Grange & Middleton Top Engine House - 04/05/25

The 2nd May 2025 marked 200 years since Royal Assent was given to plans to construct the Cromford and High Peak Railway, with the line opening in 1831, providing a rail connection between the Cromford Canal and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge, serving numerous quarries and industries along its route. Wagons were Initially horse drawn, with static steam engines used to haul stock up the numerous inclines along the route, with gradients up to 1 in 7. Steam locomotives eventually replaced horses in the mid 19th century as primary motive power, working in tandem with the static engines.

The line closed to traffic in 1967, with the track bed since becoming the High Peak Trail, a popular walking route from Cromford to Hurdlow, where the trail connects with the former LNWR line to Ashbourne, now the Tissington Trail. The May bank holiday weekend saw the bicentenary marked at both the Steeple Grange Light Railway and Middleton Top Engine House, whilst our cameras also took the time to view the workshops at High Peak Junction, as well as the High Peak Trail up Sheep Pasture Incline and past Black Rocks.

We begin at the High Peak Junction Workshops, located just outside the village of Cromford. Dating back to 1830, the railway workshops are some of the oldest examples in the world, with the buildings restored to their 1880s condition, situated next to the Cromford Canal. Climbing up towards Black Rocks, we view the old Catch Pit towards the base of Cromford Incline, in addition to the remains of Sheep Pasture Engine House, built in 1828, at the top of Sheep Pasture Incline.

Further along the line, we come to The Steeple Grange Light Railway, located along the former standard gauge track bed of the branch to Killer's Quarry. This 18inch gauge line opened in 1985, and today runs a distance of half a mile, with the railway being home to a selection of diesel, petrol and electric locomotives. Over the weekend, passenger services along the line were carried out by Ruston ZM-32 'Horwich'; Built in 1957 for use by British Railways, ZM-32 was used on the internal 18in gauge railway at Horwich Locomotive Works.

We end at Middleton Top Engine House, which is the most complete example of the eight winding engine houses which operated along the Cromford & High Peak, and today is preserved in operational condition. Built in 1829, the building houses a pair of 20hp Beam Engines, manufactured by the Butterley Company, which were used to haul wagons up the 708 yard 1 in 8¼ gradient of Middleton Incline. Whilst the engine is usually demonstrated using compressed air, the weekend's events saw the first occasion since the 1960s that the engine would be powered by steam, with Fowler Ploughing Engine 'The Chief' and Ransomes Sims & Jefferies 'Vernon' hooked up to the engine. Additional traction engines and vintage vehicles were also on display around the site for visitors to view.

LINKS
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VIDEO CONTENTS
0:00 - High Peak Junction Workshops
1:47 - Sheep Pasture Engine House
2:37 - Steeple Grange Light Railway
8:10 - Middleton Top Engine House

Filmed on 4th May 2025.