Monsal Dale railway station
Monsal Dale railway station served the villages of Upperdale and Cressbrook in Derbyshire, England. It was opened in 1866 by the Midland Railway on its line from, extending the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway.
History
The original intention was merely to have a goods depot to serve the nearby Cressbrook Mill, to be called Cressbrook or Cressbrook Sidings; however, a passenger station would also serve the villages of Upperdale and Cressbrook.The down line and platform was built on a shelf carved in the rock face, while the up was built on wooden trestles over the hillside. The wooden buildings for the latter were obtained from Evesham railway station.
From Monsal Dale, the line proceeded through Cressbrook and Litton tunnels to on its way north. Cut through solid limestone, they were both complex tunnels on a gradient of 1 in 100 and curved to allow the line to conform to the terrain.
It was written:
The station closed to regular passenger traffic in 1959 but continued to be used by occasional ramblers' specials and excursions until April 1961; trains continued to pass through the station until 1968 when the line was closed.
Stationmasters
- James Lister ca. 1867
- Richard Coe ca. 1871–1873
- J. Freer 1874
- J. Hudston 1874–1876
- G. Barnett 1876–1880
- W. Daw 1880–1881
- Richard Foskett 1881–1884
- William James 1884–1904
- A.W. Jepson 1904–1906
- J. Greenbank from 1906
- H.R. Wilcox until 1909
- Joseph Jennings 1909–ca. 1911
- D.H. Jones ca. 1914
- Mr. Tompkins ca. 1932
- J.H. Adams 1944–1947