A Nice Suprise at the Bottom of the Bunsall Inclines

Welcome to Part 15 of this look at the Cromford & High Peak Railway. Last time we left on Wild Moor after exiting the Burbage Tunnel. We'd just left you standing at the side of a road. This is the top of the former Bunsall Inclines. Originally when the railway opened, this was two seperate inclined planes. Each with it's own engine house. In the 1850s they were combined to one long incline. This section is line closed in 1892, so have been abandoned for more than 130 years. The building of the reservoirs down the Goyt Valley led to this road being tarmac'd in the 1960s. You can now drive down the incline. An interesting suprise on the lower incline is an original bridge, which survives (though for how long is anyone's guess). Partially infilled with a car park on the infill. For years it has remained hidden from sight by trees that have grown around it, but recent disease erradication of trees has allowed the bridge to be fully visible again. At the bottom of the inclines you'll find the Fernilee Reservoir. After the railway closed in 1892, the trackbed avoided the flooding of the valley below. During the construction in the 1930s, the old railway found itself part of the 3ft contractors railway for the construction of the reservoir and dam. *** On this series we'll be following the disused railway line the 33 miles from Cromford in the Derbyshire Dales over to Whalley Bridge in the High Peak. During the conception of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, canals were in fashion and railways hadn’t really taken off yet. The line exists as there was a desire to connect the Peak Forest canal (Manchester's industry in the West) to the Cromford Canal and the various industry in the East Midlands. A canal was considered but the number of locks to cross the peak district would be enormous. So instead, a tramroad, or tramway was decided to be the way forward. Horse drawn with rope inclines at several locations to pull the wagons up the steep gradients. An extremely ambitious venture at the time coming only a handful of years after the Stockton and Darlington railway. This makes it one of the world oldest railways. The 33 mile long line opened at the turn of the 1830s connecting the two canals and shortly after the horses were replaced with steam engines. The inclines were powered by static steam engines. We’ll see as we progress down the line, various challenges that ultimately led to the line's closure. Apart from a few quarry lines, the railway closed in stages up to 1967. These days a large portion of the line is accessible as the High Peak Trail. ***You can become a channel member for just £1.99 a month. Early access to videos and exclusive members only content. Become a channel member - https://www.youtube.com/wobblyrunner/... Buy me a coffee - https://ko-fi.com/wobblyrunner Facebook -   / wobbly.runner   Instagram -   / wobbly.runner