The Society
In 1996 a small group of like-minded individuals with an interest in the old Ashover Light Railway got together and established the Ashover Light Railway Society (ALRS). The principal aim of the group was to record the surviving features of the old railway, both geographically and historically.
The ‘Where the Rainbow Ends’ and Carriage No. 4. (click to enlarge)
Early projects included the production of a photographic record of the surviving track-bed between Ashover and Clay Cross, the creation of a database of known ALR artefacts (locomotive nameplates, signs, tickets etc) and an architectural survey of the ‘Where the Rainbow Ends’ café and former ALR carriage in Clay Cross.
The results of the track-bed survey revealed a surprisingly intact formation, although the majority of the bridges have been removed. This led to thoughts of reopening part of the railway as a tourist attraction, and this is now the main aim of the ALRS; to see narrow gauge steam trains trundling up the Amber Valley once more.
Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0, STATFOLD, on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. (click to enlarge)
Inspired by the success of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway in Devon, which reopened a section of line in 2004 after 70 years of closure, a draft Proposal was drawn up that detailed the ALRS’s ideas. These being principally to reopen a section of the old Ashover Light Railway between Ogston Reservoir, close to the old ALR station at Woolley, and Ashover (Butts). Click here to view the map of the route (will open in a new window).
At the present time, the Society has no plans to reopen the whole 7¼ miles of the original line as this would be both impractical and very costly. Not only would Ogston Reservoir need deviating around (although something similar has been done on the Ffestiniog Railway), but a number of level crossings would need reinstating in and around Clay Cross, and a new bridge and embankment would be required over Chesterfield Road to the north of the town.
Looking towards Clay Cross from Stretton station. (click to enlarge)
The ALR originally ran alongside The Royal Oak. (click to enlarge)