The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is a long heritage railway in Derbyshire. The headquarters of the railway centre on Wirksworth station, and services operate in both directions between Wirksworth and Duffield and from Wirksworth to Ravenstor. Passengers are able to board and alight heritage services at Duffield where a station platform (3) has been re-constructed. Heritage services are timed to connect with East Midlands Railway Nottingham – Derby – Matlock service at the adjacent Duffield Network Rail platforms and therefore it is now possible for passengers to travel to and from Wirksworth by train from anywhere on the national network. The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is named after the River Ecclesbourne and the track follows the river from its source to its confluence with the River Derwent at the Derbyshire village of Duffield. Despite being a branch in itself, there is also a separate branch operating from Platform 3 at Wirksworth Station up a 1 in 27 (3.27 %) gradient incline to (for the National Stone Centre and the High Peak Trail). The line is operated by a large fleet of heritage diesel multiple units (DMU), as well as diesel and visiting steam locomotives. Locomotive hauled trains initially only operated on enthusiast and special event days often alongside the DMU fleet, whereas now locomotive hauled services make up a larger part of the railway's timetable. History Origin The "Wirksworth Branch" was the product of early 19th century railway rivalry. Since 1835, Wirksworth's citizens had been promoting various ideas for a branch line from the North Midland Railway, later the Midland Railway, at . The Midland was initially unenthusiastic, but then realised that the branch could be extended to Rowsley, albeit with difficulty, avoiding the section from , on its Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, which was shared with its rival the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). It is for this reason that all of the bridges along the line, including the one which simply has a head shunt under it (Cemetery Lane) are built to double-tracked grand Midland Railway style. Construction The line was surveyed in 1862 and received Parliamentary assent the following year. It would follow the valley of the River Ecclesbourne with no major obstacles apart from the final climb into Wirksworth. A cutting was required, and some buildings were demolished, while there was considerable upheaval in Duffield. The final inspection of the line was carried out