Rails to Ripley by Howard Sprenger

With the scenically beautiful Midland main line through the Peak
District on one side, and the more workmanlike Erewash Valley line on
the other, Ripley was surrounded by coal mines, potteries and
agricultural land.  Hard by Ripley, the Butterley Company sat like a
spider in a web of industrial railway lines and canals.

Three lines eventually served the town, the earliest striking north-
east from the Derwent valley and growing out of the railway town of
Derby.  From the Erewash Valley came another line that was destined to
be the poorest and shortest lived.  The third line, running east to
west and linking the two great Midland Railway trunk routes from
London to the north, bypassed Ripley, but provided the final link in
the network of lines that this fascinating area spawned.

Each line was different in character, a heavily-used passenger and
goods branch line, a short-lived and impecunious passenger branch
line, and an important cross-country diversionary and through route.

None of them can be seen in isolation, so this book deals with all
three, the cross-country link surviving long enough to become the home
of the Midland Railway Trust which, fittingly, keeps alive the spirit
of the company that called itself “The Best Way”.

Softback: 144 pages with over 200 photographs and maps
273 x 215mm
ISBN: 978-1-905505-16-6
£17.95
www.kestrelrailwaybooks.co.uk

Cheers,

Howard.