What remains of the Dukeries Line, Chesterfield Lost Railway

Welcome back to Chesterfield Lost Railways. We've covered the Midland Railway and abandoned Great Central Railway Chesterfield Loop, but now we are going to look at the 3rd railway to serve the town - the Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway. The disused branch out to Bolsover was known as the Dukeries Route. As it made it's way towards Lincoln it passed many of the Dukeries such as Welbeck, Clumber and Sherwood, to name a few.
We've already covered the Chesterfield Market Place station where this line started/ended and the route to the magnificant Horns Bridge series of bridges and viaducts, so we will pick up east of Hornsbridge as the railway line left the town, still high on an embankment., embankments and bridges. We can find remains of some of the bridges.
The route made it's way out to Calow over Spital Lane and a series of cuttings. After a few miles, we meet Duckmanton tunnel. Which was infilled with colliery waste from the nearby Arkwright Colliery. The scale of the railway cutting is impressive before we see the site of the Arkwright Town station - of which nothing remains at all. The railways here have been altered several times due to the collieries and even kept some traffic as a headshunt long after the LDECR closed.
Open cast mining dominates the area and the M1 motorway severs the trackbed. However on the approach to Bolsover, the railway towered over the Doe Lea valley on a sizable viaduct. Again, remains are non-existent other than a banking at one side. Bolsover South station quickly follow, where we leave our story for this episode.
The Dukeries Route opened in 1897. The fortunes were not good, as in 1951 subsidence at Bolsover Tunnel caused the line the close, somewhat prematurely. Ironic that subsidence from mining sealed the lines fate, which was the industry which gave the railway it's main share of traffic.
Of course, we have discussed previously, although Chesterfield was the Western terminus of the LD&ECR, this was not the intended case. The company had plans to extend west to Warrington, hence the Lancashire title. It struggled financially, the line failed to be built and was taken over by the Great Central Railway in 1907.
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[@martinmarsola6477]

Thank you for the informative video this day. Always enjoyable to watch and listen to the information. See you on the next. Cheers Paul! 🇬🇧👍🙂🇺🇸

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks Martin. See you on the next one 😀👍

[@markg99]

It's amazing how well hidden some of the old lines are now. Excellent tour, Pauls 👍🏻

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Mark. You'll be looking our for old bricks on your runs now 😄

[@markg99]

@@WobblyRunner 😄👍🏻 guaranteed!

[@chrischapman7514]

Great one Paul so much history thanx for sharing.

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Chris, as always 👍

[@eggy77]

Great video that, very informative and the drone footage definitely complemented it. Looking forward to part 2 😉

[@WobblyRunner]

So much drone footage, I might release a seperate video

[@ceanothus_bluemoon]

Must catch up on the rest in this series. It's not a line that I knew at all...but well remember going to the fabulous Bolsover Castle, so loved those opening drone shots. That first bridge was so impressive, and the scale of the cuttings was something indeed. So little of the impressive structures still in the landscape, but quite a few remnants still hanging on. Nice Hamblet 1893 stamp on the engineering brick too!

[@WobblyRunner]

👍 It's quite an intruiging line. As you say, not a lot of structures left, but plenty of bits of bridge remains hidden away or randomly left behind. I think I prefer the ones where there's a bit of work, imagination and mystery 😄

[@daveattrill2712]

I remember walking the first bit one late teatime in Chesterfield while waiting for an open mic to begin. That bridge with the tall narrow arch underneath was obviously the big highlight, unlock my slip over in the mud as I set on the way back again

[@WobblyRunner]

Whoops. Hopefully not too muddy.

[@daveattrill2712]

@@WobblyRunner Set off back the wrong side round a tree, just beneath the arch. Ended up with one side of my jeans totally caked from the knee downward.

[@jessgerrard2792]

Great video gents. Thanks

[@WobblyRunner]

Our pleasure!

[@leegreveson]

The bridge under Dark Lane had two large arches for the tracks, just weird how they left one side of the top part and not the other heading towards the tunnel. It's a 5 minute walk from my house, had I lived in those times I'd have seen steam as trains ran out the tunnel 😅 It's hard to get your head around the different levels, as it seems wrong that a bridge went "over" the road on Bolehill towards Calow colliery. Dingle bridge is probably the only visible jewel of that line in the area, but your drone footage helped put it all into perspective. Good video both Pauls 😎

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Lee. Glad you enjoyed it. Would love to have seen the bridges. I wonder if the bridges are still under the infill on Dark Lane?

[@MisterHughie]

Really enjoyed this, thank you, looking forward to you crawling through Bolsover tunnel in the next one 😂

[@WobblyRunner]

😄 haha more chance of cheerleading for the Harlem Globetrotters. Glad you enjoyed the video MrH

[@eggy77]

I'm looking forward to that but it might be one of the last things I ever do.

[@WobblyRunner]

@@eggy77 @eggy77 I'll let you take the camera in

[@David-zg2is]

The bridge on Hady Lane was pretty high and we used to dare each other to walk the top of the wall. Also there was a group of railway houses at Dingle bank ,on the right just before the bridge.Dave.

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers David. Ahhh, is that the row of terrace houses that are still there?

[@David-zg2is]

@@WobblyRunner That will be them. It’s a long time since I’ve been there and thought they’d been knocked down ,obviously not. Dave.

[@David-zg2is]

@@WobblyRunner Yes We used to service the electricity supply years ago. Incidentally I once found a large cast iron trespassers will be prosecuted sign with LDEC on the bottom. It was buried in the grass on a banking at Clowne.Somebody in Chesterfield has it now.

[@dominicstevens8768]

Very interesting. I live right next to the line in Spital (my house was in the film) and walk up (or down, depending on energy levels) Dingle Lane at least twice a week. I'd only really ever seen the remnants up to Dark Lane. It certainly makes me want to do a bit of exploring now that I know there are more remnants nearby. As for the land levels around Arkwright, it's not really surprising as they were open-casting that even when I moved up from the south in the late 90s. Keep up the good work.

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Dominic. Happy exploring.

[@simonholliday9874]

I grew up in Hady, so this is not new but so good to see. Hady Lane bridge was filled in with old cars and other waste. I can point you towards photos of the line in situ round there.

[@WobblyRunner]

Wow, old cars? They really just threw anything in back then didnt they. Cheers Simon.

[@simonholliday9874]

@@WobblyRunner You won't believe what else lies beneath the surface up there! Hady (hader) is a mining term for step in the land. The area is littered with old bell pits. The primary school I attended is near the trackbed and built where slate was mined.

[@psychicspies673]

I walked that over two days out and this video brought back great memories of each location. Thank you! Hope you get to the next stretch from Bolsover to Langwith Junction as that was the most interesting imo!

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Jon. I'm looking forward to that next section 👍

[@psychicspies673]

Don’t miss the Bolsover tunnel portal remains at the west side like I did. I found the site of one air shaft and the intact second air shaft. Great day out in the mist and cold!

[@iancaveney7464]

Pretty sure I had a poke about in Duckmanton tunnel 15 years or so back, the east portal was flooded, but accessible via the nature reserve opposite the old entrance to Arkwright Colliery. Also, don't tell someone from Langwith Junction they're from Shirebrook, them's fighting words. 😂😋

[@WobblyRunner]

Hahaha cheers for the tip. I assume there's a divide just north of Shirebrook 😄

[@BrockwellLanemodelrailway]

Have you ever tried to do a video on the old Hasland Locomotive shed site?. I'm not sure if there is anything left or if the site is even accessible but you would by the man to tell us. Keep up the good work.

[@WobblyRunner]

👍 Ah yes Hasland. I did do a bit of lookup online and concluded there wouldnt be much to see from where you can access. I've not been down in person though.

[@steveradford5460]

Interesting video Paul, great work. You finally got the LD&ECR part 1 & 2 Chris Booth books for Christmas then :)? Looking forward to a next video to Shirebrook or Langwith and maybe more videos to complete the sections to Tuxford/ Fledborough Viaduct? Though I recall you previously covered my local part of the route (Clipstone).

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Steve. Yeah plenty more possible LDECR videos there. Did you see the videos from Fledborough last year?

[@steveradford5460]

@@WobblyRunner Hi Paul, saw the Fledborough video last year. If you remember I recommended the Chris Booth book in replies. I've used Fledborough Viaduct several times cycling to Lincoln.

[@Carolb66]

That is an impressive bridge behind you Paul. Very interesting walk & lovely old blue bricks! & more imposing bridges. Huge cuttings as well as shown in the old colour photograph. Arkwright Town is familiar i think Ant from Trekking Exploration did a video from there. Its hard to get your yead round all those lines & bridges now just open farmland with just a few blue brick bridge walls & infilled underneath. Did i see some railway duamonds on the old last but one photograph of Bolsover Station? Think i did! Fab again Paul see you on the next one. ❤😊👍

[@WobblyRunner]

Great stuff. Cheers Carol. It's amazing how many big pieces of infrastructure have been lost on this line. The thought of that viaduct blows me away every time

[@maestromanification]

Great video Paul, it was certainly a well engineered line. I wonder if the line had been completed in full if it would still have been open or would Bolsover tunnel have done for the entire line. There was also to have been Britain's highest viaduct on the route near monsal head that may have caused issues

[@WobblyRunner]

That's a really interesting questions. Part of me thinks a line from Chesterfield over towards Manchester might not have survived the great rationalisation. I often think what that line would be like. Just cant imagine it passing some of the locations like Monsal Head. Im sure we would have had a few more interesting sections of disused railway in Derbyshire to enjoy exploring though :)

[@maestromanification]

@@WobblyRunner another thought I have is, would it have been electrified along with woodhead or even instead of it. It could have made Notts and Derbyshire coal easier to supply Lancashire rather than Yorkshire

[@angelsone-five7912]

A slightly closer view of Duckmanton tunnel can be seen here at circa 25.00 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmS7nnScmtV3epY

[@WobblyRunner]

Great stuff. I watched the Bolsover tunnel videos a while ago. Certainly more brave than me in those small spaces but great to see it documented :)

[@GrahamWP58]

Calow Main Colliery