It is early morning in the Vale of Edale and sprinter 158852 makes its station stop at the small station of Edale.
It is not just the darkness of Cowburn Tunnel that lies ahead of 158852 as it departs Edale with 2S09 0714 Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly.
The black hole of the 2 mile 182 yard long Cowburn Tunnel, that burrows through the High Peak Hills, is visible in the distance as 158807 approaches working 1B66 0644 Manchester Piccadilly to Cleethorpes.
Pacer unit 142089 passes the down starter signal as it slows for its Edale stop with 2S06 0701 Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield. In the background above the tunnel mouth can be seen the spoil brought to the surface from one of the few shafts sunk during the tunnel boring process. The shaft is now sealed.
The guard stands at the back of the unit watching for anyone who may have boarded. This is a very quiet station.
The set departs Edale station with Sheffield as the destination. Both up and down boards are off.
142056 pauses at Edale with an unknown working, possibly to Manchester Piccadilly, while 158856 passes by on the up road with 1L09 0647 Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich.
The pacer unit gets away and has the road with the controlling Edale signalbox to the right. The mass of the High Peak Hills lies ahead and this view gives an idea of the challenge the line builders had.
170507 is employed on 1M03 0634 Nottingham to Liverpool Lime Street service and is not booked to stop at Edale.
Moving to the east end of the Hope Valley and Grindleford station. Pacer 142033 makes its station stop with 2S10 0845 Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield.
Turning round and 142033 departs Grindleford station and is about to dive into the 3 mile, 950 yard long Totley Tunnel on its way to Sheffield, 0845 off Manchester Piccadilly, 2S10.
A pair of class 158 sprinter units lean into the curve beside Grindleford signalbox forming a class 1 Central Trains service, 1L11 0747 Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich service.
The pair pass the down starter which is on.
Brand new Siemens class 185 unit, 185109 comes by Grindleford 'box with Trans Pennine service 1B70 0841 Manchester Airport to Cleethorpes.
The down starter is now off as the Desiro unit passes by.
Transrail branded 60061 emerges from the blackness that is Totley Tunnel heading west light engine.
60061 runs light west probably heading for the stabling point at Peak Forest.
Grindleford station is on the edge of the Peak National Park and 158852 runs through with 1L13 0852 Liverpool Lime Street - Norwich that may have started from Manchester Piccadilly as this unit's previous working terminated there.
Moving to the west of Grindleford, to a small overbridge, and 142033 passes the 'box on a class 2 all stations stopper from Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly, 1014 off 2S15.
The line curves out of view and is lit perfectly by the hot August sun.
Trans Pennine 185117 heads east with 1B72 0957 Manchester Piccadilly to Cleethorpes. The down advanced starter is off for a west bound train.
170519 is the unit the signal is off for and it forms 1M08 0728 Cambridge to Liverpool Lime Street.
Turbostar 170507 runs east for Norwich with 1L15 0952 from Liverpool Lime Street.
Framed by the down advanced starter is Trans Pennine 158761 on a diagram that includes 1B73 0927 Cleethorpes to Manchester Piccadilly.
East bound trains are perfectly lit by the sun in the morning at this bridge. 142089 approaches bouncing its way between Manchester's Piccadilly station and Sheffield with 2S14 1045 off. The set is in Northern Rail's blue livery.
The first of the few freight trains comes by with EWS liveried 60094 hauling 26 empty JGA hoppers owned by RMC. The working is 6M11 ThFO 0830 Washwood Heath to Peak Forest RMC empties.
These stone trains are extremely heavy and the class 60 is almost required traction for them. 60094 has an easier job with the return empties though.
Three car turbostar 170630 forms a mid morning Liverpool Lime Street departure for the East Anglian city of Norwich, 1052 off 1L17.
Pacer 142089 bounces by with 2S19 1214 Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly class 2 local service and the driver gives me a wave. I decide to move on again.
This is the longest UK land tunnel, Totley Tunnel. It was started by the Midland Railway on 27th September 1888 and the two ends met on 19 October 1892 with the tunnel formally opened on 10th August 1893.
The leading cab of 170635, working 1M12 0857 Norwich to Liverpool Lime Street, enters the Hope Valley having negotiated the 6,230 yard long (or 3 mile 950 yards) Totley Tunnel.
Another move and this is the view from the overbridge just west of Earles Sidings. 185120 approaches with 1M76 1157 Manchester Piccadilly to Cleethorpes.
158788 heads east at Earles Sidings with 1L19 1152 Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich.
Within the space of 20 minutes three different classes of units operated by three different Train Operating Companies have passed by. This one is a class 2 local service and 142067 forms 2S18 1245 Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield.
Train 1B77 1127 Cleethorpes to Manchester Airport is formed by a pair of new class 185 units, 185108 and 185123. The pair are seen passing the the exchange sidings for the Castleton Cement works branch at Earles Sidings.
The lead set, 185108, passes a wagon which probably has a fault as it is dumped at the far end of the headshunt.
The pair pass the down advanced starter and the driver may be putting more power down as Normans Bank lies ahead.
158761 is rostered to 1B78 1257 Manchester Piccadilly to Cleethorpes service. Oh for a Peak and rake of 8 mkI's, or a Jubilee and 8 mkI's, either will do I'm not fussy :-)
Freightliner Heavy Haul 66518 sits in the sidings at the head of 6J91 1332 Earles Sidings to Weaste loaded cement tanks. The train is already 30 minutes late in leaving, the delay is caused by the train not being complete and some tanks are still being loaded.
170519 speeds by the sidings which form the exchange sidings for the Castleton Cement Works. The set is working 1L21 1252 Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich.
The driver of 66518 lays down sand on the rail head to give him extra grip when he finally gets the road. He will be bringing out his very heavy train onto a rising 1 in 100 gradient and he'll need all the grip he can get.
The cement works loco is Harry Needle owned 20168 in LaFarge Blue Circle livery. It has brought down the last wagons for 66518's train and is now taking some HAA loaded coal hoppers away up to the cement plant. All this under the watchful eye of the signalman.
185109 passes 66518 at Earles, the Desiro unit is working 1B79 1227 Cleethorpes to Manchester Airport.
200168 has come back down and run to the west end of the sidings. The shunter (human) is going to speak with the driver of 66518 and may have the details of his train so he can leave.
20168 runs into the headshunt to clear the double slip to allow it to set back and couple onto the rake of coal hoppers but 66518 needs to move back a short distance as it is in the way of the class 20.
20168 couples onto the end of a rake of loaded HAA coal hoppers. It has already removed ten hoppers and will now take the other 26 up the branch to the cement works.
Freightliner Heavy Haul 66614 rolls by 66518 on the main line with 6Z96 1250 Drax Power Station to Tunstead empty lime hoppers.
The Heavy Haul loco will pass under the bridge with its long rake of bogie hoppers.
When 20168 came down the branch earlier it brought the remaining wagons for train 6J91. Now the road is set and 66518 gets its heavy train away from Earles Sidings on a rising 1 in 100 gradient some 2 hours late.
