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April 6th & 7th 2025 will bear witness to the 100th Anniversary of the official opening and first public passenger services of the Ashover Light Railway which ran from an eastern terminus at Clay Cross & Egstow via Stations or Halts at Chesterfield Road, Holmgate, Springfield, Clay Lane, Stretton, Hurst Lane, Woolley, Dalebank, Milltown, Fallgate and Salter Lane to a western terminus at Ashover (Butts).The Ashover Light Railway was formed and constructed by the Clay Cross Co. Ltd. The Company was controlled by the Jackson family who also owned the Overton Estate near Ashover. The original intention was to provide a mineral line conveying mainly limestone and fluorspar from quarries on the Overton Estate to the Works at Clay Cross. In order to construct the line, The Clay Cross Company was legally obliged to obtain a Light Railway Order. The Order, as eventually granted, required the Company to also provide a public transport service. As built, the line was a narrow gauge railway of 60 cms (nominally 2ft) between the rails.
Such a railway required appropriate steam locomotives, coaches and goods wagons. The Jackson family achieved this by purchasing six Baldwin steam locomotives and about 70 wagons which had all first seen service with the British Armed Forces during the latter part of the 1914-1918 World War. The locos were named after Jackson family children, namely Bridget, Guy (used twice), Hummy, Joan & Peggy.
The coaches were a somewhat different matter! Four were ordered to be newly constructed by the Gloucester Carriage and Wagon Co on 11 July 1924. They were built mainly in 1924 but finally delivered in January 1925. The Jackson cost control mechanism saw the brand new coach bodies mounted on second hand bogies, the bogies being taken from under the bodies of some of the ex WW1 goods wagons. The quoted price per coach was £400 but each was £408.10s.0p on delivery. The consternation that must have caused amongst the Jackson family Board Members can just be imagined! The family were, as previously intimated, notoriously careful with their money!
The ALR officially opened for passenger traffic on 7 April 1925. Passenger services were withdrawn just over 11 years later in September 1936 though the coaches did have one further outing when they were used for the Ashover Show in August 1937. The petrol engine and local bus services had finally knocked out the railway for running passenger services.
No4 had a relatively charmed life. It was stored in the Clay Cross Works Carriage Shed until 1953. Nos 1+2+3 had a much harder life, firstly being used as store sheds [1+2] and as a Canteen [3] and then in 1953 all three became stands at the Clay Cross Works Sports Ground. In 1960, all three were shuffled around the sports field, one falling apart and being scrapped in the process. In 1961, the remaining two were rescued by the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway then located at Humberston, Cleethorpes. Today these can be found, still in existence, though someway removed from their original condition, still owned by the LCLR but now on the Skegness Water Leisure Park. Meanwhile in 1953, No 4 came out of storage, was grounded [taken off its bogies] just off John Street, Clay Cross where for over the next 50 plus years until 2007 it was used as the Clay Cross Works Bowling Club HQ. On Tuesday, 7th October that year it was finally removed from site having been purchased for preservation and restoration by the Midland Railway Trust through its affiliate the Golden Valley Light Railway Association. It was the culmination of negotiations which began in 1986 when a narrow gauge railway project at the Butterley site was first launched.
The coach was placed on temporary accommodation bogies and shunted in to the newly created Running Shed (the latter being completed just months earlier – it had industrial doors which had been specifically designed over 7 years previously to accommodate an Ashover coach!). The restoration to an ex-Works condition took GVLRA volunteers 7 years. The coach was formally launched back into passenger carrying duty in 2014.
The GVLR is pleased it has since been able to host 3 local residents of a certain age – 2 of whom actually did ride on the ALR as school children and 1 as a child who had memories of the railway but sadly never got to ride on the ALR itself! The latter situation was resolved during August 2023 when the 3rd child finally got his bottom on a seat in ALR coach no.4!
The GVLR will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary on Sunday, 6th April with ALR coach no 4 being hauled by the resident 1914 built Orenstein & Koppel steam loco with departures from the Butterley Park Station at 11.50; 12.30; 13;15; 14.00; 14.45 and 15.30. Trains will depart from Newlands Inn Station (Golden Valley) at 12.05; 12.45; 13.30; 14.15; 15.00 and 15.45. Both Stations can be reached by pedestrians via footpaths from Golden Valley; Leabrooks; Riddings; Ripley and Swanwick. Entrance to the event is also by standard gauge train from the Butterley Station of the Midland Railway – Butterley, where there is ample parking. Please visit www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk or www.gvlr.org.uk for further information nearer the date.
The GVLR is delighted that a display of ALR photographs and artefacts will be mounted in its Butterley Park Station building courtesy of Robert Gratton and Stuart Band (Joint Editors of “The Ashover Light Railway” by Robert Gratton & Stuart R Band / Wild Swan Publications 1989). Both have agreed to be present. At the official opening of the ALR in April 1925, the train was greeted at Ashover Butts by the Ashover Brass Band. When ALR Coach No 4 was launched back into passenger carrying service by the GVLR in 2014 the Ashover Brass Band was again in attendance. In keeping with this tradition, the Ashover Brass Band will be in attendance once more to celebrate the occasion and entertain our visitors during the afternoon.
Bibliography The Ashover Light Railway, by K.P. Plant (Oakwood Press 1963 & 1987) The Ashover Light Railway, by R. Gratton & S.R. Band (Wild Swan Publications 1989)
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Golden Valley Light Railway (part of Midland Railway-Butterley), Battlefield Games, Butterley Hill, Ripley, DE5 3, United Kingdom,Ripley, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, Alfreton
