Peak Forest Tramway, incline plane, Dove Holes, Bugsworth.

Click to enlarge Images	Tramway from Dove Holes to Townsend. If your viewing this page and wondering what I'm going on about follow this link
	.	Looking towards Dove Holes. The A6 road is on the left, in the middle defined by the stone walls eitherside is the tramway heading under the A6 in the distance. The railway to Buxton is on the left. John Marchington of Halsteads farm in 1793 sold land to the Peak forest canal Co., no doubt for this Tramway section. I guess this land was the piece in the picture before the building of the railway and road.
	.	Looking in the opposite direction. The roundabout at Barmoor clough. The tramway is between the railway and road and follows the road around the bend.
	.	Around the bend from the roundabout looking at the tramway from the opposite side of the A6 it follows the line of the trees hugging the hill moving to the right of the picture, you can make out an old quarry just above the embankment. The section before this was very overgrow due to summer growth and as such was inaccessible, hence why I took the picture from an advantage point.
	.	Having walk 50 yards down the A6. I climbed the embankment near a retaining wall and managed to get on the Tramway at this point to which there was a rough path on it, doesn't look it on the photo but there is. This path must have started at the section where the railway goes through the second tunnel where there is a little yard and the Tramway starts to go around the clough side. So access may be gained at this point.
	.	The dog had no trouble managing the undergrowth. Both sides of the Tramway are still lined with stone walls in relatively good condition along its way. The soil undergrowth is deep so no cobbles or sleeper-stones are visible but I guess their still there.
	.	Coming around the clough we are now at the section where it turns left around the hill heading towards the Top of the Plane.
	.	In the distance behind the trees is the Smithy at the Top of the Plane as it continues turning left.
	.	Same view, but you can see in the distance the stone wall heading down the hill at 90 degrees to the left, being the Inclineplane. At the end of these trees just pass the pylon, the Tramway enters a private garden belonging to the converted Smithy now a house, as such there is a footpath though a gate to the left leading onto Ashborune lane. This private garden belongs to the present owner of the old Smithy building now converted into a house.
	.	Where the Tramway went into the Smithy garden in the previous picture, this is the garden, looking towards where it comes into the garden. The garden path is actually the Tramway cobbles and sleepers and in the background are the trees and pylon. The present owner gave me a mini tour of their property they couldn't understand why things wouldn't grow to well and on investigation found it was full of cobbles, they dug out the path exposed the cobbles and made a path of it. According to them the previous owners may have put top soil over the garden, as they had horses on it.
	.	Close up of the cobbles and one sleeper.
	.	Another close up.
	.	In the garden looking at the Smithy which in an older photo contains Joseph Marchington, Joseph was born in 1882 as such the old photo taken outside of the smithy which featured him could indicate that the picture was taken circular 1910-1920.Joseph lived at Higher Halsteads farm with his Father in 1901 who are both stated as Waggoner's at Limestone Quarry. The Marchington's at this point in time breed horses at Halsteads and operated Teams of horses for the Tramway they were ideally place with the Tramway being at the bottom of the farm. Across from the Smithy is where the Brake hut was situated, in the following picture.
	.	Where the trees are are the foundations of the Brake hut are clearly visible. The picture is a bit blurry due to my dog pulling on the lead. Philip Marchington operated the Brake house c1891.
	.	Present owners found a wheel in the garden and placed it in the wall, they borrowed a metal detector to look for other bits but it wouldn't stop bleeping! know wonder!
	.	Picture from the smithy looking at the Top of the Plane house. Philip Marchington was living here in the 1871 census return and is stated as a Railway labourer. In 1881 he's stated as a Booking Clark on the Railways, in 1891 a Tramway Clerk and finally in 1901 at the age of 86 he's stated as: Breaksman At Inclined Plane. Currently the house has just been sold and the current owners intend to remove the rendering.
	.	At the top of the beginning of the Incline looking down towards Townsend, Chapel.
	.	Getting towards the bottom beyond the trees the tramway crosses a Bungalows driveway onto Ashborne lane from this point the pathway is inaccessible and has been built on as it goes under Market street into the the present Council yard at Townsend.
		One of the old surviving carriages. Its currently in the National Rail Museum in York. Its tucked out of sight in a far corner of the museum, if the Tramway ever has a local museum in Chapel it should be returned so it can be place in context and given a proper display.
		Some of the old surviving trackway from the tramway. On display in the National Rail Museum in York, however its tucked out of site and is not displayed.

Tramway from Dove Holes to Townsend.