Ilkeston area

12th August 2007

The ex GNR viaduct crossing the Erewash Valley is the dominant feature here but there is much else of interest and photo opportunities are good, at least they were till the recent resignalling which has spoiled many a location, some of these scenes on here are now unrepeatable from just a few short years ago. Pallisade fencing and uncontrolled lineside vegetation has done for much of it.
It's unbelievable that Ilkeston, third largest town in Derbyshire has been without a station since 1967 where once it had no less than 3.

37697 on Doncaster-Mountsorrel ballast empties. Ilkeston 25th Feb 1997 1024x716	43087 on a Manchester-St Pancras working near Ilkeston 2/3/04 768x1251	56056 at Ilkeston on up MGR 10/5/99 1024x768	58011 heading northbound MGR empties under the viaduct at Ilkeston 5/4/85 768x1132
58022 on up MGR Ilkeston 10/5/99 1024x768	60072 on up steel diverted from the Derby route about to pass under the huge GNR viaduct just north of Ilkeston 15/2/03 1024x682	66551 heading north near Ilkeston May 2003. This gives an idea of the size of the huge GNR viaduct. 1024x767	66618 passing Ilkeston Junction 24/3/09. 1024x683
66618 on up coal approaches Ilkeston Junction 24 March 2009 1024x817