Codnor Park and Ironville

27th August 2007

Not the easiest location to get to, certainly on foot as I usually was in the 70s and 80s, necessitating a walk of a few miles down country lanes and over fields. This was the site of Codnor Park and Ironville station until closure on 2/1/67 along with the rest of the Erewash Valley line stations.
Until 1973(?) there was a substantial ironworks here and a large yard with about 12 roads, reduced by 1985 to just 3 and by then used mainly for running round coal trains, usually from Clipstone or some other pit in the Mansfield area to Avenue coking ovens near Chesterfield among other destinations. It had a short revival in 2003/4 when it was the railhead for the Forge and Monument opencast.
Another place almost unrecognisable as the trees almost obscure the line although it makes an interesting shot still.

Driver phones the signalbox to see what's holding up 158906 Codnor Park 9/6/09 768x1152	170519 on 0852 Liverpool-Norwich passing Codnor Park 30/10/07 1024x683	20142 and 20041 at Codnor Park with Clipstone-Avenue coal. This train will run round in Codnor Park yard and return north, taking the Alfreton line at Pye bridge. Sept 1 1981. 1024x785	25308 at Codnor Park 26 November 1980 1000x1582
Toton's 47324 approaches Stoneyford with 16t mineral empties on Jan 2 1979. 1024x721	56004 passing the site of Codnor park station with MGR empties returning to the Mansfield area 14/3/85 1024x682	56008 approaching Stoneyford on 21 April 1992. A day out fotting and I went to see UFO at Rock City that night. Pretty much a perfect day! 1024x664	66159 loading up in Codnor Park yard 23/3/04 1024x664
66559 passing Codnor Park yard 6/5/03 768x1240	Codnor Park yard 14 March 1985 1024x616