DERBY

Derby's central location and former importance as a railway town have made it an important node of the rail network. First opened in 1844, it was at the time one of the largest in the country and was unusual for being shared by more than one company. Until recently, major carriage and locomotive workshops as well as the Research Division in the Railway Technical Centre were housed there.

The station is an interchange point between the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to Leeds and long-distance services on the Cross-Country route from Aberdeen through Birmingham New Street to Penzance or Bournemouth (the zero milepost on the latter route is at the south end of platform 1). Until the mid twentieth century, the station was also served by through trains from Manchester and Glasgow to London. It is still a busy station, the section to Sheffield having the highest train frequency (passenger and freight) of any line in the East Midlands.

Local services from Nottingham to Matlock along the Derwent Valley Line serve the station as well as local and semi-fast services to Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe, Birmingham and Cardiff Central.

Extensive rebuilding of the platform buildings, footbridge and awnings in 1952, using pre-stressed concrete, gave the station a very different appearance, with simple functional lines. The cost of the modernisation plan was 200,000. Derby Station signal box was also rebuilt, described by the staff as 'a cupboard under the stairs'. 

With the advent of power signalling in 1969, the signal box and the crossovers disappeared, and the tracks approaching the station were relaid to allow trains from any direction to enter or leave any platform.

Formerly known as Derby Midland, from 6 May 1968 the station became known as simply Derby though the full name was retained on the station's main sign. Derby station today has six platforms (all but Platform 5 are through platforms). 


Platform lengths:

  [Number of coaches - reduce by 1 for each loco]

  Derby Station 
   Platform 1                        16 
   Platform 2a                        7 
   Platform 2b                        7 
   Platform 3a                        7 
   Platform 3b                        7 
   Platform 4a                        7 
   Platform 4b                        7 
   Platform 5                         4
   Platform 6a                        7 
   Platform 6b                        7 

   The suffix 'a' represents the West end of the platform and 'b' the North end.
   Platform 1 has 'a' and 'b' ends for timetable purposes only.

  Burton-on-Trent                    22 
  Duffield                           22 
  Belper                             22 
  Ambergate                          24 

Timing points:

  All Stations
  Ambergate Jcn, both main line and in goods loops
  Goods lines at Derby station signals 458 & 449
  Stenson Jcn (S)
  Claymills Jcn (C)
  Burton Goods Lines at signals 152 & 157 (T)
  Branston Jcn (B)

Startup Picture

The scene looking towards Derby station from Pride Parkway overbridge, featuring Class 58 diesel no. 58038 hauling a merry-go-round train, March 7th 1997. Photograph courtesy Adrian Healey and David Hills.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Russ Ashmore for the providing track plan and his help, also to Richard Wade for putting it all together and all the PC-Rail testing team.


David Palmer



