In the beginning it must have been horse and cart moving the country's produce about. Eventually the rivers and watercourses would be utilized until expanded by the construction of canals.

As railway construction in Britain took hold one land owner on the proposed route, the Duke of Rutland, was reluctant to see smoke and steam rising above his stately gardens so the railway was forced to build Haddon Tunnel only 12 feet below the surface for a length of 3,174 feet.

Today's trackage used by Peak Rail has a complicated history but it was once part of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, & Midlands Junction Railway which completed the line from Matlock to Rowsley in 1849.

Closure of the line occurred in 1968.

Peak Rail had its beginnings in 1975 as the Peak Railway Preservation Society which opened a Steam Center in Buxton.

Sometime in the 1980s the society moved to Darley Dale and by 1991 the railway had reopened the line south from Darley Dale to Matlock Riverside.

This was followed 6 years later in 1997 when the line extending north from Darley Dale to Rowsley South was opened along with a new Rowsley South station constructed by the society.

In 2011 a connection from Matlock Riverside to Network Rail trackage at Matlock station was completed with a cross platform link.

Unfortunately, Peak Rail trains no longer reach Matlock Station now, apparently they are unable to perform a run-around there, but one would suspect there are financial restrictions imposed by Network Rail.

Instead, trains stop short by 700 metres at Matlock Riverside where there is a single wooden platform, no structures except a signal box, and a run-around for Peak Rail locomotives.

There is no vehicle parking at Matlock Riverside but ample free parking is available at Rowsley South which is the main station for Peak Rail.