Some people still remember the tramway that ran from Furness Colliery
down to the canal and railway siding. It passed under Buxton Road and
beneath the building that is now the (closed) Fish and Chip shop. It was
recorded by John Farey in his 1817 books about the agriculture and
minerals of Derbyshire. The railway was still in use until the early
1960s.
Less known is the railway, also mentioned by Farey, that
linked Furness Vale Quarry with the canal. It ran through the tunnel,
which of course still exists, to the two canal wharves owned by the
quarry company. Building stone was shipped to Manchester and Stockport.
It does not appear on any maps. The quarry was in operation until at least the 1960s but the railway
must have been removed long ago.
Ringstones Colliery which closed in 1896 was linked to the canal at Bridgemont. Rather than a railway or tramway, the mine employed an overhead ropeway which carried coal in suspended tubs. One stone tower remains in Ringstones Clough, all other remnants have long disappeared. Again, this was never mapped.
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