1 September 1866 Station opened Platforms in use 2 | 3 April 1961 closed completely | |
 | ||
10 August 1959 station closed for regular services Similar Crosshill and Codnor r, Kilburn railway station, Long Eaton (MCR) railway st, Denby railway station, Heanor (GNR) railway st | ||
Monsal Dale railway station was opened in 1866 by the Midland Railway on its line from Rowsley, extending the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway.
The original intention was merely to have a goods depot to serve the nearby Cressbrook Mill, to be called Cressbrook or Cressbrook Sidings. However a passenger station would also serve the villages of Upperdale and Cressbrook.
The down line and platform was built on a shelf carved in the rock face, while the up was built on wooden trestles over the hillside. The wooden buildings for the latter were obtained from Evesham railway station.
From Monsal Dale, the line proceeded through Cressbrook 471 yards (431 m) and Litton 515 yards (471 m) tunnels to Millers Dale on its way north. Cut through solid limestone, they were both complex tunnels on a gradient of 1 in 100, and curved to allow the line to conform to the terrain.
It was written :
The station closed to regular passenger traffic in 1959 but continued to be used by occasional ramblers specials and excursions until April 1961. Trains continued to pass through the station until 1968 when the line was closed.
Today this section of line forms part of the Monsal Trail, an 8.5 miles (13.7 km) walk and cycleway. The down platform edge can still be seen, nothing remains of the up platform or timber buildings. The tunnels previously mentioned were re-opened in 2011, and the previous path diversions over the river via a permissive path by Cressbrook Mill are still available.