In 1968 the railway between Matlock and Buxton through the Peak National Park was closed and lifted. This was once part of the Midland Railway’s line between Manchester Central and London St.Pancras. In 1975 a group of enthusiasts formed the Peak Railway Society with the aim of re-opening the line.

Initially a Steam Centre was opened at Buxton, attention later moved to the southern end of the line, where undergrowth was hacked away and rails reinstated. Services commenced between Matlock and Darley Dale in 1991. The northern extension to the site of the former Rowsley locomotive depot saw its first passenger trains in 1997, where further facilities are currently being developed.