After Closure
"The Friends of Cromford Canal" is a group of volunteers whose aim is to fully restore the Cromford Canal and the Butterley Tunnel. A horse drawn narrowboat is brought into service by "The Friends of Cromford Canal" occasionally on the only navigable section of the Cromford Canal near to the Derbyshire village of Cromford itself.
The tunnel has been extended twice since it was originally built. The Midland Railway's Ripley to Heanor branch was built across the front of the Western portal with a new section of tunnel passing underneath bringing the total length at this time to 3063 yards (2801m). After the tunnels closure the A38 road was built over the old railway track. The extra width required by the road brought about the introduction of an extra 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m) wide, 20-yard (18 m) long cylindrical culvert to the Western end of the tunnel bringing the new length to about 3083 yards (2819m).
The Golden Valley Light Railway (GVLR) passes less than 30 yards (27 m) North of the tunnel's Eastern Portal. This 24-inch (610 mm) narrow gauge railway terminates at a station behind Newlands Inn approximately 100 yards (91 m) East of the Butterley Tunnel's Eastern Portal. This section of the GVLR's track crosses the site of the Butterley Park Reservoir. The GVLR operates for the benefit of tourists and is part of the Midland Railway - Butterley. The Newlands Inn served the Cromford Canal as a place where the narrow boat horses were changed and probably where the narrow boat crews were refreshed prior to or after legging it through the tunnel.
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