The Peak District spa town of Buxton was hugely popular in the nineteenth century and the prospect of a railway line from Manchester to the town was desirable for railway companies during the railway boom in the Victorian age. The Manchester & Birmingham Railway opened its first Manchester station in 1840 and the line reached Stockport that year. By 1863 the London & North Western Railway finally reached Buxton, forestalling its rivals. This book charts the development of the line from today’s Piccadilly station in Manchester to Buxton, examining the stations and stops along the way, the lives of those who financed and built the line and rolling stock of the various companies operating the line through the years. Illustrated throughout with contemporary photographs, maps, tickets and other railwayana, Phil Page and Ian Littlechilds present a fascinating portrait of what is today one of North West England’s busiest commuter routes.