The line from Derby through Darley Dale was opened as far as Rowsley in 1849, and was extended to Manchester in 1867. Darley Dale became a railway village. The Rowsley site was developed into the Peak Village shopping outlet, with its Wind in the Willows Attraction, in 1999. Peak Rail, a group of enthusiasts, has for some years been working towards the re-opening of the line from Matlock to Buxton. Darley Dale station has been renovated and now houses a shop, tea-room and Exhibition Coach.
Steam trains run throughout the year at weekends with many special events organised.
The parish church of St Helen stands between the edge of the village and the River Derwent in Churchtown, close to the railway. An ancient yew tree dominates the churchyard. It is now much smaller than in the Rev. Wray's time, when it had a girth of 28 feet. The Red House Stables Carriage Museum, on Old Road, Darley Dale, houses a collection of nearly 40 horse-drawn carriages, together with coach horns, harnesses and other equipment. He was a manufacturer of machine tools and armaments and the inventor of the Whitworth screw thread.