Great Central Railway (heritage railway)

For the separate Nottinghamshire-based heritage railway, see Great Central Railway (Nottingham). For the former main line, see Great Central Main Line. For other uses, see Great Central (disambiguation).

The Great Central Railway (GCR) is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England, named after the company that originally built this stretch of railway. It runs for 8.25 miles (13.28 km) between the town of Loughborough and a new terminus in the north of Leicester. It has period signalling, locomotives and rolling stock.

Great Central Railway
BR Standard Class 7 70013 Oliver Cromwell leaving Loughborough
Locale	Loughborough, Leicestershire, England
Terminus	Leicester North
Commercial operations
Built by	Edward Watkin Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Original gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated by	Great Central Railway Plc
Stations	4
Length	8.25 miles (13.28 km) (Leicester) 10 miles (16 km) (Nottingham)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened	1897
Closed	17 March 1969
Preservation history
23 March 1974	GCR Reopened
1976	GCR Plc formed
2000	Double track opened
2012	Swithland Sidings opened to the public
Headquarters	Loughborough Central & Ruddington

The GCR is currently the only double track standard gauge mainline heritage railway in the world with 5.25 miles (8.45 km) of working double track.

Four stations are in operation, each restored to a period in the railway's commercial history: Loughborough Central (the 1950s); Quorn & Woodhouse (Second World War and the remainder of the 1940s); Rothley (Edwardian Era); Leicester North (the 1960s).

Background history

Great Central Railway
Great Central Main Line A52 road Nottingham Express Transit Line 2 Ruddington Limit of operations Ruddington South Junction Ruddington Fields Gotham Sidings Gotham Branchline Rushcliffe Halt East Leake Barnstone Tunnel Barnstone Sidings Stanford Viaduct over River Soar Brush Traction Loughborough High-Level (proposed) Loughborough Midland Main Line Loughborough Gap Loughborough Top Shed (proposed) Grand Union Canal Loughborough Traction Maintenance Depot Loughborough Central Quorn & Woodhouse Swithland Viaduct over Swithland Reservoir Mountsorrel Railway Swithland Sidings Rothley Belgrave & Birstall Leicester North Leicester Central Great Central Main Line

In 1897, the Great Central Railway itself was formed, becoming the last steam mainline in the United Kingdom. Two years later in 1899, "The London Extension" was officially opened to passenger and freight traffic, allowing more direct journeys from the capital to Nottingham, Leicester, Sheffield and Manchester. This construction scheme was devised by chairman Sir Edward Watkin, who had envisioned his railway one day running through a channel tunnel to France, linking Britain with the continent.

However, this never came to fruition; indeed, the Beeching report which led to cutback and closure was published in 1963, some 31 years before the tunnel was fully constructed. In the report, the line was described as a duplicate of the Midland Main Line. Apart from the most southerly section into London, the line was closed as a through route in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe, although a section of the line between Nottingham and Rugby remained open until 1969. The closure became one of Doctor Beeching's largest cutbacks.

Preservation

In the late 1960s, local groups who opposed the closure gathered together for a series of meetings at Leicester Central railway station and the Main Line Preservation Group (MLPG) was formed. There had been talk of restoring the entire closed line from Nottingham Arkwright Street to Rugby Central, but this was rationalised to a section from Ruddington to Leicester and later, because British Rail retained the single track between Loughborough and Ruddington for British Gypsum freight and access to the now-closed Ministry of Defence base, the group's plans focussed on the Loughborough to Leicester section. The published aim of MLPG was "to acquire a suitable length of main line, for the operation of steam hauled passenger trains, at realistic speeds". Work began on salvaging as much reusable material as possible for the project from the recent demolitions.

The early years (1969–1976)

The MLPG received a lease on the station, buildings and most of the trackbed at Loughborough Central in 1970; this would become its base of operations. By the following year, negotiations into purchasing the rest of the remaining railway had proven successful and the group was able to buy it for a mere £75,000 (£1,339,000 in 2023). The rest of the Loughborough yard complex was secured in 1972. In the same year, the first coaching stock arrived on site. The first open day occurred in 1973, shortly after the arrival of working motive power. Passengers were offered simple wagon or coach rides run by small industrial locomotives. On 30 September 1973, LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 No. 5231 hauled the first passenger train since the railway's commercial closure, to Quorn and back, but at the same time the down line was being lifted between Birstall and Quorn because of BR's increasing demands.

To purchase what was left of the track, the MLPG was re-merged into a supporting charity, the Main Line Steam Trust (MLST). The entire value of the eight miles (13 km) of up line was re-assessed by BR at £279,000 (£4,262,000 in 2023) and the MLST was now paying £3,300 a month (£46,000 in 2023) just to keep it. A deal was struck on 1 April 1976 that would see the remainder of the down line lifted if BR's cash demand was not raised. At that time, passenger trains were still running as far as Rothley, but, without an adequate supply of working mainline locomotives, the trust had to resort to using industrial tank engines working single track – some way short of the original vision of the MLPG seven years previously.

Great Central Railway PLC

To purchase the land and track, Great Central Railway (1976) PLC issued shares, and the MLPG was transformed into the MLST, a charitable body, to support the company.

Charnwood Borough Council agreed to purchase the land from BR and lease it to the railway for 99 years. However, this still left GCR (1976) PLC the task of raising over £150,000 (£1,364,000 in 2023) to purchase the track. Ultimately, the target was not met and only a single track between Loughborough and Quorn could be afforded (BR allowed more time to raise funds to purchase Quorn to Rothley). The double track from Rothley to Belgrave & Birstall was lifted, along with the 'down' line from Loughborough to Rothley.

In the late 1980s, the intention was announced to extend the line back to Belgrave & Birstall. The former station had been vandalised and the Railway had no choice but to demolish the buildings. In 1990, a station called Leicester North was opened a hundred metres to the south of Belgrave & Birstall. This shift in location placed the new station inside Leicester's city boundary, allowing the 'Leicester' tag to be included in the name, along with unlocking extra funds to assist in the construction.

The double track project (1991-present day)

In the 1990s David Clarke became president of the GCR and approached the railway about the possibility of double-tracking the line. As a signalling enthusiast, Clarke aspired to operate a signal box on a double track main line, and so the campaign to raise funds to double the section between Quorn and Rothley was launched, with Clarke himself providing a large amount of the capital.

After reaching Quorn, work moved ahead to extend the second track to Loughborough. The double track between Loughborough and Rothley opened on 1 June 2000. This gave additional capacity, which is especially useful at galas, where up to six trains may be in operation at any one time. This enables the running of non-passenger-carrying trains (freights, TPO set) during galas to a greater extent than any other heritage railway. It also means that the timetable can be generally adhered to, as delays do not cascade, as they do on single track lines.

Her Majesty's Rail Inspectorate has granted powers to run private test trains at up to 60 mph. Other special trains at public events run at up to 45 miles per hour (72.4 km/h). Typically, UK heritage railways are limited to a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour (40.2 km/h).

In 2004, a new signal box at Quorn opened, at that time the only preserved box in the UK with a double track on either side. With this new signal box, a train can, in theory, be dispatched from Loughborough every 10 minutes. A further signal box at Swithland Sidings has been fitted with Great Western Railway style signals, in the style of the GCR/GWR joint line via High Wycombe, allowing for a further capacity increase on the preserved GCR. The full Swithland project was completed in May 2012.

On 5 December 2012, the GCR was awarded the NRHA Signalling Award for this long-running and complicated project.

Major engineering projects

The gap and Loughborough Midland (High Level)

Main article: Loughborough Gap

Abutment for the missing bridge over Railway Terrace. This bridge needs to be replaced if the gap is to be bridged.

Approximately 500 metres (0.3 mi) separates the GCR to the south from another stretch of the former railway to the north, operated by the Great Central Railway (Nottingham), formerly known as the Nottingham Heritage Railway. "The Gap" from the GCR's Loughborough locomotive shed to where the line crosses the A60 is a section of embankment and bridges (including a large single span over the Midland Main Line) that would need to be reinstated to join the two concerns together. If completed, the GCRN would merge with the GCR to create a single 18-mile (29 km) track (the Greater Great Central Railway (GGCR), as it is known almost universally by Great Central staff), which would also be rebuilt as a double-track line for most, if not the whole, of its length.

The project has been moving forward steadily since February 2009, when it was announced that it would receive £350,000 for a feasibility study, Charnwood Borough Council having won a grant from the East Midlands Development Agency, with the GCR to contribute £100,000 towards a combined cost of £450,000 for the study.

As of 2022:

• A new (single-track) bridge over the Midland Main Line was completed in 2017 at a cost of about £3 million. The new bridge has been built with increased clearances to accommodate proposed future electrification of the Midland Main Line.
• In 2020 work was completed on refurbishing the bridge over the Grand Union Canal, at a cost of £475,000.
• In October/November 2022 the existing bridge over the A60, which had been damaged by corrosion and by repeated vehicle impacts, was replaced by a new twin-track structure, at a cost in excess of £1 million.

Remaining stages include a bridge over Railway Terrace and a 'flyover' over a factory car-park immediately to the north of it (together projected to cost £3 million), plus work to reinstate embankments to the north and south of the new bridges. It is proposed that work on the embankments will use current construction techniques to provide a higher but narrower structure than the original; while the Railway Terrace bridge is proposed to re-use one of two 17-metre road bridges removed as part of reconstruction work at Reading station in 2011 and made available by Network Rail to the project.

Earlier plans also suggested for the Nottingham side of the railway to build a new station, Loughborough High Level, immediately to the north of the Midland Main Line, which could be completed before the other works, and provide passengers with an easy walking connection to and from Loughborough main-line station. This has not so far been taken forward.

In March 2024, it was announced that Loughborough Central locomotive shed is to relocated to a new location as part of the railways unification project.

The Mountsorrel Railway Project

Main article: Mountsorrel Railway

The Line and Wagons at Swithland Junction in November 2010

The Mountsorrel Railway project was originally devised and financed by Railway Vehicle Preservations Limited and aimed to rebuild the Mountsorrel branch off the Great Central railway at Swithland sidings to the working Mountsorrel quarry.

In 2006, the branch was essentially intact but the track was lifted in the mid-1960s. The original purpose of the reinstatement was to provide a carriage shed to house the restored carriages of Railway Vehicle Preservations Ltd and shelter them from the elements. In 2006, RVP applied for planning permission for the shed, but this was rejected due to badger setts discovered on site. The reinstatement of the line went ahead, instead being carried out by a separate group, the Mountsorrel Railway Project, directed by Steve Cramp. Work commenced in 2008 with the aim of relaying 1.25 miles (2 km) of line up to the bridge at Bond Lane, where a platform was planned to be built. By 2012, the line had been fully ballasted for half of its length, passing through Wood Lane Bridge and across into Mountsorrel Parish. RVP re-evaluated their plans for the shed at the end of the branch line, instead deciding upon putting an application in for a four road shed at the back of Swithland sidings. On 4 February 2013 the ambitious plans were given conditional approval.

After eight years and over 80,000 hours of volunteer time, the Mountsorrel Railway was opened to the public over the weekend of 24 and 25 October 2015 by Richard Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Worcester, who is president of the Heritage Railway Association and vice chairman of the Science Museum.

Following the opening of the railway, the Mountsorrel Railway Project changed direction, evolving into the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre, which now occupies the former site of Nunckley Quarry.

Recently Lafarge, (operators of the Mountsorrel Quarry) proposed a stone loading terminal at the end of the Mountsorrel Railway. This was in response to a planning submission to build 300+ Houses near to the proposed Bond Lane Station, and was clearly aimed at Lafarge protecting the mineral extraction rights. The proposal would be dependent on the GCR 'Bridging the Gap' to GCRN. GCR then would build a north chord from the southern end of Swithland Viaduct to meet the existing track just at the end of the straight section of the Mountsorrel Railway. The proposal estimates that 3 loaded trains of 1000 tonnes would leave the proposed terminal every weekday and travel via the GCR to the Midland Main Line Connection.

Stations of the heritage GCR

• Loughborough Central 52.7686°N 1.1959°W / 52.7686; -1.1959 (Loughborough Central)
  • Loughborough Central is the largest of the working stations on the line, with a long overhead canopy, museum, gift shop, café and 1950s period detail. This has helped the station feature in numerous movies and TV shows.
  • The signal box and traction maintenance depot north of the platform are both open for public viewing, allowing for an insight into the physical labour that is required to run a steam railway.
• Quorn & Woodhouse 52.7403°N 1.1878°W / 52.7403; -1.1878 (Quorn & Woodhouse)
  • Serving the local villages of Quorn and Woodhouse, this station is built to the standards of Great Central, with an island platform and an overbridge. The station details were intended to make it reflect World War II and the remainder of the 1940s. This has allowed for several World War reenactments to be played out in recent years. This station would have served the nearby Beaumanor Hall which, during WWII, was a 'Y' station receiving German signals and passing them on to 'Station X' at Bletchley.
  • The newly built (2011) Butler Henderson Bistro & Tea Room provides food and refreshments.
  • South of the platform is a small set of goods sidings which currently store the TPOs, mineral wagons and other stock when they are not in use.
  • A turntable has been installed at Quorn & Woodhouse Station and officially opened in the latter part of October 2011.
• Rothley 52.7048°N 1.1600°W / 52.7048; -1.1600 (Rothley)
  • Similar in appearance to Quorn & Woodhouse, Rothley was rebuilt by the volunteers of the Great Central to look like the Edwardian era, when it is believed the GCR company was at its high-point. Today the recently extended Ellis tea room serves refreshments year-round and the Charnwood Forest Garden Railway run by a small group of enthusiasts runs various types of stock.
  • A large 4-road carriage shed of corrugated metal owned by RVP Ltd is the major restoration facility for their historic collection of Gresley Teaks and Mk1s.
• Leicester North 52°40′7.24″N 1°7′58.72″W
  • Just south of Belgrave and Birstall station is the new Leicester North terminus, built because the original station was heavily vandalised. Currently little more than a small waiting room and canopy in 60s style.
  • Adjacent to the station is the recently leased Greenacres Centre having the 'Platform Tea Room' and Training Facilities.
  • Railway museum. On 8 December 2012 it was announced that an annex to the National Railway Museum would be built close to Leicester North, these plans were cancelled in 2017 after funding arrangements were cancelled.
  • On 15 December 2017, the National Lottery announced that the Museum has £9.5m funding withdrawn.

Accidents and incidents

• On 4 February 2006, LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 locomotive 45305 Alderman A. E. Draper collided with a rake of six carriages at Loughborough Central, damaging the locomotive and one of the carriages. Two people were injured. An investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found that the driver was not wearing spectacles at the time of the accident, despite it being a requirement on his medical certificate to do so when driving. No testing was carried out by the GCR on the train crew for drug or alcohol use. There was no first aid kit carried on the locomotive, although this was recommended by Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate for all locomotives. The RAIB made four recommendations as a result of the accident.
• On 27 April 2013, LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0 46521 was derailed on trap points at Quorn & Woodhouse. The accident was filmed by a visitor to the railway whose film clearly shows the train departing from a loop against a danger signal. This had been authorised by the signalman as the signal was not working. However the signalman failed to close the trap point and the driver failed to check the trap point in accordance with the rules. The incident was not investigated by the RAIB.
• On 12 May 2014, Class 37 diesel electric locomotive 37198 ran away from Quorn & Woodhouse pushing a TPO carriage . They collided with a rake of five carriages at Loughborough Central. The RAIB investigation into the accident, published on 21 May 2015, found that the accident was caused by the train being stabled in an ineffective manner to protect it from a runaway. Additional factors were that there was no brake van in the train, contrary to GCR rules, and that the train was left parked in a position where there was no runaway protection, such as catch points, available. The RAIB made four recommendations as a result of the accident.
• On 14 January 2023, a passenger sustained serious injuries alighting from a train at Loughborough Central. The RAIB opened an investigation into the accident. As a result of the accident, the RAIB issued urgent safety advice to heritage railways on 29 March.

Film and television

Many filmmakers have taken advantage of the atmosphere of the Great Central and it has had many notable appearances in film and television.

Film

• Buster (1988)
• Shadowlands (1993)
• The Secret Agent (1996)
• The Navigators (2001)
• Enigma (2001)
• The Hours (2002)
• Control (2007)
• A Boy Called Dad (2009)
• Cemetery Junction (2010)
• Stan & Ollie (2018)

TV

• She's Out (1995)
• Woof! (1995)
• Goodnight Mr. Tom (1998)
• Take a Girl Like You (2000)
• The Cazalet Chronicles (2001)
• Casualty (2001, 2014)
• Hawking (2004)
• The 4:50 from Paddington (2004)
• E=MC2 (2005)
• The 39 Steps (2008)
• Central Steam (TV Series) (2010)
• South Riding (TV miniseries) (2011)
• Top Gear (2011)
• Ripper Street (2012)
• Heston's Fantastical Food (2012)
• Our Story (2013) – To be Screened on ITV in 2014
• Great British Railway Journeys (2013) – First Screened on BBC TV in January 2014
• The Crown (2017-present)

Music video

• Stereophonics – Indian Summer (2013)
• Louise Steel – Take Off And Busk (2015)

Locomotives and rolling stock

Main article: List of Great Central Railway locomotives and rolling stock

Some of Britain's largest locomotives have been there in recent years. The steam fleet currently comprises over a dozen mainline classes, many of them either heavy freight, express passenger or shunting tank engines. Some are of types that were preserved in abundance elsewhere, but others have been leased from the National Collection. On most days, one of the railway's two British Rail Class 101 DMU sets runs from Loughborough to Leicester. The railway also has a large fleet of diesel locomotives, ranging from Class 08 shunters to Class 37 and Class 50's. As it stands (7 October 2022), the railway has only a few diesel locos serviceable. These being D123 (45 125), 37 714, D6700 (37 119/37 350). Locos such as the 20,25,47,50 and others are all withdrawn for repairs. As well as running stock the railway also has a large collection of heritage rolling stock. Passenger stock is made up of uniform rakes of British Rail Mark 1 coaches originally built in the 1950s and 60s. They either carry Maroon, Carmine and Cream, Western Region Chocolate and Cream, or Great Central Pullman liveries.

Supporting bodies

Both the Great Central Railway PLC and the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) have a number of supporting bodies which are based at each individual line. The majority of these are locomotive or rolling stock groups, however there are a number of private owners who have based their stock or locomotives at the lines.

Main Line Steam Trust

Main Line Steam Trust was established in 1969 as the Main Line Preservation Group, with the intention of preserving one of two potential sections of the line, one based at Lutterworth, running from Leicester to Rugby Central, and one based at Loughborough, running between Leicester and Nottingham. The Loughborough base was chosen and work began on restoring the station, an office was rented at street level at Loughborough Central station, and in 1971 Charitable Status was granted to MLPG, who changed their name to Main Line Steam Trust Limited.

Substantial monthly payments were required to keep the formation intact between Loughborough and Belgrave & Birstall, with steam hauled services operating from Loughborough Central to Quorn & Woodhouse Station, and eventually Rothley station. The money required to purchase the line south of Rothley was not available and only the Loughborough to Rothley section of line was preserved, with the aid of Charnwood Borough Council.

The operation and the assets were transferred to the Great Central Railway (1976) Ltd. and MLST took on the role of the charitable volunteer-run support body for the railway. MLST has continued to support the Great Central Railway PLC (the 1976 was eventually dropped from the title), and the various organisations around the railway. It also supports the Great Central Railway (Nottingham).

MLST have funded a great deal at the Great Central Railway, including assistance in funding the double track, Leicester Station, Quorn & Woodhouse Signalling, Swithland Signalling, Loughborough South Remodelling, and has assisted in bringing in visiting locomotives for gala events on numerous occasions.

MLST has now been incorporated into The Friends of the Great Central Main Line (FoGCML), this with the David Clarke Railway Trust (DCRT) provide the volunteers and the funding. Outside commercial interests and individuals are able to donate toward various projects (Loughborough's 'Crystal Palace', Mountsorrel Railway, RVPS restorations etc.) to the DCRT, gaining valuable tax advantages.

Great Central Railway PLC

The Gresley Society

A small group based at Loughborough who are devoted to LNER Chief Mechanical Engineer, Sir Nigel Gresley. They also own large suburban tank locomotive GNR Class N2 No. 1744.

Renaissance Railcars

Renaissance Railcars own the six Class 101 vehicles, and the sole surviving Class 111 vehicle at the Great Central Railway, two sets are currently in regular passenger use consisting of a green three car set, and a blue two car set. A driving trailer vehicle is currently under restoration and a driving motor vehicle is stored. Recently arrived Class 122 "Bubble Car" is in the custodianship of this group for its private owner.

Boscastle Locomotive Syndicate

Owners and carers of Bulleid Pacific locomotive 34039 Boscastle, which is undergoing a protracted overhaul due to take 3 years and £200,000+ of donated money.

73156 Standard 5 Support Group

Formed in 1985, the group owns BR Standard Class 5 73156, which underwent an extensive restoration at the railway and numerous storage vans.

Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group

Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group, or LSLG, look after and part-own a number of locomotives. These are BR Standard 2MTs Nos.78018 & 78019, BR Standard 5MT No.73156, BR Standard Class 7 70013 Oliver Cromwell and LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0 No.46521

No.70013 "Oliver Cromwell" is part of the national collection, owned by the National Railway Museum, and has been restored by both LSLG and the 5305 Locomotive Association. 'Cromwell' is running on both the GCR and Network Rail. LSLG also have in their care a Directors Saloon, coach no. M999504, which is on loan from EWS.

5305 Locomotive Association

The 5305 Locomotive Association have a number of locomotives in their care, these are LMS Black Five No.45305 "Alderman A.E. Draper", SR King Arthur No.777 "Sir Lamiel", British Rail Class 33 D6535 "Hertfordshire Railtours", BR Standard 7 No.70013 "Oliver Cromwell", and British Rail Class 45 "Leicestershire And Derbyshire Yeomanry" Peak D123.

Nos.777, D6535 and 70013 are all part of the National Collection and are owned by the National Railway Museum. No.777 emerged from a lengthy overhaul in British Railways green livery, under the BR number 30777 and has just been refinished in Southern Malachite Green with running number 777.

Type One Locomotive Company

A diesel group who own and care for Class 20 D8098, Class 31 D5380 and Class 47 D1705.

Railway Vehicle Preservations Ltd

Railway Vehicle Preservations Ltd, and their members, own the second largest collection of LNER coaches in preservation today. These include the famous LNER Travelling Post Office set, two LNER Beavertail observation saloon (including one in its rebuilt condition), and a number of "Gresley" teak-panel passenger coaches.

Quorn Wagon and Wagon

A group dedicated to the restoration of steam era goods rolling stock. Responsible for over 75 privately owned vehicles which make up the majority of the boxvan, mixed freight and permanent way trains, as well as 4 of the brake vans in operation on the railway. Restoration activity is centered around the southern section of Quorn and Woodhouse station yard.

External links

• Homepage of preserved Great Central Railway in Leicestershire.
• The railway extending
• Main Line Steam Trust, the GCR's charitable body.
• Homepage of the Great Central Railway (Nottingham)
• BBC site with stuff.
• Several hundred pictures from the GCR
• Sound Recordings of the Great Central Railway
• Progress on the Nunckley Hill project
• The National Railway Heritage Awards home page