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Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Gav106, May 8, 2010.

  1. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

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    Both GCR and GCRN already cross SSSIs (Swithland reservoir and Loughborough meadow). The difference with Wilwell cutting is that the very reason it is a boggy wetland is that the track drains are blocked, so you’d have to destroy the SSSI to put the railway back in it.


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  2. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    Hi Davo
    I suspect that the Engine Shed will be the next major project as the appeal for that has already started and that will affect access to the gap site from the South.
    However, they could restart work at the North end by filling in the gap between the MML bridge and existing embankment, then think about installing the point and trackwork to make the connection...but I don't know how much work needs doing on that road bridge by the Brush works entrance.
     
  3. class8mikado

    class8mikado Part of the furniture

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    Find it hard to comprehend that something thus artificially created and only 50 years old is of SSSI unless its the process of environmental re integration that is the thing of interest, in which case recreating the same set of circumstances could surely be engineeered somewhere convenient and be offered up as a replacement...
     
  4. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Just about the whole of the UK natural landscape (probably > 99%) is artificially created; the only question is whether the roots lie thousands, hundreds or tens of years ago. Genuine wilderness, untouched by man, more or less doesn't exist in this country. So being man made is no reason why it shouldn't be an SSSI.

    Tom
     
  5. Enterprise

    Enterprise Part of the furniture

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    Quite right but I must quibble about "artificial". It has been traditional and widely continues to be so that artificial means "made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally". Seeing human activity as separate and apart from natural processes has led to the dire situation of the contemporary global environment. Humans are part of nature and a most important part.
     
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  6. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Isn't the point that although the cutting is manmade, the environment that has been made an SSSI has been created because of the absence of human intervention?

    More broadly, at a time when the GCR has yet to reconnect, and the GCRN have established and are building a large base at Ruddington, I am bemused at why there is so much emotional investment in trying to get a bit further up the line to a random bit of suburbia.
     
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  7. desperado

    desperado Member

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    I'm not bemused at all.
    1) The old Ruddington station site is just beyond the buffer stops which some people find frustrating
    2) People who don't drive and/or feel things should be joined up see the tiny gap between the GCRN and the Nottingham Tram as somehow frustrating or wrong or offensive or illogical or ....
     
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  8. class8mikado

    class8mikado Part of the furniture

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    'feel things should be joined up see the tiny gap between the GCRN and the Nottingham Tram as somehow frustrating or wrong or offensive or illogical'
    Yep number 2 is me all over, like it annoys the crap out of me that Bradford has two termini and not one central station because a)some wool dyeing magnate didnt want anyone tunneling near his water source in the 1860's and b) long after the wool dyeing has gone and the City centre had a yawning gap available there wasnt any money to invest in tieing the ends up creating a useful loop line in the Leeds/Bradford conurbation.. but there was £ 15 Billion to spend on crossrail. Northern Powerhouse my arse.
     
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  9. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    This SSSI area is not man made. Nature has taken over a derelict place. Most railways have the evidence of this is the weeds that grow in sidings and other infrequently used areas. The linear scrapyards of heritage railways are also evidence having overgrown areas and moss covered stock.
     
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  10. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    SSSI classifications are predicated on the variety and rarity of flora and fauna, more occasionally taking account of the ground itself (Dungeness being a case in point). Whether or not a site has been in industrial, agricultural or residential use only comes into the equation where considerations such as land price and scarcity (e.g.'the square mile') are adjudged of overriding consequence. Take that to mean what you will.

    Southward progress on the Corris Railway has been complicated by the presence of slow worms ..... among other things! ..... but, far from being a 'negative', finding and implementing appropriate solutions has led to some very useful, mutually beneficial connections with other organisations which mightn't otherwise have happened.
     
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  11. mdewell

    mdewell Well-Known Member Friend

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    The planning permission and subsequent sale of Ongar goods yard for housing was complicated by the presence of slow worms :D. Unfortunately it eventually went ahead regardless. :(
     
  12. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    Meanwhile, back on the Great Central, it is pleasing to see that the car park at Rothley Station has been resurfaced with plastic trellis type matting and small stones filling the holes, to give an even, flat surface which should drain well. It certainly looks so much better than the moon crater effect previously! There is still the driveway and apron at the bottom to be tarmac covered I believe.
     
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  13. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

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    As a point of order you mean the goods yard. The Victorians were not big on station car parks.


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  14. class8mikado

    class8mikado Part of the furniture

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    Nuthin 'was said about boxes...
     
  15. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    Unfortunately I was unable to attend the AGM of the GCR and, after that, a "Friends" AGM on Saturday - could anybody who was there, give a brief outline of the points discussed?
     
  16. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    Here is the nearly finished Rothley car park (or - former goods yard). DSCF6865.JPG
     
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  17. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    As a driver, that looks necessary. From a heritage angle, that looks horrible.
     
  18. JMJR1000

    JMJR1000 Member

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    Never mind looking horrible, from a true heritage perspective, they should be using steamrollers not those ghastly looking modern things!
     
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  19. mike norris

    mike norris New Member

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    Never mind the car park , from heritage point of view there should not be any cars
     
  20. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

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    I'd like a personal anti-gravity machine while you're at it, thanks.

    Noel
     

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