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Museums in Leicester

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Tim Light, Jan 24, 2021.

  1. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    Can anyone help me understand what museums and stores have existed in Leicester with railway exhibits? According to my records locos have been resident at the following sites at different times, but I'm not sure if they are all different places, or which were open to the public:

    Leicester Midland shed.
    East Midlands Museum of Technology
    Stoneygate Museum
    Abbey Pumping Station
    Snibston Discovery Park

    Any insights welcome.
     
  2. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    I had a friend who spent some time at the old Leicester Midland engine shed helping to clean the stored engines there, Midland "Spinner" and the MR 2-4-0. They were then taken to the Stoneygate "museum" which was the old tram depot. I don't think it ever really opened as a museum though. Here are two pics dated 1968. 2013-01-17_4 Mar 68 Leics.JPG 2013-01-17_7 Mar 68.JPG
     
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  3. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    Going back to the OP - from memory...
    Leicester Engine shed was not open to the public....it was just used to keep the engines until they went to somewhere else.
    East Midlands Museum of Technology.......this might have been the name for the Stoneygate Museum?
    Stoneygate Museum.......The old Tram shed which, I think did have the two engines from Leicester Midland shed for a while, but it was very cramped and I don't think ever opened to the public. I believe it was demolished and a petrol station built on the site?
    Abbey Pumping Station.....Still open, close to the Space Centre and GC Leicester North station. They have some wagons and a short demonstration track?
    Snibston Discovery Park.......Quite a large centre but was closed about 5 years ago with a small section remaining. Most exhibits moved elsewhere, some to GCR and Mountsorrel Heritage Centre.
     
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  4. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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    The East Midlands Museum of Technology appears to be a fairly recent arrival and has no large transport related exhibits - http://www.museumoftechnology.org.uk/index.php

    The LTHT publication on the history of Stoneygate Tram Depot (which still exists as it is leased to them as a museum/vehicle storage!) has full details of the former railway museum that was housed there. It opened to the public on 27th July 1968 and closed on 1st April 1975. Locos on display there - MR 158A, MR 118, NER Electric 26500 and the Brush built 0-4-0ST that is now at Mountsorrel via Snibston. Four other locos were classed as part of the "Leicester" collection - LNWR 0-8-0, GC 2-8-0, LMS 4F and the V2, but they obviously never made it there as the place was full with the other 4 locos!
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2021
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  5. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    That Museum of Technology is in Lincolnshire so is probably not what the OP was asking about Johann?
     
  6. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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    To be honest, I didn't actually look where it was located !
    A search for "East Midlands Museum of Technology" came up with this page - https://mdem.org.uk/museum-technology-now-open-history-gadgets-gizmos/ - with a direct link to the Museums site, and as it said "Museum Development East Midlands" and that it was supported by Leicestershire County Council I assumed it was rather more local to Leicester than Lincolnshire.......
     
  7. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    On checking via google Earth I can see that the Stoneygate Tram building still exists - the new petrol station is right alongside!
    Hopefully, of course, we may yet see a proper Leicester Railway/Transport Museum being built alongside GCR Leicester North....then the "Leicester" collection may be brought together....
     
  8. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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    The LTHT website is here - https://www.ltht.org.uk/ - and this will be the second year running that the Quorn Bus Rally, which they organise, will not be taking place.
    They certainly do have rather more vehicles than can fit in the Stonygate premises though......
     
  9. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    Thanks ... this is really useful.
     
  10. William Fletcher

    William Fletcher Member

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    EMMT was the original title fpor Abbey Pumping Station, which is why the steam navy and other things were collected, as thety were East Midlands based rather than Leicestershire specifically. Go back nearly 50 yars and the plans were very different to what everyone ended up with
     
  11. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    Ah .... so they are the same place. This helps to clear the fog. Many thanks for this useful snippet!
     
  12. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    Looking back at my notes, it says that among other items there were three main line locos based at EMMT/Abbey Pumping Station from 1972-1975. These were 44027, 63601 and 49395. Can anyone confirm whether they were at this location, and if so were they on public display?

    The full list of locos for Abbey Pumping Station, according to my notes, is as below. However, this may not be accurate. Most of them are now elsewhere. Those marked with an asterisk are btb still there. Any updates or clarification welcome.

    44027
    63601
    49395
    Barclay 1815/24
    Simplex 5038/30
    Lister 4088/31 *
    Hibberd 1776/31
    Simplex 5260/31 *
    Ruston 223700/44 *
    GWR 921
    RSH 7493/44
    Bagnall 2087/19 *
     
  13. William Fletcher

    William Fletcher Member

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    Not sure the main line locos ever made it to APS, they were certainly at Leicester BR depot for a time though. 63601 in red undercoat figures in Colin Garratt's "Symphony of Steam" book in the BR shed
     
  14. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for posting these photos. Always good to see real evidence to support my records.

    Seems like these two locos had a similar early preservation history:

    On withdrawal, stored at Derby Works until March 1965.

    Stored at Hellifield shed from March 1965 until August 1967.

    Moved from Hellifield, presumably direct to Leicester Midland Shed, in August 1967 (although 158A was photographed in Holbeck roundhouse in 8/1967).

    Entered Stoneygate Museum in Leicester in 1968, where presumably both remained until its closure in 1975.

    Both moved in 1975 to the Midland Railway Centre, where 158A remains today.

    118 moved from Butterley to the NRM sometime between 1978 and 1980.
     
  15. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    No, I'm not sure either. I'll have to find my 1973 IRS handbook.
     
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  16. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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    GWR 921 is the Brush 0-4-0ST that was inside the museum at Stoneygate and was moved to Abbey Pumping Station on 23rd June 1975.

    Midland 158A was moved from Stoneygate to Butterley on 14th June 1975 with Midland 118 following on 28th June 1975. The moving dates for all 3 locos are mentioned in the LTHT book.
     
  17. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for this. Always good to have exact dates.
     
  18. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    I have found 3 more pics dated Mar 1968 taken outside Leicester engine shed. 2013-01-17_8 Mar 68.JPG 2013-01-17_5Mar 68 Leics.JPG 2013-01-17_6 Mar 68.JPG
     
  19. Tim Light

    Tim Light Well-Known Member

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    Another quick question on this topic:

    Was "The Industrial Adventure" the same thing as "Snibston Discovery Park"?
     

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